UNIT-4

Business writing skills Significance of business correspondence Essentials of effective business correspondence Business letter and forms Meeting Telephone communication Use of technology in business communication Report writing-meaning and significance Structure of reports Negative, persuasive reports special reporting-informal reports, proposals,

formal reports.

Business writing is always carefully crafted, but the truth it’s often ridden with Misspellings, Misused Words and Inaccuracies.

The following steps to be taken care while drafting a business letter. Know Your AudienceFocus on Content and StyleUse Formatting WiselyProofread Thoroughly, Revise RuthlesslyBe Aware of Attitude and Perspective

• Knowing the purpose a piece of writing serves gives you a sense of direction.

• writing a business report should follow a specific format.

Example:an in-office email could be short and informal, but a customer email or a PowerPoint presentation should follow guidelines of courtesy, clarity and conciseness.

Simple LanguageConciseness and Brevity

Stick to your subject matter Focus on facts Aim for clarity and avoid ambiguity Choose short words Avoid unnecessary décor (adjectives and adverbs)

Distinguishing Opinion From FactsServing a Purpose

Putting so much work in creating a professional piece of writing should wrap up with thorough proofreading. Ensure you check for syntactical, grammatical and typographical errors. If you cannot proofread your own work, have it proofread by someone else to make sure it has flow and readability and it’s free of embarrassing errors.You can also run it through an online spellchecker to catch common grammatical errors and misspellings, but remember that spellcheckers cannot detect contextual spelling errors (e.g. if the misspelled word is a properly spelled different word, like their/they’re, accept/except, right/write, here/hear). Spelling errors can best be avoided by improving your spelling skills using software like Ultimate Spelling.Being aware of commonly misspelled words or grammatical weaknesses you have will help you anticipate and prevent them from spoiling your writing.

• It’s not enough to know your audience and what they want from you.

• It’s crucial that you also know the different layers of meaning your writing conveys.

• Word choice, sentence structure, viewpoints and expressions all reveal more than you think about your attitude and perspective on what you’re writing about.

• The "You"-attitude is an aspect of business writing worth considering. It suggests that your writing should adopt the point of view of the reader, rather than yours.

• The You-attitude more often than not motivates the reader to act towards your desired direction, makes you appear more trustworthy, and promotes a feel-good atmosphere.

Understanding the principles of business correspondence is one of the most fundamental tasks for any business professional.

using business correspondence is a great way to follow-up after an interview and build a network of referrals.

Businesses use business correspondence to develop a professional relationship with their customers. Alternatively known as customer correspondence, this form of communication is an effective way of building a loyal customer base.

• Business correspondence gives companies the ability to communicate continuously with their customers and eventually develop an understanding of their needs and wants to gain an advantage over competitors.

• Business correspondence comes in the form of letters, emails or text messages.

• The method of correspondence depends on the issue being addressed, as well as on the party receiving the message. Business correspondence is also used to gather a paper trail of events between particular dates.

Structure Clarity Consistency Medium Relevancy Primacy/Recency Psychological Rule of 7±2

• How you structure your communication is fundamental to how easily it is absorbed and understood by your audience.

• Every good communication should have these three structural elements:

• an opening,• a body,• a close.• This structural rule holds true no matter what

your communication is -- a memo, a phone call, a voice mail message, a personal presentation, a speech, an email, a webpage, or a multi-media presentation.

• Be clear about the message you want to deliver, as giving a confused message to your audience only ends up with them being confused and your message being ignored.

• If you are giving a message about, say, overtime payments don't then add in messages about detailed budget issues or the upcoming staff picnic -- UNLESS they ABSOLUTELY fit in with your original message.

• It's far better and clearer for your audience if you create a separate communication about these ancillary issues.

• Nothing more upsets a regular reader of, say, your newsletter than inconsistency of your message.

• Taking a position on an issue one week, only to overturn it the next, then overturn THAT position the following week, only breeds distrust in your message.

• And distrust in you!• People who distrust you are exceedingly unlikely to take

the action you wish them to take. They are also highly unlikely to pay any attention to your future messages.

