principlesofbusinesswriting final 130929215201 phpapp01
TRANSCRIPT
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The problem with communication is theillusion that it has been accomplished
George Bernard Shaw
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PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE BUSINESS
COMMUNICATION
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BUSINESSCOMMUNICATION
SOMEHOMETRUTHS
Most of us are poor communicators and very
poor listeners/readers
Few of us try very hard to get our message
acrossFew of us take advantage of various media
available to us
We could all improve our writing skillsWe assume others pay attention; we are often
wrong
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FACTOID
The average employee receives about 190
communications a day by paper, voicemail, email,
phone, etc.
Pitney-Bowes survey
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ADVANTAGESOFWRITTEN
COMMUNICATION
Creates a permanent record
Allows you to store information for future
referenceEasily distributed
All recipients receive the same information
Necessary for legal and bindingdocumentation
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ISITCLEAR? HAVEYOUHITYOUR
TARGET?
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In written communication most confusion & frustration
is caused by failing to be specific ..
Make it clear, brief and concise..
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PRINCIPLESOFBUSINESSWRITING
PRINCIPLE-1
Orientation towards the receiver
Problem: Our proficient IT specialists in DTP couldfacilitate the production of data transference onto
hard copy to generate improvements in mail shots.
Revision: You will write better letters with the help ofour experts in Desk Top publishing.
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PRINCIPLE-1
Revision:
1) Aditya,
You are warmly invited to improve your skills inwriting to your customers. Please sign your namebelow. We look forward to seeing you.
2)Dear Mrs.Khanna,
Your 5% deposit will ensure that, complying withour new terms, you will receive your orders within aweek.
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PRINCIPLE-2Use short, simple vocabulary
Problem:
1.The ambiguous nature of prediction of weather patternsmakes it difficult for forecasts to be congruent.
2.The unanimity of current forecasts is not incontrovertible
evidence of an impending business acceleration.
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Revision:
Because of the ambiguous nature of weather data all
weather forecasts are vague.
Agreement on the forecasts are not proof that business
will get better.
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PRINCIPLE-3
Use concrete rather than abstract words
I require this report as soon as possib le
Is soon minutes, hours, days?
This is the tal lestbuilding in the city
Is high inches, feet, miles?I drive very fast
Is fast time or speed?
I have been waiting for my friend for a longtimeIs long time or distance?
The company has suffered major lossesin theprevious FY
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PRINCIPLE-3Use concrete rather than abstract words
I require this report by 5p.m . tod ay.
This 75 metres tall building is the tal lestbuilding in the
city
I drive at 80kms per hour.
I have been waiting for my friend for an hour.
The company has suffered 30% los s in the previous FY
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Please check on the offer wall to make sure our
offer partner has credited you with completing the
offer. In some cases it may take a few hours or
even a few days to confirm.
How can we be more specific?
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PRINCIPLE-4
Use active voice rather than passive
The goods were ordered by the customer
The customer ordered the goods
The sessions of the faculty will be attendedand reviewed by the Dean
The dean will attend and review the sessions
of the faculty
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PRINCIPLE-5
Use action verbs
Achieved Assisted Established Executed
Founded Generated Guided Doubled
Administered Conceived Created Designed
Financed Analysed Developed
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PRINCIPLE-6
Avoid pompous, inflated, legal-sounding
phrasing. Be brief.
The capital improvement project (hereafter to be
designated as CIP) for the fiscal year 2007-2008
stipulated budget allocations in the amount not exceedingRs.40,000 to be decimated for utilisation by a program
under the nomination of the 23rd street Renaissance
Market.
The duly accepted forms should be submitted to the
undersigned upon completion.
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Revision
The Capital Improvement Project (CIP) in 2007-2008included the amount of Rs.40,000 for the 23rd Street
Renaissance Market.
Please return the signed forms when you have completed
them.
