Importance of Writing

2. Whenever I'm about to do something, I think, "Would an idiot do that?" And if they would, I do not do that thing. -- Dwight Schrute

3. Importance of Writing Information and services are created and delivered by communication In an information economy, good writing is not just a tool for doing business, it is an important business product.

4. Business Depends on Communication Plan products and services Hire, train, and motivate employees Coordinate manufacturing and delivery Persuade customers to buy Bill and invoice customers Foster goodwill

5. Importance of Communication

6. Importance of Writing Study of 120 major coporations in US At least 70% say most of theirworkershavespecificwritingresponsibilities • E-mail (100% of employees) 122 business emails sent / received 205 Billion • Presentations with visuals, such as PowerPoint slides (100%) • Memos and correspondence (70%) • Formal reports (62%) • Technical reports (59%) NationalCommission on Writing

7. Importance of communication: Trends uSamp Research survey • 97% believe communications impact tasks daily • 85% rely on more than one device • Email overload necessitates better communication • >50 of employees leave a meeting without knowing what to do next • 82% prefrer receiving voicemails as text messages 97%

11. Writing is the top desired skill in college grads • Yet one of the weakest skills of college graduates • “Effective business communication skills are a stumbling block” • Spelling, grammar, misuse of words in emails, reports, presentations

12. Common myths assistant templates writing not implied in job title phone calls

13. Whyshouldyoucare? Competitive job market Regardless of your position, you will need to communicate The higher your position, the higher the expectations Promotion $$$$$$$$ Fear the consequences

14. Consequences • NASA and Lockheed Martin • Toyota recall and delayed response • BP’s constant apologizing • Unaware of policies • Yahoo Internal communication leaks outside

15. Agenda • A. The Managerial Functions of Communication • B. The Cost of Correspondence • C. The Cost of Poor Correspondence • D. Benefits of Improving Correspondence • E. Criteria for Effective Messages

16. Agenda

17. A. The Managerial Functions of Communication • conversations, the grapevine, phone calls, memos, reports, databases, and the Internet. • meetings, speeches, press releases, videos, memos, letters, and reports. • Management by walking around • Managers have three basic jobs: • to collect and conveyinformation • to make decisions • to promote interpersonal unity

18. A. The Managerial Functions of Communication Effective managers are able to use a wide variety of media and strategies to communicate. know how to interpret comments from informal channels such as the company grapevine can speak effectively in small groups and in formal presentations; they write well

19. A. The Managerial Functions of Communication Receivers Internal audience External audience People outside the organization customers, suppliers, unions, stock-holders, distributors, potential employees, government agencies, trade associations, the press, and the general public.) • Other people in the same organization • Superiors, subordinates, coworkers

20. A. The Managerial Functions of Communication Informal listening, speaking, and working in groups are just as important as writing formal documents and giving formal oral presentations. to find out what you're supposed to do and to learn about the organization's values and culture.

21. A. The Managerial Functions of Communication Document Types • to inform • you explain something or tell readers something. • to request or persuade • you want the reader to act • Must motivate and convince the reader to act • to build goodwill • you create a good image of yourself and of your organization • Encourages others to want to do business with you

22. Internal Documents

23. External Documents

24. Agenda

25. B. The Cost of Correspondence To produce a written page in business costs between $15-$45 54 minutes to plan, compose, and revise a business letter 10 min to dictate Cycling between writer and superior beforeexitingcompany Longer documents can involve large teams of people and take months to write. Good communication is worth every minute it takes and every penny it costs.

26. C. The Cost of Poor Correspondence • 70% of small-medium size business say ineffective communication is primary problem (SIS Intl) • Money • Time • Effort • Goodwill • Legal

27. Money • C. The Cost of Poor Correspondence 3.1 Billion dollars To produce a written page in business costs between $15-$45. 100 employee business spends 17 downtime hours per week clarifying communication = $525,000 per year (SIS Intl) 100,000 employee business: $62.4 million per year in US and UK $26,041: cumulative cost per worker per year due to productivity losses resulting from communications barriers NASA

28. Time • C. The Cost of Poor Correspondence • ineffective writing may obscure ideas so it causes discussions • unclear or incomplete messages may require the reader to ask for more information. • bad writing takes longer to read. • 97% of our reading time trying to understand, not moving eyes • bad writing may need to be rewritten • 30% of letters and memos in business are sent to get clarification of prior written communications.

