BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

LECTURE 7

THE WRITING PROCESS

By Ms. Glynnis

The writing process has 3 parts :

1. Pre-writing

2. Writing

3. Revising

1. Pre-writing Analyzing

Analyzed your audience analyzed purpose of writing

Anticipating how audience will react to your

message

Adapting try to think of the right words

and right tone to win approval

2. writing researching

investigate your customer or

audience

Organizing how you want your letter

Composing save your writing in your

computer

3. Revising revising

check clarity, conciseness,

tone and readability

Proofreading ensure correct spelling,

grammar, punctuation and

format.

Evaluating decide whether it

accomplishes your goal

SELECTING THE BEST CHANNEL

Face to face conversation Telephone call Voicemail messages Fax Email Face to face group meeting Video or teleconference Memo Letter Report or proposal

Choosing the best channel depends on some of the following factors : importance of the message Amount and speed of the

feedback required Necessity of a permanent

record Cost of the channel Degree of formality desired

In preparing business messages and oral presentations, you’ll find that your writing need to be : Audience – oriented

concentrate on looking at a problem from the receiver’s perspective instead of seeing fron your own.

Purposeful to solve problem and convey

information

Economical try to present ideas clearly but

concisely. length is not rewarded

IMPORTANCE OF PROOFREADING

Proofreading before a document is completed is generally a waste of time.

What to watch for in proofreading : spelling

Grammar

Punctuation

Names

Numbers

format

How to proofread routine documents needs a light proofreading

How to proofread complex documents Techniques :

• print a copy, double spaced

• allow adequate time to proofread

carefully

• Be prepared to find errors

• read message at least twice

• reduce your reading speed

• use standard proofreading marks to indicate changes

ESTABLISHING CREDABILITY AND REVIEWING THE WRITING

1. EFFECTIVE SENTENCES

Sentence must have subject and make sense Clauses have subject and

verbs, but phrases do not. Independent clauses may stand

alone but dependent could not. Fragment are broken-off parts of

sentences and should not be

punctuated as sentences. When two independent clauses are joined by a

comma without conjunction, a comma splice result. Sentences with 20 or fewer words have the most

impact.

2. Emphasis emphasize an idea mechanically by

using underlining, italics, boldface,

font changes, all caps, dashes and

tabulations. emphasize ideas stylistically by

using vivid words, labeling the main

idea, and positioning the main idea

strategically. deemphasize ideas by using general

words and placing the idea in

dependent clauses.

3. Active and passive voice active –voice sentences are

preferred because the subject is

the doer of the action. although active-voice verbs are

preferred, passive-voice verbs

perform useful function.

4. Parallelism balanced wording helps the reader

anticipate and comprehend your

meaning\ all items in the list should be

expressed in balanced

constructions.

5. unityunited sentences contain only related

ideas.

6. Zigzag writing sentences often should be broken into

two sentences

7. Mixed constructions mixed grammatical constructions confuse

readers

8. Dangling and misplaced modifiers modifiers must be close to the words they

describe or limit

9. Paragraph coherence three ways to create paragraph coherence

are : repetition of key ideas use of pronouns use of transiti onal expressions

used wisely, transitional expressions

guide readers smoothly from idea to

ideathe most readable paragraphs contain

eight or fewer printed lines.