Good Writing is Good Business

Brought to you by Writing Support Services

Julie Vouri, BSc, MBA

Writing Support Services offers free writing help

Main page: http://www.ucalgary.ca/writingsupport Appointments: https://success.ucalgary.ca/home.htm# Writing resources: http://www.ucalgary.ca/writingsupport/wo rkshopsmain

Good writing mattersand is noticed

I have made this letter long because I have not the time to make it shorter. (Blaise Pascal, Lettres
Proviciales, 1657)

Good writing is a wonderful way to differentiate yourself inside a company. (Crainer,

S. & Dearlove, D. (2004 May/June). Making yourself understood. Across the Board, 41(3), 27.)

Nine million Canadians score below required literacy level

Statistics Canada study: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89-617-x/89617-x2005001-eng.pdf 42% of Canadians aged 16-65 score below required literacy level Plain language and simple words aid in understanding

You will learn techniques to improve your writing

Three-part writing model, with exercises

Planning Writing Revising Draft Feedback Final

Three-part assignment

Links to The Truth About the New Rules of Business Writing

A 3-phase writing process is more efficient

Plan Write Revise

Planning Need to communicate

The Writing Process

Writing

Published document Revising

Use the APPLE to plan your writing

Audience Purpose Plan List of points Expected outcome

Write an efficientbut not perfectdraft

Draft your essay using your organized list of points Do not revise while drafting

Write with BLOT: Bottom Line on Top

If this essay were an email message, what would your first 160 characters be?

Check the organization of your draft

Opening Details Conclusion

Think about your reader when revising your document

[P]eople waste 14 percent of every workweek due to unclear communication, both written and verbal. Fourteen percent equals seven weeks a year!
- Harvey Mackay [business guru], as quoted in Mohn, K. How should engineers write? What their managers say. IEEE PCS 46(2), 6.

Polish your document using a 5-level editing checklist

In order of priority:
1. 2.

3.
4. 5.

Spelling Context Format Style, Grammar and Mechanics Content

Revising: Editing Checklist

Spelling

Run spelling checker

Revising: Editing Checklist

Context

Have you imagined a questioning reader? Have you started your document with a summary, so that decision-makers get the most important information right up front? (This is the BLOT.) Is the purpose of your document clear?

Revising: Editing Checklist

Context

Have you used small chunks to organize your information? Have you positioned key ideas effectively? Are your headings descriptive? Have you considered the given-new strategy? Work from what the reader knows (the given or familiar) to what the reader doesnt know (the new)

Revising: Editing Checklist

Format

Have you chosen the appropriate format (e.g., letter, report) for your information? Have you selected the best medium? Are your fonts consistent (e.g., all headings in bold ALL CAPS Arial, all text in plain Arial)?

Revising: Editing Checklist

Format

If youre preparing an electronic document, does your formatting work for all recipients (e.g., do bullets work in the email systems of all recipients)? Is the page layout consistent throughout the document (e.g., headers, footers, margins)?

Just because you can doesnt mean you should.

Revising: Editing Checklist

Style, Grammar and Mechanics

Check your spelling in context (e.g., appropriate form of their/theyre/there) Ensure consistent capitalization Use punctuation correctly Make sure subjects and verbs agree Ensure appropriate tone Ensure accurate data in tables and figures Use abbreviations accurately and consistently

Revising: Editing Checklist

Style, Grammar and Mechanics

Eliminate: Abstract words Wordy phrases Long words Jargon Clichs Passive voice Sexist or other biased language

Revising: Editing Checklist

Concise: As short as possible, without leaving out relevant details.

Revising: Editing Checklist

A professor assigned short story, with 4 required elements:

Religion Sex Royalty Mystery

How long was the best essay?

Revising: Editing Checklist

My God, said the Queen. Im pregnant. I wonder who the father is!

Revising: Editing Checklist

Style, Grammar and Mechanics

Sentence-level clarity: Parallel construction Varied sentence length One main clause per sentence

Revising: Editing Checklist

Style, Grammar and Mechanics

Sentence-level clarity: [A]verage sentence length of eight words is the most readable and understandable. At fifteen words [per] sentence, comprehension falls to about 90 percent. At twenty words, it drops to 75 percent. At twenty-five words, it drops to 62 percent.
- Crainer, S. & Dearlove, D. (2004 May/June). Making yourself understood. Across the Board, 41(3), 27.

Revising: Editing Checklist

Content

20-second skim test Appropriate amount of content on each topic Appropriate use of visualspictures, flow charts, line drawings, graphs, charts of datato enhance the understanding of the information

Apply good writing skills every day

What will you start, stop, continue with your writing process to be more effective?

Remember to submit your assignment

Scanned copy of peer-reviewed version Final version of essay Completed peer evaluation (p. 17 of hand out package)