• As well as consistency amongst multiple messages, be aware that inconsistency within your message can be just as deadly to audience comprehension.

paper-based memo Letter one-to-one face-to-

face Presentation Seminar one-to-one phone Presentation Meeting one-to-many personal

presentation

plain text email one-to-many phone

presentation text + graphics email voice email webpage

webcast/web video radio broadcast television broadcast press release tv/film commercial cd-rom/dvd

It never ceases to amaze me that business managers still believe that everyone would be interested in their message—and then proceed to subject any and everyone they can find to a horrendous PowerPoint slideshow put together by a well-meaning but aesthetically-challenged subordinate.

• It is essential to know that, one week later, a business communication is remembered by one or both of two things:

• the power and memorability of its opening• the power and memorability of its close• Psychologists call the effect of remembering the first few

items presented as a 'Primacy Effect'. Similarly, they call the effect of remembering the last few items presented to you as a 'Recency Effect'.

• Since individuals differ in which Effect is the most dominant for them, it is best to 'cover your bases' and make an effort to have both a powerful and memorable opening and a powerful close.

• A powerful opening can be anything that captures the audience's attention:

• a quote,• a joke,• a loud noise,• a preposterous statement.• The opening and closing of your business

communication are the two most easily remembered and therefore essential elements. Make sure you give your audience something to remember.

• Psychologists have long known that the human brain has a finite capacity to hold information in short-term or 'working' memory.

• Equally, the brain is also structured to retain information in 'clusters' or groups of items.

• These clusters or groups average, across the whole of mankind, at seven items, plus or minus two.

• Which means that your audience is only able to hold on to between five and nine pieces of information at any one time.

• Similarly, your audience will group your business communication's message with between four and eight other messages in their long-term memory.

• Now do you see the importance of clarity of message and of having a distinctive and memorable opening and close?

• If you want your key points to be remembered even five minutes later, it is essential that you limit your business communication to between just five and nine key points.

• Equally, if you want your key action points to be remembered five weeks later, ensure that your communication is amongst the five to nine most memorable messages your audience has attended to in the last five weeks.

• The human brain 'chunks' information together, so if you have a long document or communication that you want to deliver, especially on paper, then structure your document so that you have:

• 7±2 'chapters' or sections• 7±2 sub-sections in each section• If you find that you end up with 10 or 11 sub-headings in a chapter, or sub-

sections in a section, see if you are able to either consolidate two or three sub-sections in to, or create a new main section out of them.

• Theatre• Class room• Board Room• Hollow Square• U –Shaped• Banquet Style

• Use your first name when answering the phone, along with a standard professional greeting.

• Eliminate background noise if possible.• Try not to keep a caller on hold for a long time. If you

can't help right away, say you'll call back - then do so. Be patient and listen. Avoid providing an answer before the caller is finished speaking.

• Be as direct and friendly as possible. The caller may be busy.

• Try to sound genuinely interested in what the caller has to say, and use the caller’s name whenever you can.

• Smile when you talk to people on the phone - it will show up in your voice.

When transferring a call to another extension: • Tell the caller that the call will be transferred to

"name/department and extension." • Ask the caller to make a note of the number for future

reference or in case the call gets disconnected during transferring.

• Announce that a call is being transferred, so that the person receiving the call knows that a transferred call is on the way. This will ensure that the caller is being transferred to the correct person/department and will get the assistance necessary.

• For example, you could say, "Hi Maria, I'm transferring Suzie because she is having problems with her phone" instead of "transferring a call" and then hanging up.

• Leave brief, clear messages on answering systems, giving your name, reason for the call and contact information. Don't forget to leave your phone number, even if the person has it, so there’s no need to look it up.

• Ask if this is a good time for you to be calling when you reach someone. If not, ask when you can reach her again.

• Put off making business calls when you're too distracted or tired to give it your all. Make those calls when they fit in best with your schedule and demeanor.

• Avoid acting rushed, even if you are. If you're so stressed that you can't handle the call well, let voice mail pick it up until you've calmed down.

• Call often enough to follow up, but not so often that you appear desperate for the business.

• End a call as quickly as possible with courtesy and etiquette : If the caller drifts to another topic, say, “Oh yes, but about..." and mention the main topic.

• Say that you "don't want to take up too much of his time." This is a polite, way of keeping a phone call on track.

