SAY WHAT YOU MEAN AND MEAN WHAT YOU SAY and...SAY WHAT YOU MEAN AND MEAN WHAT YOU SAY Clarity and...
-
Upload
truongthien -
Category
Documents
-
view
225 -
download
0
Transcript of SAY WHAT YOU MEAN AND MEAN WHAT YOU SAY and...SAY WHAT YOU MEAN AND MEAN WHAT YOU SAY Clarity and...
SAY WHAT YOU MEAN AND MEAN WHAT YOU SAY Clarity and Conciseness in Professional Writing
Presented by: Katie Shaw, Director of Enrollment Services Adventist University of Health Sciences
Presentation Overview
¨ Define professional writing ¨ Importance of good grammar ¨ Audience recognition ¨ Email writing and etiquette ¨ Punctuation ¨ Write with active voice ¨ Resume tips
About Me
¨ Been at Adventist University of Health Sciences (ADU) for almost 9 years
¨ BA in English from Andrews University (AU) ¨ Was the News Writer at AU for 2 years ¨ Have taught Technical Writing at ADU for 7 years ¨ Edit most marketing documents for ADU ¨ Grammar nerd!
Professional Writing Defined
¨ Composed primarily in the work environment for supervisors, colleagues, subordinates, vendors, and customers. ¤ Students ¤ Parents ¤ Constituents
Grammar Counts
¨ We work in higher education ¨ Direct correlation between English I grades and high
graduation GPAs (recent ADU study)
Be sure to revise!
¨ Writing can be personal ¨ Importance of revision
¤ Your first draft is never your best ¤ Read it over ¤ Examples of good writing have always gone through
several revisions ¤ Don’t be self-conscious about your writing –
perfection comes out of revision!
Audience Importance
¨ It’s very important to identify your audience ¤ High tech
n People who are in your same field or same department and know your lingo. You are writing to professional peers.
¤ Low tech n Coworkers in other departments who know some of what you do
but are not as familiar with terms and procedures as you are.
¤ Lay n People who neither work for your company nor have a lot of
knowledge of your field ¤ Multiple
n You have to write for a variety of audiences - could be all three
¨ Where did you learn how to write effective emails? ¨ No extensive instruction at the college level
Email Grammar
¨ Why worry about grammar – it’s just email! n Email is the primary form of professional writing now. n Email can be used as a legal document. n Never send an email that you wouldn't be comfortable
seeing on the front page of a newspaper.
Email Cautions
¨ “Reply all” ¤ Do you really need to respond to everyone?
¨ Blind copies (bcc) ¤ Person blind copied can respond to all
n May not realize they were blind copied
¤ Better to copy (cc) so everyone knows what’s going on
Clarity and Conciseness in Email
¨ Provide specific detail ¨ Avoid using vague words like "recently" or "some" ¨ Answer the reporter's questions
¤ Who, what, where, when, why, and how
Important Email Components
¨ Identify yourself (your signature should do this effectively)
¨ Provide an effective subject line ¤ Avoid uninformative subject lines like "Hi," "What's new," or
"Important message." ¤ Instead, use something like "Your ADU application file is
almost complete!"
¨ Keep your email brief ¤ Average attention span is 9 seconds or less
¨ Use bulleted lists if possible ¤ Readers tend to skim or scan for important info
Proofreading
¨ Let someone else read it ¨ Print it ¨ Let it sit ¨ Use technology (spell check, grammar check) ¨ Read it out loud
Netiquette
¨ Be courteous ¤ Avoid angry email messages
¨ Be professional ¤ You represent your employer with every email sent
from your work address
Make writing inclusive
¨ Acronyms/abbreviations ¤ Is this an acronym everyone would know? (MRI, CIA,
SCUBA, etc.) ¤ Example: At ADU, you can become part of the HBS
department for Pre-Med or study nursing and set your sights on the NAP!
¨ Use parenthetical definitions or just spell it out
Multicultural Audiences
¨ Avoid idioms and jargon (crunch time, guesstimate, through the roof)
¨ Spell out dates ¤ 7-1-13
n In some countries this would be interpreted not as July 1, 2013, but as January 7, 2013
Paint a Picture
¨ Use active voice when writing ¤ Students can participate in a variety of ministries. ¤ When you’re a student at ADU, you can participate in
ministries such as SALT (Service and Love Together), Ecclesia (Friday vespers), Circle Up (daily prayer), and many others!
Resume Design
¨ Look at other resumes before you begin ¨ Use Word templates ¨ Good white space ¨ Try to keep to one page but can go over ¨ Choose appropriate fonts (no more than two in your
document) ¨ Avoid sentences ¨ Reader-friendly access (use bulleted lists) ¨ Begin lists with verbs (Accomplished, led, performed, etc.) ¨ Quantify your achievements
Resumes
¨ Begin by clearly identifying yourself and giving contact information
¨ List career objectives ¨ Summary of qualifications
¤ Tailor your resume to speak to the job you are applying for
¤ Overview of skills, abilities, accomplishments, and attributes
¤ Strengths relative to the job you're seeking
Resumes
¨ Education ¤ Omit high school, any colleges attended from which
you did not graduate
¨ Employment ¤ Start with most recent employment (reverse
chronological) ¤ Omit jobs that have no relation to the position you're
seeking unless that's all you've done (leave out McDonald's and Taco Bell)
Resumes
¨ Professional Skills/Accomplishments ¤ Certifications ¤ Awards received ¤ Recognition
¨ Memberships ¤ Professional affiliations
Summary
¨ Important to say what you mean and mean what you say in professional writing
¨ Good writing skills can open doors to new opportunities
References
Einsohn, Amy (2011). The copyeditor’s handbook: A guide for book publishing and corporate communication. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Gerson, Sharon J. & Gerson, Steven M. (2013). Technical communication: Process and product. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
Schuman, Nancy (2008). The everything resume book. Avon, Mass.: Adams Media.
Contact Info
Katie Shaw
Director of Enrollment Services
Adventist University of Health Sciences