Business Writing Workshop

1. Business Writing Workshop Carl L. Gerber October 1, 2004 University of Dayton MIS Department

2. Agenda • Biography • Overview • Importance • Structure • Document Types • Group Exercise • Wrap-up

3. Biography • B.B.A., Computer Systems in Business, Ohio University, ‘85 • Captain, United States Air Force, ’85-90 • Systems Analyst, Procter & Gamble, ’90-95 • Assistant Vice President, Enterprise Architect, American Financial Group, ’95 - present

4. Overview • This class is designed to give you an overview of business writing to help you be more effective in the workplace. • I can raise your awareness, however, only you can teach yourself through practice.

5. Importance of Business Writing • The reader is a decision maker with little time to review your topic. • Its your job to provide only the relevant facts needed for a decision

6. Importance of Business Writing • A 1 or 2 page summary forces you to analyze all of the data and condense it to only the important facts. • Your writing is seen as a reflection of your competence. Are your documents: • Organized, Clear & Concise? • Disorganized, Long-winded & Indecisive?

7. Importance of Business Writing …Deupree strongly disliked any memorandum more than one typewritten page in length. He often would return a long memo with a an injunction:Boil it down to something I can grasp. If the memo involved a complex situation, he sometimes would add, I don’t understand complicated problems. I only understand simple ones. When an interviewer once queried him about this, he explained, part of my job is to train people to break down an involved question into a series of simple matters. Then we can all act intelligently. P&G Brand Manager quoting Rechard Dupree, former President, Procter & Gamble and proponent of the P&G one-page memo The one-page memo isn’t just a training exercise at P&G. We use it as an integrated tool for decision making. Important decisions are usually based upon input from many different parts of the organization, and the one-page memo forces managers to think concisely, separating fact from opinion. Ed Harness, former CEO, Procter & Gamble

8. Run video now…

9. Structure - Format Executive Summary • 1 maybe 2 pages in length • 10 or 12 point font • Visual Chunkingfor readability • Bold Paragraph Headings • Bullets • Numbered Lists • Chart or Graph • Indentation

10. Structure - Sequence • First Paragraph • 1 to 3 Sentences Max • Purpose of the Document • What You Want the Reader to Do (call to action) • Approve • Review & Provide Feedback • Information Only • For the Record

11. Structure - Sequence • Recommendation • Provide Details • Business Rationale • The Basis of Your Recommendation • Background • Describe the Business Context • Why Was This Document Created • Who Participated in its Creation • Not Historical Chronicle

12. Structure - Sequence • Methodology • Benefits • Next Steps (aka Action Items) • What • Whom • When

13. Examples What do you think about these sample Executive Summaries? • Look Past the Content • What is Your First Impression? • Review for Construction • Format • Structure

29. Document Types • You will likely be asked to produce • Recommendation Memos • Meeting Minutes • Reports • Executive Summary • Analysis & Findings • Trip Reports • File Memos

30. Meeting Minutes Not a Chronology of the Meeting • Opening Sentences • Meeting Topic • When • Who • Consider Using a Group Name • Use a Distribution List Attachment for >5 Names • Why • Decisions Made • Major Discussion Points • Action Items & Next Steps

31. Reports • Report Executive Summary • Cover letter to the report • May be the only report portion that gets read • Must be able to stand alone • Opening 1-3 sentences • Suggested Paragraph Headings • Recommendation • Key Findings/Findings Summary • Methodology

32. Trip Report • Purpose • Summarize the trip for those who couldn’t go • Document findings relevant to your company • Correlates to the reason you traveled • Structure it like your other memos • Generally not a chronology of your trip • Distribute your trip report soon after returning

33. File Memo • Structured same as other memos • Executive Summary • Recommendation Memo • Purpose • Document for the Record • Chronology of events may be important • Generally No Recipients • To: File Memo

34. Writing Exercise • Create a Proforma Executive Summary for the Baseline Project Plan (BPP) • All facts may not be known yet, that’s ok. • Create a draft that can be used to elicit the project scope & high-level requirements. • Work in Groups • Facilitators

35. Baseline Project Plan • 1.0 Executive Summary (10 points) • 1.1 Project Overview (6 points) • Provide an executive summary that specifies the project’s scope, feasibility, justification, resource requirements, and schedules. Additionally, provide a brief statement of the problem, the environment in which the system is to be implemented, and constraints that affect the project. • 1.2 Recommendation (4 points) • Provide a summary of the important findings from the planning process and recommendations for subsequent activities.

36. Wrap-up • Key Take Away • Don’t use 7 words when 4 will do • Questions? Carl Gerber cgerber@gaic.com

37. Resources • Use Internet search engines • Selected Websites www.columbia.edu/~ftg1/WRITING%20EXECUT.SUMMARY.html www.fas.harvard.edu/~wricntr/html/tools.htm www.ksg.harvard.edu/library/e_ref_trad.htm owl.english.purdue.edu/ • P&G Memo References Winning with the P&G 99, Charles L. Decker, reviewed by Cliff Tse www.hkis.org.hk/hkis/cms/upload/Newsletter/nwsl234_0.pdf One-Page Memos, Dr. Richard Dawe //www.ggu.edu/schedule/syllabus/11570/P300-10wSYL1.fa04.pdf