29. Effort • C. The Cost of Poor Correspondence Ineffective messages don't get results. “Per our conversation, enclosed are two copies of the above-mentioned invoice. Please review and advise. Sincerely, . . .”

30. Goodwill • C. The Cost of Poor Correspondence Whatever the literal content of the words, every piece of communication serves either to build or to undermine (harm) the image the reader has of the writer Credibility

34. Legal • C. The Cost of Poor Correspondence Domino´s 30-min guarantee Senior Enron executives Boeing CEO Harry Stonecipher Anthony Weiner – US Congressman Credit Suisse First Boston banker Frank Quattrone Hewlett-Packard Chairperson Patricia Dunn Walmart Vice Presidents Julie Roehm and Sean Womack Nothing you compose at work is private

35. Ad slogan mistakes

36. Parker Pens Marketing: The Quink pen "won't leak and embarrass you. "Spanish mistranslation: The Quink pen won't embarazar you - make you pregnant.

38. Agenda

39. D. Benefits of Improving Correspondence Better writing helps you to: • Save time. Reduce reading time, since comprehension is easier. Eliminate the time now taken to rewrite badly written materials. Reduce the time taken asking writers "What did you mean?" • Make your efforts more effective. Increase the number of requests that are answered positively and promptly on the first request. Present your points to other people in your organization; to clients, customers, and, suppliers; to government agencies; to the public more forcefully. • Communicate your points more clearly. Reduce the misunderstandings that occur when the reader has to supply missing or unclear information. Make the issues clear, so that disagreements can surface and be resolved more quickly. • Build goodwill. Build a positive image of your organization. Build an image of yourself as a knowledgeable, intelligent, capable person.

40. Agenda

41. E. Criteria for Effective Messages • It's clear. The meaning the reader gets is the meaning the writer intended. The reader doesn't have to guess. • It's complete. All of the reader's questions are answered. The reader has enough information to evaluate the message and act on it. • It's correct. All of the information in the message is accurate. The message is free from errors in punctuation, spelling, grammar, word order, and sentence structure. • It saves the reader's time. The style, organization, and visual impact of the message help the reader to read, understand, and act on the information as quickly as possible. • It builds goodwill. The message presents a positive image of the writer and his or her organization. It treats the reader as a person, not a number. It cements a good relationship between the writer and the reader.

42. Conventions Widelyacceptedpracticesthatyouroutinelyencounter Help peoplerecognize, produce, andinterpretdifferentkinds of communication CV, Pressconference, meetings, emails, invoices…

43. Wiio´sLaws Communication usually fails, except by accident If a message can be interpreted in several ways, it will be interpreted in a manner that maximizes the damage There is always someone who knows better than you what you meant with your message The more we communicate, the worse communication succeeds In mass communication, the important thing is not how things are but how they seem to be

44. Successful Writing In business, successful writing is not a product of inspiration, nor just merely converting spoken words to print a medium

45. Successful Writing Is a result of knowing how to structure information using both text and design to achieve an intended purpose for a clearly defined audience Best approach is to have a process

46. 5 Steps to Successful Writing • Preparation • Research • Organization • Writing • Revision

47. Successful Writing • Conscious effort until it becomes systematic • Steps may overlap • Certain documents will require different amounts of time • Email vs Feasability report

48. 1 • Establish Primary Purpose • Assess Audience • Determine Scope • Select Medium

49. To describe to American citizens the necessary procedures for working at a Turkish University To explain the legal requirements for working abroad • What do you want your readers to know, to believe, or to be able to do after they finish reading? • Do not be too broad • Secondary purpose • Could answer the WHY questions

50. What are the reader’s attitudes on the subject? (Skeptical, supportive, anxious, bored?) • What do the readers already know about the subject? • Should you define terminology? • Are the readers international? Who is your reader? Multiple readers? Who needs to see or use the document? What are reader’s needs in relation to the subject?