Lecture Seven

1. Lecture Seven Routine Business Messages

2. Yesterday • Editing – Content, readability • Introduction and conclusion • Indirect and direct messages

3. Today • Editing – Style • Email/Memo Format • Routine Messages • Requesting Information • Making a complaint • Requesting a Reference Letter

4. Readability • Avoid long sentences

5. Readability • Bad: confusing structure • It doesn’t matter who you are or what you know, because if you want to pass this class you must hand in all of your work on time, take all the tests, and come to each class.

6. Readability • Good: Split into sentences • All students who want to pass this class must come to each class. They must also do all the homework and take all of the tests.

7. Editing • Think of editing as having 3 parts: • For content • For readability • For style

8. Style • Now that you have all the words, we must make the document look good

9. Style • “High Skim Value” • Pretend someone is skimming your work. • Change the layout so they can easily find important points, main ideas, etc.

10. Style • Headings • White Space • Font

11. Headings • Headings should be parallel (same form) and make “stand alone sense” • This means they should make sense on their own

12. Headings • Ineffective: does not make stand alone sense • Recommendation

13. Headings • Effective: does make stand alone sense • Recommendation: Open a new store location

14. Headings • Ineffective: not parallel • Steps to increase business: • Build a new store • Getting more customers • To sell more products

15. Headings • Effective: parallel • Steps to increase business: • Build a new store • Get more customers • Sell more products

16. White Space • White space is empty space on the page. • It emphasizes main ideas • It presents ideas more clearly • It gives the reader a break

17. White Space • Vary paragraph length • Don’t have one long paragraph, or many small, similar sized ones • Have variety!

18. White Space • Ineffective – one long paragraph • If your reader has to get a dictionary to understand your report then you have not used plain English. When writing a report your job is to get your argument across to your reader, not to expand his or her vocabulary. Replace unusual or obscure words with ones that are easier to understand. For example, don't talk about a ‘paradigm shift' unless you really have to, instead tell them about a different approach or change of attitude or process. Also, delete unnecessary words. A crisis is always serious and dangers are always real so you do not need to say ‘serious crisis' or ‘real danger'. Are there trivial crises or imitation dangers? This point of grammar can seriously improve your report writing! Active sentences will usually have a subject-verb-object structure whereas passive ones have an object-verb-subject structure. Clear as mud? Forget the grammar and just look at some examples. For example, ‘The dog chased the cat' (5 words) is an active sentence whereas ‘The cat was chased by the dog' (7 words) is a passive sentence. Active sentences are normally shorter and a bit more direct. It is usually a good idea to aim for about 70-80% of your sentences to be active when writing reports. In technical reports you may have to lower your sights a little.

19. White Space • Ineffective – too many short paragraphs If your reader has to get a dictionary to understand your report then you have not used plain English. When writing a report your job is to get your argument across to your reader, not to expand his or her vocabulary. Replace unusual or obscure words with ones that are easier to understand. For example, don't talk about a ‘paradigm shift' unless you really have to, instead tell them about a different approach or change of attitude or process. Also, delete unnecessary words. A crisis is always serious and dangers are always real so you do not need to say ‘serious crisis' or ‘real danger'. Are there trivial crises or imitation dangers? This point of grammar can seriously improve your report writing! Active sentences will usually have a subject-verb-object structure whereas passive ones have an object-verb-subject structure. Clear as mud? Forget the grammar and just look at some examples. For example, ‘The dog chased the cat' (5 words) is an active sentence whereas ‘The cat was chased by the dog' (7 words) is a passive sentence. Active sentences are normally shorter and a bit more direct. It is usually a good idea to aim for about 70-80% of your sentences to be active when writing reports. In technical reports you may have to lower your sights a little.

20. White Space • Effective – varying lengths If your reader has to get a dictionary to understand your report then you have not used plain English. When writing a report your job is to get your argument across to your reader, not to expand his or her vocabulary. Replace unusual or obscure words with ones that are easier to understand. For example, don't talk about a ‘paradigm shift' unless you really have to, instead tell them about a different approach or change of attitude or process. Also, delete unnecessary words. A crisis is always serious and dangers are always real so you do not need to say ‘serious crisis' or ‘real danger'. Are there trivial crises or imitation dangers? This point of grammar can seriously improve your report writing! Active sentences will usually have a subject-verb-object structure whereas passive ones have an object-verb-subject structure. Clear as mud? Forget the grammar and just look at some examples. For example, ‘The dog chased the cat' (5 words) is an active sentence whereas ‘The cat was chased by the dog' (7 words) is a passive sentence. Active sentences are normally shorter and a bit more direct. It is usually a good idea to aim for about 70-80% of your sentences to be active when writing reports. In technical reports you may have to lower your sights a little.

