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Your MemoYour Memo Correct memo format
TONE
ORGANIZATION
Frontloading and common ground
Conclusion: goodwill, gracious close
Professionalism: proofreading, clarity
MAIBMAIB
Class 6: The Writing Process, Persuasion, and Reports
““Only 0.8% of the human race Only 0.8% of the human race is capable of writing is capable of writing
something that is instantly something that is instantly understandable.”understandable.”
H.L. Mencken
THE WRITING PROCESSTHE WRITING PROCESS
Writing is a high-level intellectual activity: it takes time
Create your own system for writing: make this process a new habit
Divide your time equally between thinking, writing, and revising
COMMON STEPS FOR COMMON STEPS FOR WRITINGWRITING
1) WORRYING AND PROCRASTINATING
2) LISTING IDEAS
3) ORGANIZING KEY POINTS
4) WRITING THE DRAFT
5) REVISING THE DRAFT
6) PROOFREADING
WORRYING AND WORRYING AND PROCRASTINATNGPROCRASTINATNG
These pre-writing “activities” can actually be productive
Let your subconscious deal with the problem but set a deadline, then start listing or writing
LISTING AND ORGANIZINGLISTING AND ORGANIZING
Jot down ALL your ideas randomly Come back to the list later and eliminate or add
ideas Organize these ideas into an order that best serves
your purpose (define it NOW) and the reader’s needs (analyze them NOW)
These actions constitute the major decision-making and planning moves of the writing process
WRITING THE DRAFTWRITING THE DRAFT
Remember: this is a ROUGH draft. Do not stop to edit or perfect anything.
Simply put your ideas down on paper as quickly and thoroughly as you can: keep ideas flowing
Note where graphics and data should be inserted later
The Importance of RevisingThe Importance of Revising
REVISING THE DRAFTREVISING THE DRAFT
Maintain your professional image by polishing the rough draft in this step
Try to read your document from the reader’s perspective
Analyze power of ideas and strength of structure Test logic and progression of thinking Rewrite weaker passages, paragraphs, and
sentences
PROOFREADINGPROOFREADING
Protect your credibility as a professional (writer and manager) by sweating the details
Check diction, tone, grammar, and punctuation Enlist the help of an outside reader Read aloud Use mechanical tools like spellcheckers and
grammar checkers
SOME PRACTICAL WRITING SOME PRACTICAL WRITING TIPSTIPS
Talk about your ideas first as a warm up Start with the easiest part of the document Set yourself a time limit and write uninterruptedly
for this period Be uncritical at first to encourage ideas Break big jobs into small chunks Realize that the first draft will be rough and wait
to edit until after larger revisions Set drafts aside for a “cooling-off” period
PERSUASION
The ability to influence others to accept your point of view
CLASSIC PERSUASIVE CLASSIC PERSUASIVE PRINCIPLESPRINCIPLES
LOGOS: your message (content, organization, format)
PATHOS: your reader’s needs
ETHOS: your credibility as writer/expert
Facts and figures alone will never persuade anyone. If you can’t connect your facts to the dreams of the client, then all the statistics and charts in the world won’t make any impression.
Rene Nourse, VP Investments: Prudential Securities, Inc.
Present AND Interpret FactsPresent AND Interpret Facts
This CD-ROM can store 600 megabytes of information
This CD-ROM can store 600 megabytes of information. With this capacity, you have enough space to store a complete set of encyclopedias and 15 minutes of informative videos.
Present AND Interpret FactsPresent AND Interpret Facts
DATA ALONE:
Strengths - The business plan states that Green Dolphin’s current products are in a “very large and rapidly expanding cap market”.The American Apparel Manufacturer Association (AAMA) estimates that retail sales of baseball caps increased from 1991 by 11.5% to $1.75 billion in 1992.
DATA INTERPRETED Strengths – Green Dolphin’s products will
sell in two rapidly expanding markets: baseball style caps and licensed sports apparel. According to statistics cited in their business plan, the cap market expanded 11.5% from 1991 to 1992, while the professional sports league apparel market segment has been growing even faster. Clearly these have been very profitable markets in the recent past and give indications that they will continue to be successful in the future. In addition, a few successful companies, such as Lucky (apparel), Fossil (watches), and Coopers town (major league baseball caps and jerseys), are beginning to focus on vintage style apparel. I believe that Green Dolphin is positioned to enter these expanding markets at a very opportune time.
3 Basics for a Persuasive 3 Basics for a Persuasive MessageMessage
1. Know your idea/product/abilities
2. Know your audience
3. Know the end result/action you seek
Successful Business Successful Business Persuasive StrategiesPersuasive Strategies
Making moneySaving moneyIncreasing efficiency (saving time)Making the best use of resources
3 Responses to Persuasion3 Responses to Persuasion
Compliance: the least effective response. Those who comply do so for reward or punishment, without consensus
Identification: a better response. These people accept your message because they like or respect you
Internalization: the best response. Those who internalize your message will actively change their ideas to your way of thinking because they recognize the benefits of your ideas
The ReportThe ReportFrom the beginning you should present
A clear purposeA clear and consistent structureA cohesive framework for evaluationAn idea of your report’s scopeExtensive supporting data and analysis
Recommendation ReportsRecommendation Reports
These reports analyze a problem/need/opportunity in detail
They evaluate the situation and the alternatives
They also recommend a solution/decision/or action based on the analysis and evaluation
STRUCTURE OF YOUR STRUCTURE OF YOUR REPORTREPORT
1. FRONT MATTER
2. ANALYSIS AND EVALUATIONS
3. RECOMMENDATIONS
4. END MATTER
FRONT MATTERFRONT MATTER
1. Transmittal memo/letter (N/A)
2. TITLE PAGE
3. Table of Contents (N/A)
4. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
ANALYSIS and ANALYSIS and EVALUATIONSEVALUATIONS
Orient your reader to topic and purpose
Give criteria for selection and frontloaded recommendations
Systematically analyze and evaluate data collected about other companies’ strategies
Evaluation CriteriaEvaluation Criteria
Depending on your report’s purpose, you will need to select from some of the following criteria:
1. Technical Strategies: why and how the proposed strategy will work
2. Cost Strategies: Why the plan is cost-effective and competitive and any risks involved
3. Management Strategies: How the company will carry out its plan (personnel, experience, facilities, quality control mechanisms)
RECOMMENDATIONSRECOMMENDATIONS
Summary of pros and cons, relating to your company’s needs
Recommendations re-presented in the light of the analysis
Action plan and agenda
END MATTEREND MATTER
Appendixes (any extra data/reports in support of recommendations)
List of sources
SIX STEPS TO WRITING A SIX STEPS TO WRITING A REPORTREPORT
1. Define the situation and need
2. Gather the necessary data and information
3. Interpret the data
4. Organize and evaluate the information
5. Write the report
6. Revise the report with your reader in mind
The Importance of Document The Importance of Document DesignDesign
DOCUMENT DESIGNDOCUMENT DESIGN
Writing is purely VISUALVISUAL, so its arrangement and effect on the page are IMPORTANTIMPORTANT
DOCUMENT DESIGNDOCUMENT DESIGN
VISUAL CLARITY
HELPS
VERBAL CLARITY
DESIGN and LAYOUT HINTSDESIGN and LAYOUT HINTS
1. Use white space, varying paragraph lengths, and lists to emphasize ideas
2. Use headings to group ideas and lead the reader through your thinking
3. Limit use of capitals and number of typefaces
4. Put important elements in the top left and lower right quadrants of the page
5. Be sparing in use of highlighting and color
Use Graphics CarefullyUse Graphics Carefully