Re: ZEEK THE GEEK ONLY
1. Communication Barriers and the 3 X 3 Writing Process
businessman-looking-at-his-laptop
Sometimes, when business writers are faced with a writing task, they simply jump in and begin writing. They try to do everything at once: They try to think about their audience in the midst of their writing; they try to proofread as they go; they try to determine the best organization for their paragraphs as they are crafting them; and they try to select the best words to use. Are you one of those writers? Even though many people believe that this is the best approach to business writing, it really is not. A strategy to use that will save you time and help you to be more productive in the long run would be to implement methodical steps in the writing process. Beginning with determining where you want to go and what you want to say will most likely help you develop a balanced piece of writing and save you some time. Good business writers typically write in steps. The complexity of the writing project, however, will determine how much time you spend on each of these steps.
Before delving into the details of each of the writing steps, it is important to have an overview of what the writing process is all about and the elements associated with each of the stages. Guffey and Loewy (2015) describe a business writing approach known as the 3 X 3 writing process. It consists of three major steps, with each step integrating three specific strategies:
http://placehold.it/300x200
Guffey & Loewy, 2015, p. 127
As previously stated, the amount of time spent at each stage of writing will depend upon many things, including the importance and the purpose of the writing project and the writer’s own abilities in the area of writing. Typically, however, the prewriting and writing stages combined should take about 50% of your time, leaving the other 50% for revising, proofreading, and evaluating. This third phase of the writing process is the most time-consuming of the 3 X 3 process because it involves the very important steps of revising and proofreading your message. When revising, the writer is improving the content and the sentence structure of his or her message. Proofreading involves correcting grammar, spelling, punctuation, and overall format. Revising also requires reviewing the writing for clarity, tone, and conciseness.
2. Audience Analysis
The initial task of the first stage in writing is to conduct an audience analysis. Who is the audience for the message? Who are the readers of your writing? It is important to consider that the audience may be a very diverse group of people, or it may be just one person. Anticipating how the audience might react to your message is always important to keep in mind. Conducting an audience analysis first will help you to understand the message from the perspective of the reader. This includes anticipating who the audience will be so that you can then tailor or adapt your message to your readers or your listeners.
target and darts
Ask yourself these questions:
Who is your audience?
What is your relationship with the audience?
How will the audience likely react to the message?
What does the audience already know?
Your relationship with the reader will most likely determine the tone as well as the content of your message. Remember, some readers like a direct approach, regardless of the purpose of the message, so it is important to take that into consideration. If you expect your readers to react negatively, consider presenting extensive evidence and some expert testimony. Also, determine how much information the reader actually needs. Too much information can simply overwhelm or confuse your reader. Above all, make the reader feel important by personalizing the content. Focus on the needs of your audience and, if appropriate, demonstrate empathy.
There are numerous writing approaches and strategies that can be used when focusing on the audience. Be conversational, but also be professional. Express yourself positively in ways that will deter any angry reactions from your audience. Be courteous and soften the tone of your message, if necessary. Avoid biased terms relating to gender, race, ethnicity, age, or disabilities (refer to Module Two, Page II for important reminders in this regard).
Summary: Launching a blog is only the first step to gaining exposure and SEO benefits for your online business. But to really take advantage of all that blogging has to offer, you need to create quality posts that users want to read and share. The trick to doing so is to learn how to write better blog posts, faster. To help you get started, check out today's episode to learn quick and easy ways to improve your blog posts moving forward. See http://www.volusion.com.
3. Creating Clear and Concise Business Messages
After planning your message, you are now ready to begin drafting your message—at least a preliminary version of the message. This step will be easier if you planned and organized your message in the first stage. However, be mindful that you should not combine drafting and revising. They are two distinct elements of writing, and they need to be approached separately. The drafting/writing stage is the process of getting your ideas down on paper; do not worry about style here. Just get your ideas down in rough-draft form; you can revise later. It is at this stage that you now write as narrative all the ideas you identified in the prewriting stage.
business man with phone
For business writing, the purpose is usually evident, but that does not mean that writer’s block will not occur. Newman (2014) defines writer’s block as the inability to focus on the writing process or the inability to draft a message. There are many causes of writer’s block, one of the most common of which is procrastination—the avoidance of doing what we dislike. Sometimes writers easily get bored, as writing a draft can be a slow process. Such impatience can cause writer’s block. Other writers think that their writing must be perfect from the start; perfectionism is another cause of writer’s block. There are many approaches for combating writer’s block; not all strategies work for all writers, so you must select the strategy that works best for you.
References
Guffey, M. & Loewy, D. (2015). Business communication: Process and product (8th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning. ISBN-13: 9781285094069
Newman, A. (2014). Business communication: In print, in person, online (9th ed.). Independence, KY: Cengage Learning.
Purdue OWL Writing Lab. [Website.] Retrieved from https://owl.english.purdue.