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PRINCIPLE-7
Use short crisp sentences
Problem
Those who do not attend the meeting and prefer to stayaway, by offering feeble and lame excuses, shall be dealt
with in a serious manner, vide IAC 37, which deals with
office discipline and punishments liable thereof, in order
to maintain the sanctity of office and to uphold ourhonored traditions, on which the edifice of our
organisation has been developed.
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Revision
Those who do not attend meeting without sufficient
reasons will be dealt with seriously. Your attention isdrawn to IAC 37 which deals with office discipline.
this is being done in order to uphold our traditions
and sanctity of the office.
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PRINCIPLE-8
Use gender neutral words whenever possible.
The Chairman of the Committee will address the
meeting at 10a.m.
The Policeman chased the thief
Shah Rukh Khan is a great actor; so is Kajol a greatactress.
Shivani is a great authoress & poetess
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PRINCIPLE-9
Use proper sentence structure and design.
1.This year the sales increased, however the cumulative
losses also increased.
2.Even though the sales increased, the cumulative lossesincreased.
3.The cumulative losses increased, in spite of an increase
in sales.
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Use Proper Sentence Design
The main point of our research was to try and findout who the soft drink customer was and why they
drank the soft drink that they drank.
High turn-over of skilled employees continued to be
major problems for employers last year. Moreover,
it has become very expensive to use monetary-
related methods to retain employees.
We will analyze the retention rate of workers,
comparing to previous years and trends,
as well as look over the effectiveness of workers.
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PRINCIPLE-10
Coherence ,unity clarity and flow
Sentences convey a single thought
Paragraphs discuss a single idea
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PRINCIPLE-11
Consistency and continuity
Clear, complete and concise
Avoid disjointed, choppy sentences
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PRINCIPLE-12
Sentence and paragraph linkages must becoherent and seamless
The apprehensions faced by the students, duringThe MBA course, arise from the fact that they arenot able to set realistic goals. Sometimesstudents coming from backgrounds whereexposure to the outside world is minimal. This isone of the reasons for unrealistic goal setting.One of the results of unrealistic goal setting is
frustration and stress at the end of the MBAcourse
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PRINCIPLE-12
Atthe end of the MBA course, students facelot of stress and frustration due to incorrectgoal setting. One reason for this is thebackground of the student, parental
pressure etc.
The background of a student has a greateffect on his/her goal setting process..
Incorrect goal setting results in lot ofproblems for the students. Theseinclude
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STYLEANDTONE
State the main business, purpose, or subject matter right
away.
avoid round-about beginnings.
Ex: "I am writing to apply for the position you
currently have open...."
"I am writing in response to your letter of July 24,
1997 in which you discuss problems you have
had with an electronic spreadsheet purchased
from our company."
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STYLEANDTONEIf you are responding to a letter, identify that letter
by its subject and date in the first paragraph orsentence.
Dear Mr. Stout: I am writing in response to your September
1, 19XX letter in which you describe problems that you'vehad with one of our chainsaws. I regret that you'vesuffered this inconvenience and expense and....
Dear Ms. Cohen: I have just received your August 4,19XX letter in which you list names and other sourcesfrom which I can get additional information on themanufacture and use of plastic bottles in the soft-drinkindustry....
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STYLEANDTONE
Keep the paragraphs of most business letters short,
between three and eight lines long.
Paragraphs that are made up of only a single
sentence are common and perfectly acceptable.
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STYLEANDTONE
"Compartmentalize" the contents of your letter.
A complaint letter concerning problems with the
system unit of a personal computer, can havethese paragraphs: A description of the problems
The ineffective repair jobs
The compensation you think you deserve and why
Provide topic indicators at the beginning ofparagraphs.
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STYLEANDTONE
List or itemize whenever possible in a businessletter.
Place important information strategically.
Information in the first and last lines of paragraphsread and remembered better.
Information buried in the middle of long paragraphsoverlooked or forgotten.
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STYLEANDTONE
Find positive ways to express bad news in
your business mail.
