Clear Writing

Presented to: Mr. Khursheed Khan

Presented by: Mehwish Fatima

BBA-IV-II

Business Communication
 Clear writing gets attention up high
Writing well ranks second only to management skills in business today. But job candidates with
good writing skills are a rare species. Communications skills don't come easily to many
executives. That is especially true for those with scientific or engineering backgrounds. One
explanation may be that their reading is more narrowly focused on their particular expertise.
Keeping up with their field means they have little time to read general writing - especially
fiction, which tends to have better writing than non-fiction. And the easiest way to pick up good
writing skills is to read good writers. What's good business writing? It is clear writing.

What exactly makes writing ‘clear’?

The following are the components of my presentation:

1. The Ten Commandments

2. Construction of Clear Sentences

3. Construction of Clear Paragraphs

 The Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments are:

1. Keep sentences short

2. Prefer the simple to the complex

3. Use familiar words

4. Avoid unnecessary words

5. Put action in your verbs

6. Write like you talk

7. Use terms your reader can picture

8. Tie in with your reader's experience

9. Make full use of variety

10. Write to express, not impress

These Ten Commandments are vital for effectively communicating your point across.

Let’s look at each commandment individually.

I. Keep sentences short

The average sentence length is 17-20 words so write sentences that are short and complete in
their meaning. Avoid fuzzy words. Fuzzy words block clarity. What are fuzzy words?
Words like "Conditions," "situations," "facilities," "inadequacies" are typical examples.

Short sentences communicate better because of mind limitations. Long, complicated

sentences often mean that you aren't clear about what you want to say. Shorter sentences
show clear thinking

Shorter sentences are also better for conveying complex information; they break the
information up into smaller, easier-to-process units.
Remember to vary sentence length, but worry about those that run more than two lines.
Short sentences pep up and clarify your text and hold the reader's interest.
Express only one idea in each sentence. Shorter sentences are also better for conveying
complex information.
 Vary your sentence structure to avoid choppiness, but don't revert to tangled multi-clause
sentences.

A good rule of thumb is to look carefully at any sentence that comes close to being three
typewritten lines long. It should probably be changed.

Example:
Wordy: This manual of instructions was prepared to aid our dealers in being helpful to their
customers. (16)

Concise: We prepared this instruction manual to help our dealers serve their customers. (12)

II. Prefer the simple to the complex

Of the 10 principles, complexity is the one most violated.Unconscious use of complexity is
hard to overcome. The roots of the fault are sunk deep in habit.
Writing shorter sentences usually means you use shorter words
For example:
Instead of ‘Modification’ use the word ‘Change.’
Use ‘Crisis’ instead of ‘Crisis Situation.’
Use ‘Use’ for ‘Utilization.’
Huge multi-page reports just don't get read - especially by top management. Sure, all that
detail may be necessary. But not for everyone. Tell the main story in as few sentences as
possible. Follow up with more detail in appendixes.
Most letters can be cut in half and still say the same thing.

III. Use familiar words

It is said that “Big minds use little words; little minds use big words.”
Use words that are almost in everyone’s vocabulary
Intelligent people use their large vocabulary only to give clear, exact meaning -- never to
show off.
A series of long, learned, abstract terms makes writing less interesting, less forceful, and less
memorable. Try to use familiar words, they are easier to understand and remember.
IV. Avoid unnecessary words
Unnecessary words usually are included unconsciously.
Slash words mercilessly. Only put words back in if they are necessary to make the sentence
clear. Seek shorter ways of saying things
One minute spent organizing a mass of details will save several minutes in its writing.
Original: "There were three or four people in the committee who said that the company
needed to give a demonstration of how its new equipment functions."
Improved: "Several committee members said the company should demonstrate its new
equipment."

V. Put action in your verbs

Lively writing contains action verbs, not passive ones. That's not always possible, especially
when you're talking about ideas. But try.

Passive
Present design methods are predicated on the assumption that one-piece windshields are
preferred by the public.
Active
At present, designers assume the public prefers one-piece windshields.

VI. Write like you talk

Use clear, conversational language.
Tone is an important component of your writing. Care must be taken to use the appropriate
tone. As you don't write the same way to top management, as you write to your peers or the
public.

VII. Use terms your reader can picture.

Choose concrete over abstract terms. An engineer might say an alloy is "not fabricable.”
This is a general term that might mean several things. When asked for a more specific
meaning, the engineer might say "the alloy cracks when it is cold-rolled.”
 For Example:
Vague: contact
Specific: call, write, visit

Vague: soon
Specific: by March 15

VIII. Tie in with your reader's experience

Tailor the language to the audience. If you're writing for fellow bioengineers, use the
specialized words common to that trade. But customers trying to use the machine those
bioengineers developed may not understand that language.
Much communication fails because writers ignore readers' beliefs. Words vary in meaning.
Meaning is determined entirely by the readers' past experience and purposes. It is not enough
to write so that you will be understood. You must write so you can't be misunderstood.
IX. Make full use of variety
Variety is a main ingredient in the art of writing. Only practice can lead to the facility that
produces variety. Being aware of the point, however, helps one gain facility more rapidly.
Introduce enough variety of sentence length, structure, and vocabulary
Examples:

 We have hired staff, and they will complete their training next week. Compound sentence

 When the stores open, we will have balloons and specials in every department. Complex
sentence

X. Write to express, not impress

Nowadays nobody says "I can't understand what he is saying; he must be highly intelligent.”

When we use big words, we try to be someone else. The chance of striking awe by means of
big words is small.

When we use words that clearly convey the meaning, only then do we impress.
The second part of the presentation deals with Construction of Clear Sentences
1. Determining emphasis in Sentence Design

Give every item its due emphasis. The sentences you write should give the right emphasis to
content.

Task as a writer is to form your sentences to communicate the importance of each item.

Short sentences emphasize contents

Longer sentences deemphasize contents. When a sentence contains two or more ideas, the
ideas share emphasis.

Examples:

 The company lost money last year. The loss occurred in spite of record sales.
 Although the company enjoyed record sales last year, it lost money.

 The company enjoyed record sales last year, although it lost money.

2. Giving the Sentences Unity

All parts of a sentence must combine to form one clear thought.

Unrelated Ideas, Excessive Detail and Illogical Constructions must be avoided.

Unrelated Ideas

Mr. Ahmad is our sales manager and he has degree in biology.

Excessive Detail

The 9th grade students did well on most of the 3-part test with at least 85 percent of the
students at more than two-thirds of the schools passing seven of 28 test objectives.

Illogical Constructions

Because our salespeople are inexperienced caused us to miss our deadline

The third part of the presentation is Construction of Clear Paragraphs.

1. Paragraph Design

 Paragraphing shows and emphasize organization

 It involves logical thinking

2. Giving the Paragraph Unity

 The contents of a paragraph should concern one topic or idea

 “Everything in this paragraph belongs together because every part
concerns every other part.”

3. Making Use of Topic Sentences

Check for clarity and construction of the sentences through Readability Statistics

Readability Statistics

 Tools Options Spelling & Grammar

 Number of words
 Number of characters
 Number of sentences
 Averages of characters per word
 Averages of words per sentence
 Averages of sentences per paragraph

Conclusion

Think before you write. Clear writing comes from clear thinking. If you
don't fully understand the process or the problem, you can't explain it to
others. Which means you must first establish your message.