• Ask closed-ended questions. Rather than asking what a good time to meet is, ask, "Will 10 a.m. be a good time to meet?“

• Say "So, does this solve your problem with the expense report?," or "Is there anything else I can include in this package for you?" Thank the caller for his time, or for calling (depending on who called).

• Say "I'll pull up that information and get a report to you by the end of the day," to mean that everything is taken care of.

• Use a quick "Have a nice day" or "Thanks for calling" to end the call.

a written document describing the findings, results, or conclusions of some individual or group

• Informative

“Telling”Examples

• Evaluative

“Selling”Examples

• Dash-boarding

Data-driven and derived Report-generatingMS Excel

• Key-boarding

NarrativeReport-writingMS Word

• STRUCTURE

• STYLE AND TONE

• READABILITY

• CONVENTION

• VARIES DEPENDENT ON WHETHER INFORMATIVE (“TELLING”) OR EVALUATIVE (“SELLING”) TYPE OF BUSINESS REPORT

• EXTERNAL STRUCTURE – FRONT-END AND BACK-END

• INTERNAL STRUCTURE

• TITLE PAGE

• TABLE OF CONTENTS

• EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• GLOSSARY OF TECHNICAL TERMS AND ACRONYMS

• LIST OF SOURCES/REFERENCES

• ATTACHMENTS – APPENDICES AND ANNEXURES

• INTRODUCTION

• BACKGROUND/CONTEXTUALIZATION

• RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCESS

• FINDINGS

• CONCLUSIONS

• RECOMMENDATIONS

• STYLE IS REGARDED AS THE DEGREE OF FORMALITY

• THE APPROPRIATE STYLE IS:FORMAL (NOT INFORMAL)FACTUAL (NOT OPINION-BASED)RATIONAL (NOT EMOTIONAL) – “Connect intellectually

with your reader, disconnect your emotions and personal feelings.”

OBJECTIVE (NOT SUBJECTIVE)

• TONE IS REGARDED AS THE WRITER’S ATTITUDE – DIRECTED AT READER AND SUBJECT MATTER

• TONE SHOULD BE:

RESPECTFUL (NOT PATRONIZING)PROFESSIONAL ASSERTIVE (NOT PASSIVE OR AGGRESSIVE)

• REFERS TO ALL THE ASPECTS THAT MAKE A BUSINESS REPORT MORE NOTICEABLE AND EASY TO READ - “SOFT ON THE EYE AND SOFT ON THE MIND”

• MUTUAL DEPENDENCE - THE WRITER RELIES ON THE READERS' ABILITY TO READ EFFICIENTLY AND TO UNDERSTAND THE (INTENDED) MESSAGE.

• WRITER NEEDS TO DO EVERYTHING IN THEIR POWER TO ENABLE AND FACILITATE A COMMON UNDERSTANDING

• TECHNIQUES TO ENHANCE THE READABILITY: LAY-OUT USE OF WHITE SPACE HEADINGS/SUB-HEADINGS NUMBERING

• USE OF TABLES AND FIGURES – LABELLING, NUMBERING AND REFERENCING

• APPENDICES AND ANNEXURES - LABELLING, NUMBERING AND REFERENCING

• CITATION AND REFERENCING – HARVARD METHOD – ALWAYS ACKNOWLEDGE SOURCE AND AVOID PLAGRIASM AT ALL COSTS

• FORMAT, DESIGN AND LAY-OUT – INDUSTRY AND ORGANIZATION-SPECIFIC GUIDELINES AND TECHNIQUES

• USE ACTIVE VOICE (AS OPPOSED TO PASSIVE) – WRITTEN IN THIRD PERSON

• GRAMMATICAL AND LANGUAGE RULES

• USE OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

• AVOID JARGON AND UNFAMILIAR TECHNICAL TERMINOLOGY

• SENTENCE AND PARAGRAPH STRUCTURING

• VARY THE LENGTH OF SENTENCES

• EASY TO UNDERSTAND CONCEPTS – SHORTER SENTENCES. COMPLEX CONCEPTS – LONGER SENTENCES TO ENABLE EFFICIENT ASSIMILATION OF INFORMATION

• DON’T SUBSTITUTE A FULL-STOP FOR A COMMA – “IF YOU CAN USE A FULL-STOP USE IT!”