Avoid such words as "cannot," "forbid," "fail,"
"impossible," "refuse," "prohibit," "restrict,"and "deny" as much as possible.
Problem: Because of the amount of
information you request in your letter, simply
cannot help you without seriously disrupting
my work schedule. (cold and unfriendly)
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STYLEANDTONE
Revision:In your mail you ask for a good amount of
information which I would like to help you locate.
However, I need further information in order to be
able to solve the problem.... (positive, cordial andtactful)
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STYLEANDTONE
We cannot supply before May 13
You can secure our services after May 12
A not inopportune moment
A convenient time
You have not yet responded
Please reply
You failed to enclose
Please send
If-when, but-however, could- can
Whenever possible end with a thank you.
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STYLEANDTONE
Problem:While I am willing to discusschanges in specific aspects of this article
or ideas on additional areas to cover, I amnot prepared to change the basic theme ofthe article: the usability of the Victormicrocomputer system.
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STYLEANDTONE
Revision: I am certainly open to
suggestions and comments about
specific aspects of this article, or any
of your thoughts on additional areasthat you think I should cover. I do
want, however, to retain the basic
theme of the article: the usability of theVictor microcomputer system.
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STYLEANDTONEGive your business letter an "action ending"
whenever appropriate.An "action-ending" makes clear what the writer of
the letter expects the recipient to do and when.
As soon as you approve this plan, I'll begin
contacting sales representatives at once toarrange for purchase and delivery of themicrocomputers. May I expect to hear from youwithin the week?
I am free after 2:00 p.m. on most days. Can weset up an appointment to discuss my backgroundand this position further? I'll look forward tohearing from you.
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1. Proofread aloudeverything going out. By reading aloud, your ear will catch mistakes your eye
misses.
2. Make no assumptions. The ideas you are presenting must be explained in full to be understood.
PEOPLE READ ONLY WHAT IS ON THE PAGE.
3. Do not lecture. Write only what must be understood to make the proper decision or choice.4. Rough draft all important letters and reports. Check them for content, sequential development of
ideas, and conciseness.
5. Always put yourself in the other persons shoes and ask yourself, Would I want to read this
letter or report? Why? Does it say something of value and real importance to me?
6. Many people are too busy to read carefully. Be sure your ideas are clear and easy to follow. As a
general rule, the most effective manner in which to develop an idea is:
Concept Benefit Example Data
This method leads your reader to the conclusion you want because the conclusion is already
clearly stated as the concept (hypothesis). Your examples and data are support for the
conclusion.
7. Define all terms and eliminate vague pronouns. These two traps cause more problems in
writing than any other set of conditions.
8. Grammar, punctuation, and spelling should be perfect. Use a dictionary -- either a good
unabridged volume or the spelling checker version on your computer.
9. Plan your time to allow for proofreading and correcting. When your success depends upon the
quality of your letters and reports, there are no excuses for ineptitude. There is no substitute for
EXCELLENCE!
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RECAP
Some of the most basic tips to remember when writing
include:
Avoid slang words
Try not to use abbreviations (unless appropriately defined)
Steer away from the symbols (such as ampersands [&])
Clichs should be avoided, or at the very least, used with
caution
Brackets are used to play down words or phrases
Dashes are generally used for emphasis
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RECAP
Great care should ALWAYSbe taken to spell the names
of people and companies correctly
Should you have any possible further questions,
please write to us at [email protected]
Numbers should be expressed as words when thenumber is less than 10 or is used to start a sentence
(example: Ten years ago, my brother and I). The number
10, or anything greater than 10, should be expressed as a
figure (example: My brother has 13 Matchbox cars.) Quotation marks should be placed around any directly
quoted speech or text and around titles of publications
Keep sentences short
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected] -
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"But words are things, and a small drop
of ink,
Falling like dew, upon a thought,
produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps
millions, think"
--Lord Byron (1788-1824)
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THANK YOU