Business Communication

1. Business Communication Power Writing BCC040 October 2013

2. Housekeeping • Break • Restrooms • Cell phones and electronic devices • Materials • Training Guide • Sign roster at end of class for credit

3. Course Objectives After today’s class, everyone should be able to: • Explain the purpose/job of writing and how to achieve this through the writing process • List techniques for getting content on paper • Explain why editing is crucial to writing • Describe how evaluating the finished work helps determine its effectiveness • Select resources for becoming a better writer

4. Examples Used in This Class • Throughout this class we will review samples of business writing • Not meant to embarrass anyone • Writing can ALWAYS be improved • See what our peers are writing • Train our eyes and minds to analyze, edit and improve our writing

5. Types of Business Writing • Writing for business • What are types of business writing? • Let’s make a list

6. Your Focus in Writing • What is your focus?

7. What is Power Writing? • What is power writing?

8. Activity – Discuss Types • Group by type of writing • Compare notes and discuss challenges • Let’s discuss

9. The Writing Process • Pre-writing • Analyzing • Organizing • Editing • Wording • Style and Tone • Evaluating • Is my writing doing its job?

10. Steps for PRE-writing

11. Purpose of Document • Why are you writing? To Request Action To Inform To Persuade

12. Purpose – Short and Long Term • Purpose of your writing • What “job” is your writing meant to accomplish? • Thank a donor • Solicit a donation • How does our writing achieve these goals? • Find language/terminology that conveys these ideas within the needed context

13. Purpose – Short and Long Term • Purpose of your writing • What is the long-term “job” of your writing? • Strengthen a partnership • Cultivate a prospective partner or donor • Document an event • Sell or promote UF • How does our writing achieve these goals? • Find language/terminology that conveys these ideas within the needed context

14. Exercise A – Letter from the Dean On your computer, • Click Desktop > Exercises folder • Double-click the Letter from the Dean.docx • Analyze letter - what is this writing doing? • Use Comments by clicking Review > New Comment • Identify instances where language/terminology conveys short and long term goals in the needed context

15. Content vs. Language • How do we get our content on paper? • Where do we begin? • Techniques for developing content • Knowing your audience • Applying organization

16. Numbered Sentences Technique

17. Numbered Sentences Technique

18. Outline Technique • Creating an outline helps identify all the needed information • Can reorganize later

19. Outline Technique

20. Outline Technique

21. Outline of Structure • Title • Introduction • Thesis Statement • Body Paragraphs • Constructing Topic Sentences • Building Main Points • Countering the Opposition • Conclusion From the Purdue Online Writing Lab

22. Visual Mapping Techniques • Persuasion Map From ReadWriteThink

23. Visual Mapping Techniques • Mind Mapping • App: • SimpleMind+ • Internet • Bubbl.us • Mindomo From ReadWriteThink

24. Exercise B - Workbook • Think of a writing project you are working on at your job and answer the following questions: • What is the “job” it is supposed to accomplish? • Would an outline or mindmap help me identify and develop content in a new way for me? How? Let’s discuss!

25. Who is Your Audience? • What is the relationship to your reader? • Supervisor / Director • Someone you supervise • Peer • Someone in another department/college • Outside customer • Prospective candidate • Other?

26. Study Your Audience • Think about the reader’s and writer’s mutual interests and concerns

27. Activity – Letter of Evaluation A How does this letter manage readers’ expectations?

28. Activity – Letter of Evaluation B What about this letter? Which letter do you prefer? Why?

29. Organize Your Writing • Why do we need to organize our writing? • Structure • Efficiency • Direction • Energy

30. a. Chronological • Chronological • When order of events is important • When you need to show progress

31. b. Priority • Priority • Good technique for presenting information according to its importance • Some resumes do this to highlight accomplishments

32. c. Problem Cause Solution • Problem Cause Solution • Presents an issue, provides information significant to that issue and may offer possible solutions • Good for evaluations • Requests for changes in procedure, etc.

33. d. Similarities/Differences • Similarities/Differences • Good to use when you are evaluating two or more items using the same criteria • Consumer Reports uses this technique to compare and contrast products

34. e. Pros and Cons • Pros and Cons • Good when you are evaluating one issue or topic

35. Activity - Explanation How does this document’s organization help? How is it organized?

36. Exercise C - Workbook • Think of a writing project you are working on at your job and answer the following questions: • What is your natural way of organizing? • What would be the best method of organizing this project if I had to choose one of the five mentioned, and why? Let’s discuss!

37. Transitional Phrases Transitional phrases categorized by organizational structure: • Study Guides and Strategies • http://www.studygs.net/wrtstr6.htm • University of Richmond Writing Center • http://writing2.richmond.edu/writing/wweb/trans1.html • The Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin - Madison • http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/Transitions.html

38. Editing

39. Editing • Why is editing so important?

40. Activity - Newsletter What is your initial reaction to these paragraphs? What would you gently suggest to the author?

41. Editing Checklist • Editing Checklist • Is my work really ready for editing? • Are thoughts fully developed? • Eliminate wordiness • Reposition words • Use active voice • Word choice - vocabulary • Enhance organization through visual appeal • Use meaningful adjectives

42. Activity – Discuss Editing • Turn to your neighbor and take a few minutes to discuss editing – • What helps you? • What helps your neighbor? • What needs your attention? • Do we need to add to this checklist?

43. 1. Really Ready for Editing? • Is your draft a place of struggle with the content, logic or sequence of thoughts? • Are you really at a place where you are ready to edit? Or do you need to go back to add or develop more content?

44. Activity – 2. Help Develop Thoughts Is this ready for editing? Why or why not? What would you do to edit? Let’s discuss!

45. 3. Eliminate Wordiness • I am invested in the idea that we can make improvements to our infrastructure. • We can improve our infrastructure.

46. Exercise D – On Computer On your computer, open the folder marked Power Writing and open Exercise D. Use the yellow highlighter in Word and edit this document. Let’s discuss!

47. 4. Reposition Words • The meeting was long yet yielded an outcome that was positive. • The long meeting yielded a positive outcome.

48. How Would You Edit? • After you submit the results that you collected on your field assignment, I will interpret the data that we need and offer you payment for your efforts. • After you submit your field assignment results, I will interpret the necessary data and pay you.

49. 5. Use Active Voice Additional external funding has been awarded. The National Institute of Health provided additional external funding for this center. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/539/05/

50. Activity – Project Management What do you like about this writing sample? Are the verbs active or passive?