21. White Space • Effective: split ideas into a list • I want to remind you of the following things you must do for me: • Finish your homework • Prepare your presentations • Study for you quiz

22. White Space • Ineffective: paragraph with no structure • You have to do your homework before tomorrow. You also have to come and talk to me. Will you study for your exam? You shouldn’t forget to do that either.

23. White Space • Indenting is important

24. White Space • Be sure your lists look like this • And that your lists don’t look like this

25. White Space • It is better to use “ragged right” margins • Don’t use justified margins

26. White Space • Good: Ragged Right If your reader has to get a dictionary to understand your report then you have not used plain English. When writing a report your job is to get your argument across to your reader, not to expand his or her vocabulary. Replace unusual or obscure words with ones that are easier to understand. For example, don't talk about a ‘paradigm shift' unless you really have to, instead tell them about a different approach or change of attitude or process. Also, delete unnecessary words. A crisis is always serious and dangers are always real so you do not need to say ‘serious crisis' or ‘real danger'. Are there trivial crises or imitation dangers? This point of grammar can seriously improve your report writing! Active sentences will usually have a subject-verb-object structure whereas passive ones have an object-verb-subject structure. Clear as mud? Forget the grammar and just look at some examples. For example, ‘The dog chased the cat' (5 words) is an active sentence whereas ‘The cat was chased by the dog' (7 words) is a passive sentence. Active sentences are normally shorter and a bit more direct. It is usually a good idea to aim for about 70-80% of your sentences to be active when writing reports. In technical reports you may have to lower your sights a little.

27. White Space • Bad: Justified If your reader has to get a dictionary to understand your report then you have not used plain English. When writing a report your job is to get your argument across to your reader, not to expand his or her vocabulary. Replace unusual or obscure words with ones that are easier to understand. For example, don't talk about a ‘paradigm shift' unless you really have to, instead tell them about a different approach or change of attitude or process. Also, delete unnecessary words. A crisis is always serious and dangers are always real so you do not need to say ‘serious crisis' or ‘real danger'. Are there trivial crises or imitation dangers? This point of grammar can seriously improve your report writing! Active sentences will usually have a subject-verb-object structure whereas passive ones have an object-verb-subject structure. Clear as mud? Forget the grammar and just look at some examples. For example, ‘The dog chased the cat' (5 words) is an active sentence whereas ‘The cat was chased by the dog' (7 words) is a passive sentence. Active sentences are normally shorter and a bit more direct. It is usually a good idea to aim for about 70-80% of your sentences to be active when writing reports. In technical reports you may have to lower your sights a little.

28. White Space • For business writing, use a 12 pt. Font • “Times New Roman” is the standard Font

29. White Space • You can use other ones, but don’t go too crazy.

30. White Space • Effective: 12 pt. Normal font If your reader has to get a dictionary to understand your report then you have not used plain English. When writing a report your job is to get your argument across to your reader, not to expand his or her vocabulary. Replace unusual or obscure words with ones that are easier to understand. For example, don't talk about a ‘paradigm shift' unless you really have to, instead tell them about a different approach or change of attitude or process. Also, delete unnecessary words. A crisis is always serious and dangers are always real so you do not need to say ‘serious crisis' or ‘real danger'. Are there trivial crises or imitation dangers? This point of grammar can seriously improve your report writing! Active sentences will usually have a subject-verb-object structure whereas passive ones have an object-verb-subject structure. Clear as mud? Forget the grammar and just look at some examples. For example, ‘The dog chased the cat' (5 words) is an active sentence whereas ‘The cat was chased by the dog' (7 words) is a passive sentence. Active sentences are normally shorter and a bit more direct. It is usually a good idea to aim for about 70-80% of your sentences to be active when writing reports. In technical reports you may have to lower your sights a little.

