Unit 5

1. Unit 5 Guidelines for Written Business Communication Unit 5 Business Communication

2. Unit Outline • General principles of writing • Tips on writing style • Active vs. passive voice • Spelling and punctuation • Common errors in English 2. Principles of Business Writing • Tone • Emphasis and subordination • Writing at the appropriate level of readability Unit 5 Business Communication

3. General Principles of Writing • Follow “KISS” principle • Use jargon only where relevant • Avoid slang and metaphors in formal writing • Parts of speech Nouns - Use concrete vs. abstract nouns Pronouns - Avoid “offensive” masculine pronouns -Avoid overuse of “I” -Use “you” carefully Unit 5 Business Communication

4. General Principles of Writing • Parts of speech Verbs • Make them agree with subject and person • Use tenses uniformly Adjectives • Avoid strong adjectives • Use minimum adjectives Adverbs - Avoid strong adverbs Unit 5 Business Communication

5. General Principles of Writing • Active vs. passive voice • Active to emphasize doer of action • Passive to de-emphasize doer or negative idea • Spellings • Differences in British and American English • Differences in noun and verb forms • Similar sounding words with different meanings Unit 5 Business Communication

6. General Principles of Writing • Punctuation Apostrophe • For possessive • To indicate ownership Brackets • To separate phrase from main sentence Colon • To suggest a list after main statement Comma - To separate series of words Unit 5 Business Communication

7. General Principles of Writing • Punctuation (contd.) Dash • To separate words not needed for sentence structure Full stop • At the end of sentences and abbreviations Quotation marks • To enclose what is stated by others Semicolon - To indicate a long pause

8. General Principles of Writing Common errors in English • Redundancies –repetitive words that express same meaning • Cliches – over-used and worn out phrases • Frequently misused words – similar sounding words used in the wrong context Unit 5 Business Communication

9. Principles of Business Writing • Positive tone • Express negative ideas in positive language • Stress what can be done • Confident tone • Don’t be unsure of yourself • Don’t suggest that things may go wrong • Don’t be over-confident • Courteous tone • Build goodwill & good relations Unit 5 Business Communication

10. Principles of Business Writing • Sincere tone • Avoid exaggeration & flattery • Non-discriminatory tone - Use non-offensive language • Emphasis and subordination • Emphasize important and pleasant ideas • De-emphasize unimportant and unpleasant ideas Unit 5 Business Communication

11. Principles of Business Writing • Techniques for emphasis - Important ideas and words first or last • Active voice to emphasize doer of action • Passive voice to emphasize receiver of action - Emphatic words - Repetition - Numbering of ideas • Visual devices Unit 5 Business Communication

12. Principles of Business Letter Writing • “You” attitude vs. “me” attitude • Stress reader benefits • Avoid first person • Readability • Tailor writing to audience level • Measure readability – “Fog Index” Unit 5 Business Communication