• ONE CONCEPT/KEY POINT, ONE PARAGRAPH. DIFFERENT CONCEPT, DIFFERENT PARAGRAPH. “DON’T MIX ‘N MATCH – AVOID LIQUORICE ALL-SORTS WRITING STYLE”

• CREATE A MEANDERING AND MESMERIZING WRITING STYLE AS YOU TRANSITION FROM ONE PARAGRAPH TO THE NEXT. AS YOU EXIT ONE PARAGRAPH START INTRODUCING THE NEXT ONE.

• STEP 1: PLANNING

• STEP 2: RESEARCHING THINKING (80%)

• STEP 3: ORGANIZING

• STEP 4: WRITING THE FIRST DRAFT

• STEP 5: QUALITY ASSURANCE INKING (20%)

• STEP 6: SUBMIT FINAL DRAFT FOR APPROVAL AND ADOPTION

• DEFINE THE PURPOSE (WHY?)

• FORMULATE THE OBJECTIVES (WHAT?)

• SUBMISSION TARGET DATE (WHEN?)

• SUBMISSION AND APPROVAL PLATFORM/COMMITTEE (WHERE?)

• SCOPE OF THE REPORT (WIDTH?)

• ESTIMATED LENGTH/VOLUME OF REPORT (WEIGHT?)

• CONDUCT A READERSHIP ANALYSIS (WHO?)

• LEVEL 1 READER/S: APPROVING AUTHORITY (NON-TECHNICAL) – INFORMATION NEED: BREVITY

• LEVEL 2 READER/S: TECHNICAL/SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT – INFORMATION NEED: ACCURACY

• LEVEL 3 READER/S: IMPLEMENTER/FUNCTIONARY – INFORMATION NEED: CLARITY

• METHODS – TO ACHIEVE THE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH PRINCIPLE OF VALIDITY

• PROCESS – TO ACHIEVE THE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH PRINCIPLE OF RELIABILITY

• COLLECTIVELY: VALIDITY + RELIABILITY = CREDIBILITY

• QUANTITATIVE – NUMERIC E.G. STATISTICS• QUALITATIVE – SUBJECTIVE E.G. SURVEYS AND

FOCUS GROUPS• SOURCES OF DATA:

ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTARY EXPERIMENTAL HUMAN

• STEP 1: DEVELOP A DATA COLLECTION PLAN/STRATEGY

• STEP 2: DATA COLLECTION

• STEP 3: DATA COLLATION

• STEP 4: DATA ANALYSIS LEADS TO FINDINGS

• STEP 5: DATA INTERPRETATION LEADS TO

CONCLUSIONS• STEP 6: VERIFICATION

• STEP 7: PUBLICATION LEADS TO RECOMMENDATIONS

• STRUCTURE (OF REPORT)

• SEQUENCE (OF REPORT)

• SPACING (POSITIONING OF TABLES, FIGURES, ATTACHMENTS TO THE REPORT)

• RECOMMENDED ORGANIZING TOOL: MIND-MAPPING

• OBJECTIVE: TO ENSURE FLUENCY AND EFFICIENCY IN WRITING WHEN TRANSITIONING FROM THINKING (STEPS 1-3) TO INKING (STEPS 4-6)

• APPLY THE BEST PRACTICE WRITING PRINCIPLES

• USE THE APPROPRIATE TECHNICAL REPORT STRUCTURE AND FORMAT

• PROOF-READ AND EDIT THE REPORT• PERFORM A SPELLING AND PUNCTUATION

CHECK

• CONSULT WITH LANGUAGE AND SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS AND RECEIVE FEEDBACK

• MAKE THE NECESSARY REVISIONS

• REFER TO THE EVALUATION CHECKLIST (PAGES 49-51 IN THE LEARNER MANUAL)

• MAKE THE NECESSARY AMENDMENTS AND WRITE THE FINAL DRAFT

• SUBMIT TO HIGHER MANAGEMENT TO AUTHORIZE, APPROVE AND ADOPT THE REPORT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

• Effective business letter writing

• Effective Memorandum writing

• Effective e-mail communication

• Effective minute-taking