31. White Space • Ineffective: 8 pt. Normal font If your reader has to get a dictionary to understand your report then you have not used plain English. When writing a report your job is to get your argument across to your reader, not to expand his or her vocabulary. Replace unusual or obscure words with ones that are easier to understand. For example, don't talk about a ‘paradigm shift' unless you really have to, instead tell them about a different approach or change of attitude or process. Also, delete unnecessary words. A crisis is always serious and dangers are always real so you do not need to say ‘serious crisis' or ‘real danger'. Are there trivial crises or imitation dangers? This point of grammar can seriously improve your report writing! Active sentences will usually have a subject-verb-object structure whereas passive ones have an object-verb-subject structure. Clear as mud? Forget the grammar and just look at some examples. For example, ‘The dog chased the cat' (5 words) is an active sentence whereas ‘The cat was chased by the dog' (7 words) is a passive sentence. Active sentences are normally shorter and a bit more direct. It is usually a good idea to aim for about 70-80% of your sentences to be active when writing reports. In technical reports you may have to lower your sights a little.

32. White Space • Ineffective: 12 pt. weird font If your reader has to get a dictionary to understand your report then you have not used plain English. When writing a report your job is to get your argument across to your reader, not to expand his or her vocabulary. Replace unusual or obscure words with ones that are easier to understand. For example, don't talk about a ‘paradigm shift' unless you really have to, instead tell them about a different approach or change of attitude or process. Also, delete unnecessary words. A crisis is always serious and dangers are always real so you do not need to say ‘serious crisis' or ‘real danger'. Are there trivial crises or imitation dangers? This point of grammar can seriously improve your report writing! Active sentences will usually have a subject-verb-object structure whereas passive ones have an object-verb-subject structure. Clear as mud? Forget the grammar and just look at some examples. For example, ‘The dog chased the cat' (5 words) is an active sentence whereas ‘The cat was chased by the dog' (7 words) is a passive sentence. Active sentences are normally shorter and a bit more direct. It is usually a good idea to aim for about 70-80% of your sentences to be active when writing reports. In technical reports you may have to lower your sights a little.

33. Formatting When sending a business message, it is critical that we put it in the right format Many companies will have a standard format. When in doubt use the format on page 163 for memos and 167 for letters: Full Block Format

34. Formatting • Date (on top of the page) • Address (name of the person you are sending the message to) • Salutation (Dear Mr., Dear Mrs.) • Subject line (optional) • Body • Closing (include signature)

35. Formatting • Memo/email • To: • From: • Date: • Subject:

36. Formatting • Subject must be direct, clear and provide instructions. Can include dates. • Send figures for July sales • Bring report to Friday’s meeting • Need budget for report

37. September 13 2009 James Smith President Coca Cola Company 123 Fake Street Springfield, IL, USA 16802 Dear Mr. Smith, Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Body. Sincerely, Keith Cochrane

38. Routine Messages • For normal business situations • About day to day activity • Rarely complicated • Quick, clear, and direct

39. Routine Messages • 3 Step writing process: • Step 1: Planning (gather, organize, focus) • Step 2: Writing (Drafting) • Step 3: Completing (editing)

40. Routine Messages • 3 Step writing process: • Step 1: Planning (gather, organize, focus) • Step 2: Writing (Drafting) • Step 3: Completing (editing)

41. Planning • Even though messages are short, it is still good to plan the message. • Collect info, organize your thoughts, focus your ideas

42. Planning • Go over 5 communication strategies • Purpose? Objective? Style? Channel? Audience

43. Planning • Use the “you” attitude • Adapt message to readers

44. Routine Messages • 3 Step writing process: • Step 1: Planning (gather, organize, focus) • Step 2: Writing (Drafting) • Step 3: Completing (editing)

45. Writing • Assume your reader is interested or neutral • Assume they will respond positively

46. Writing • Must have a clear opening (introduction) • State all main ideas (Body) • Close Politely (conclusion)

47. Routine Messages • 3 Step writing process: • Step 1: Planning (gather, organize, focus) • Step 2: Writing (Drafting) • Step 3: Completing (editing)

48. Editing • Check content, readability, style format. • Proofread typos, errors, etc. • Read over before sending

49. Message Strategy • We will look at the strategy for writing routine messages. • Start with Introduction

50. Introduction Strategy • State your request at the beginning • Pay attention to your tone • Avoid personal intros • Be specific (say exactly what you want)