Digital Key ConceptsManagement 102

Professor Estenson

PREPARING TO WRITE

Writing Apprehension

• CAUSES– Early Efforts– Never Been Taught– Lack of Knowledge of

purpose, audience or point of the effort

• FIXES– Work Shops– Write then Right– Supportive Evaluation

PLANNING• WHAT

– Nature of the message– What needs to be communicated?

• WHY– Why bother? Does the receiver know why message is being

sent?• WHO

– Have I chosen the right person?– What channel is this person comfortable receiving?

• WHEN– Too early or too late. Close to critical meetings

• WHERE– Where should the message come from?

• HOW– Channel (Letter, Memo, Report, Email, Phone Call,

Brochure, Newsletter, Manual

PRINCIPLE ONE: Choose Words Precisely

• DENOTIVE - Word has a common meaning.– Malapropism - Confusing one word for another

• Allegory or Alligator Immoral or Immortal• CONNOTATIVE - Word’s meaning is subjective.

– Euphemism (Intended positive connotation)• Slim or Slender versus Skinny or Scrawny• Friendly Fire• Surgical Air Strike

• LANGUAGE IS FLUID NOT STATIC

PRINCIPLE TWOUse Short Rather Than Long Words

• The goal is clarity and understanding not a chance to show how smart you are.

PRINCIPLE 3Use Concrete Rather Than Abstract Words

• Concrete Specific at lower rung• General at the higher rungs

PRINCIPLE 4Economize on the Use of Words

• Avoid Wordiness.• Break old writing habits.• Avoid use of old models of

organizational writing.

PRINCIPLE 5AVOID OVERUSED OR HACKNEYED PHRASES OR

JARGON

• Hackneyed– At your earliest convenience– Pursuant to– Thank you in advance

• Jargon– Buzzword Hell

PRINCIPLE 6Use Positive Words That Convey Courtesy

• Minimize negative information• State information positively• Avoid gender terms

PRINCIPLE 7Use a Conversational Style

• Everyday business language (face to face communication with receiver)

• Check your understanding of receiver (knowledge, expertise, interests, culture, and value system)

PRINCPLE 8Keep Sentence Relatively Short

• Most effective business sentences are between 15 to 20 words long.

• Sentences express one main point

PRINCIPLE 9Prefer Active Voice to the Passive Voice

• Subject - Verb - Object– David Leeper directed the meeting. (A)– The meeting was directed by David Leeper

(P)

PRINCIPLE 10Develop Effective Paragraphs

• One Main Idea Per Paragraph• Determine if Deductive or Inductive

– If Deductive - Present main idea in lst sentence

– If Inductive - Begin with details then main idea

• Use a Variety of Sentence Structures• Emphasize Important Points• Keep Paragraphs Short

PRINCIPLE 11DEVELOP COHERENCE

• Create a smooth flow between sentences• Transitions can be created by

– Repeating Key Words– Use pronouns and synonyms to avoid

repetition– Use transitional words or phrases

PRINCIPLE 12Edit and Rewrite

• Read what was written• Exam for clarity, concreteness, and

conversational tone• Determine grammatical accuracy• Check organization to assure coherence• Accept that multiple drafts are necessary

Specific Check Points

• Look for “Plain English” terms• Eliminate Unneeded Words• Explain Abbreviations and Acronyms• Eliminate Jargon• Eliminate Unnatural Phrases• Use Small Words

EDITING (Continued)

• Use Active Instead of Passive Verbs• Use a Fog Index• Correct Spelling and Grammatical Errors• Correct Sexist Errors

Work Products

• Audience analysis for each letter or memo.

• Refusal Letter• Persuasive Letter• Memo to your leader• Transmittal Letter

• You are free to pick topic and audience.

• Remember to write in a manner that matches your topic and audience.