Effective Business Writing - Amazon S3 · 2015-03-21 · persuasive, and effective. We will be...

Copyright 2014, Michaele Downey, All Rights Reserved

Effective Business Writing Workbook

1 Copyright 2014, Michaele Downey, All Rights Reserved

Overview of the Workshop The goal of this course is to help the participant write in a way that’s professional,

persuasive, and effective. We will be discussing common business writing standards, proofreading, and how to write emails, memos, and business letters. The student will complete the course with a better understanding of how to be a

more compelling communicator and how to eliminate embarrassing mistakes.

Draw This Use the area below to draw your version of the picture as described by the

instructor.


Questions to Ask Yourself

1. ______________________________________________________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________________________________________________

3. ______________________________________________________________________________________

Tips for Better Business Writing Your writing must be ________________, ________________, and ________________

1. Use _______________, _______________ sentences.

2. Be _______________.

3. Skip the ________________________________.

4. Cut the ________________________________.

5. Leave out the __________________________.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

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Formal vs. Informal English When it comes to writing in English, there are two main styles of writing – formal and informal. Consider the following examples:

Example 1:

Good morning, Tom. Are you available to attend a meeting at 2 this

afternoon?

Example 2: Hey, Jeff! How ya doin’? Ya wanna go get some lunch today?

Main Differences

Change to Formal Take the following informal statements and change them into formal statements:

1. Hi! ___________________________________________________________________

2. How ya doin’? _________________________________________________________

3. Can ya help? _________________________________________________________

4. I gotta go to a meeting. _______________________________________________

5. What do you want? ___________________________________________________

Formal Children, man…

Cannot, will not Avoid clichés Avoid abbreviated words,

television, by the way

Informal Kids, guy…

Can’t, won’t

Clichés

TV, BTW…


5 Steps for Effective Business Writing

Research and/or Organize

The emphasis here will vary depending on what you are writing. If you are announcing a staff meeting, you may only need to organize your thoughts. If you are writing a report, you may need to organize research and other

materials. Determine your audience

You will need to consider the level of detail, the tone, formal or informal language, and professionalism.

Write This is where you put all of your thoughts together in an organized fashion.

Proofread and edit

Proofread everything you write. If it is a complex document, ask for assistance. Edit any mistakes you find, and then…

Proofread again Always proofread one last time before sending out any document.

Organize Using the picture from the lecture, write down and organize your thoughts.

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Consider Your Audience What type of audience would you be writing to? ______________________________

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How much detail would you give to this piece? _______________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________

Would you use formal or informal language? _________________________________

Write Write five or six sentences based on your outline that describes the picture.

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Proofreading

1. Why did he aks what tyme it is.

2. Their going to the moovies tonight

3. When I went to the store.

4. We went to the store and we bought soda and chips and came home to watch the video that we rented earlier that afternoon thinking that it

would be a good movie.

5. It was nice very of Jim to lend me his car.

Commonly Misused Words

Your/You’re

On the lines below, write your or you’re, as appropriate.

1. ____________________ new couch will be delivered Thursday.

2. Do you know where ____________________ going to put it?

3. ____________________ welcome.

4. ____________________ book is on the table.

5. I realize ____________________ looking forward to relaxing.

Its/It’s

On the lines below, write its or it’s, as appropriate.

1. _____________________ been a long time since I’ve visited my grandmother.

2. The dog likes ____________________ new bed.


3. ____________________ raining today.

4. I can’t figure out this math problem. _______________ too hard.

5. The cat was playing with ____________________ toy.

Their/There/They’re

On the lines below, write their, there, or they’re, as appropriate.

1. ____________________ are ice cream sandwiches in the freezer.

2. ____________________ melting because the freezer is unplugged.

3. In today’s football game, it is ____________________ school against ours.

4. ____________________ tired after ____________________ long trip.

5. ____________________ are several reasons to study business writing.

Rules of Comma Usage

Use commas to set off the elements of a series.

When there are three or more elements in a list, they should be separated by a comma, including the last two.

If you leave out the last comma, it may change the meaning of the sentence.

Example: Scott got dressed, ate breakfast, and brushed his teeth. Use a comma to separate two independent clauses joined by a

conjunction. Conjunctions are ‘and,’ ‘but,’ and ‘or.’ If the clauses are short, however, you may omit the comma.

Example: He wanted to play ball, but it was time to go to school. Use a comma to set off introductory phrases.

Example: As I walked to Jamie’s house, I suddenly realized I was going the wrong way.


Use a comma to set off quoted language.

Example: “I’m asking you,” said Sally, “if you want to go to the store with me.” Use a comma to set off parenthetical elements. This is added information that, if eliminated, will not change the meaning of

the sentence. Example: My brother, who lives in New York, opened his own business. Don’t overuse commas!

Basic Email Etiquette

Use a subject line. The subject line should never be left blank. It should include meaningful

information.

DON’T USE ALL UPPERCASE. Not only does this appear like you are shouting at the reader, but it is also much harder to read.

Answer all questions.

Be sure to read and answer everything in the email. If all questions are not answered, this will require additional emails, which wastes your time and the recipient’s.

Watch those shortcuts. Texting abbreviations are making their way into email. This is considered

unprofessional.

Proofread! And proofread again! Be sure to read the documents a few times before you hit Send.


Email Exercises

Exercise 1

Send an email to your team letting them know that they will be expected to attend the all-employee meeting on January 25.

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Exercise 2

Send an email to the Training Department asking them for the dates of the next sales training workshop.

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Exercise 3

Answer the following email (assume that you are available):

Good morning <your name>,

Would you be available for a Picnic Committee meeting on May 3 at 10:30? We are asking that everyone bring a snack to share. Will

you please bring orange juice and cups?

Thank you,

Stephanie

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Business Memo Exercises

Exercise 1

The printer outside your office is not currently working. The tech will be here today or tomorrow. Please send a memo out to your staff instructing them not to use the printer and to use the one in the conference room.

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Exercise 2

Send a memo out to all employees to inform them that the parking spaces on Level 1 will be repaved during the next two weeks. Inform

them what measures will be taken to provide alternative parking.

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Exercise 3

You will be out of the office for three weeks. Your associate, Elizabeth,

will take over some of your critical responsibilities, including end of month processing. In a memo to your coworkers, remind them of some

important issues they need to be aware of in your absence. ________________________________________________________________________

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Business Letter Exercises

Exercise 1

You work in the Accounting department of a clothing store called Shop Til You Drop. Write a letter to a customer who has not paid an outstanding balance despite two friendly reminders. Let the customer know your

company policy concerning unsettled debts.

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Exercise 2

You work at a computer software company. The annual two-day

conference is in Las Vegas and several of your coworkers will be attending. Write a letter to the Las Vegas Hilton to book

accommodations. Specify how many attendees will require rooms. Ask the hotel what the rates will be and whether meals are included in the price.

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Exercise 3

You are a teacher at Main Street High School. You would like to take a

group of senior students to the Franklin Institute to see the new Titanic exhibit. Write a letter to the Events Director, Bill Westin, to see if he can

arrange a private tour behind the scenes. In your letter, ask him about a discount for the entrance fee.

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Effective Business Writing - Amazon S3 · 2015-03-21 · persuasive, and effective. We will be...

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