3 STEP WRITING PROCESSBusiness Communication

MBA – I Trimester

From Business Communication Today

The Three Steps

Step 1: PLANNING BUSINESS MESSAGES Step 2: WRITING BUSINESS MESSAGES Step 3: COMPLETING BUSINESS

MESSAGES

PLANNING BUSINESS MESSAGES

Analyze your situation Gathering information Selecting the right medium

Analyze your situation

Defining your purpose: 4 Questions – possibility of change, realistic, right time, acceptability to your org

Developing an audience profile: Identify primary audience Determine audience size and geographic

distribution Determine audience composition Gauge audience members’ level of understanding Understand audience expectations and preferences Forecast probable audience reaction

Gathering information

Uncovering audience needs – based on audience feedback, asking questions to specify focus, anticipating info needs

Providing required information: Journalistic approach – who, what, when, where, why, how Accurate Ethical Pertinent

Selecting the right medium

Oral: face-to-face conversation, interviews, speeches, in-person presentations, meetings

Written: memos, letters, reports, proposals Visual: benefits of visual media Electronic: Email, podcasts, blogs, wikis, text messages,

computer animation, video, music Electronic versions of oral media: internet telephony, teleconferencing,

voice-mail messages, audio recording (podcasts, CDs) Electronic versions of written media: email, IM, blogs, websites, wikis,

text messaging, e-fax Electronic versions of visual media: Electronic presentations, computer

animation, video (tape, DVD, online) Multimedia (audio, video, text & visual graphics)

Factors to consider when choosing media: media richness, message formality, media limitations, sender intentions, urgency and cost, audience preferences

Organizing your information

Recognizing the importance of good organization

Defining your main idea Limiting your scope Choosing between Direct and Indirect

approaches: routine and positive messages, negative messages, persuasive messages

Outlining your content: start with main idea, state major points, illustrate with evidence

WRITING BUSINESS MESSAGES Adapting to your audience Composing your message

Adapting to your audience

Being sensitive to your audience’s needs: Using the “you” attitude Maintaining standards of etiquette Emphasizing the positive Using bias-free language

Building strong relationships with your audience: Establishing your credibility Projecting your company’s image

Controlling your style and tone: Using a conversational tone Using plain English Selecting Active or passive voice

Composing your message

Choosing strong words Using functional and content words correctly Finding words that communicate well Creating Effective sentences:

Choosing from the 4 types of sentences Using sentence style to emphasize key thoughts

Creating unified, coherent paragraphs: Elements of the paragraph Five ways to develop a paragraph

Using Technology to Compose & Share Your Message

Style sheets and templates Autocompletion Autocorrection File merge and mail merge Endnotes, footnotes, indexes, and tables

of contents Wizards

COMPLETING BUSINESS MESSAGES

Revising your message Producing your message Proofreading your message Distributing your message

Revising your message

Evaluating your content, organization, style and tone Reviewing readability

Varying your sentence length Keeping your paragraphs short Using lists and bullets to clarify and emphasize Adding headings and subheadings

Editing for clarity and conciseness: break up overly long sentences, rewrite hedging sentences, impose parallelism, correct dangling modifiers, reword long noun sequences, replace camouflaged verbs, clarify sentence structure, clarify awkward references, moderate your enthusiasm, delete unnecessary words and phrases, shorten long words and phrases, eliminate redundancies, recast “It is/There are” starters

Using technology to revise your message

Producing your message

Adding graphics, sound, video & hypertext Designing for readability:

White space Margins and justification Typefaces Type styles

Using technology to produce your message Formatting formal letters and memos

Proofreading your message

Make multiple passes Use perceptual tricks Double-check high-priority items Give yourself some distance Be vigilant Stay focused Review complex electronic documents on

paper Take your time

Distributing your message

Cost Convenience Time Security and privacy