Business Communication Test2
all4jasmine
ch06.pptxChapter 6
Revising Business Messages
1
Topics in This Chapter
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
Revising Tips
Designing Documents for Readability
How to Proofread Documents
Proofreading Marks for Digital and Hard-Copy Documents
How to Evaluate a Business Message
Eliminate flabby expressions.
Revising Tips
| Wordy | Concise |
| at this point in time | now |
| due to the fact that | because |
| in very few cases | seldom |
| despite the fact that | although |
| feel free to | please |
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
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Limit long lead-ins (unnecessary introductory words).
Revising Tips
| Wordy | Concise |
| This is to inform you that Monday is a holiday. | Monday is a holiday. |
| I am writing this letter because Professor John Donnellan suggested that your organization was hiring. | Professor John Donnellan suggested that your organization was hiring. |
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
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Drop unnecessary opening fillers (there is/are and it is/was beginnings).
Revising Tips
| Wordy | Concise |
| There are over 50 visitors who commented on her blog. | Over 50 visitors commented on her blog. |
| There was an unused computer in the back office. | An unused computer was in the back office. |
| It is certainly an inspiring sequence of events. | The sequence of events is certainly inspiring. |
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
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Replace redundancies (expressions that repeat meaning or include unnecessary words).
Revising Tips
| Redundant | Concise |
| exact same | exact or same |
| past history | past or history |
| serious danger | danger |
| new innovation | new or innovation |
| my personal opinion | my opinion |
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
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Purge empty words.
In the case of General Motors, the car company was reorganized.
We are aware of the fact that many managers need assistance.
When it arrived, I deposited your check immediately. (Obviously, the check arrived.)
Revising Tips
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
Keep it simple by avoiding indirect and pompous language.
Revising Tips
| Wordy and Unclear | Clear |
| It would not be inadvisable for you to affix your signature at this point in time. | You should sign now. |
| Here are implements that are necessary for the job to be completed in a satisfactory manner. | Here are tools to do the job satisfactorily. |
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
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Dump trite “business” phrases (worn-out expressions).
Revising Tips
| Trite | Improved |
| pursuant to your request | as you requested |
| please do not hesitate to | please |
| thank you in advance | thank you |
| enclosed please find | enclosed |
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
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Drop clichés (expressions that have become exhausted by overuse), such as
easier said than done
first and foremost
think outside the box
shoot from the hip
Revising Tips
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
Drop slang (informal words with arbitrary and extravagantly changed meanings that quickly go out of fashion), such as
in the pipeline
down the totem pole
blowing the budget
getting burned
Revising Tips
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
Unbury verbs that are needlessly converted to wordy noun expressions.
Revising Tips
| Buried Verbs | Unburied Verbs |
| give consideration to | consider |
| reach a conclusion that | conclude |
| create a reduction in | reduce |
| make a decision about | decide |
| take action | act |
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
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Control exuberance (use of intensifiers such as definitely, quite, completely, extremely, really, and totally) to sound businesslike.
Revising Tips
| Excessive Exuberance | Businesslike |
| We actually are very sure they do not totally agree with our decision. | We are sure they do not agree with our decision. |
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
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Enhance white space by
Adding headings
Including bulleted or numbered lists
Using short sentences
Writing short paragraph
Setting effective margins
Designing Documents for Readability
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
Use 1 to 1 ½-inch margins.
Designing Documents for Readability
How to set margins
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
Designing Documents for Readability
Aligns text at left margin and creates a ragged-right margin
Result
Setting for Ragged-Right Margins
Ragged-right margins provide more white space and improve readability.
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
Choose appropriate typefaces.
Consider sans serif for headings, signs, and material that does not require continuous reading (for example, Arial).
Consider serif for body font (for example, Times New Roman). Notice that serif typefaces have small features at the ends of strokes.
Designing Documents for Readability
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
Use 10- to 12-point font for most body text.
For special effects consider:
CAPITALIZATION
SMALL CAPS
Boldface
Italic
Underline
Designing Documents for Readability
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
Use vertical lists or enumerated items within sentences to improve comprehension.
Use a numbered list for items that represent a sequence or reflect a numbering system; use bullets otherwise.
Use enumerated items such as (a) and (b) within a sentence.
Make the lists and enumerated items parallel.
Designing Documents for Readability
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
Use parallel construction by expressing similar ideas in balanced, matching constructions.
Designing Documents for Readability
| Not Parallel | Parallel |
| The task force recommends buying a software license, creating software usage policies, and the benefits of the software should be demonstrated. | The task force recommends buying a software license, creating software usage policies, and demonstrating the benefits of the software. |
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
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Use numbered lists to show a sequence:
During the hiring process, follow these steps:
Examine the application.
Interview the applicant.
Check the applicant’s references.
Designing Documents for Readability
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
Use bulleted lists to highlight without necessarily showing a sequence.
Consumers expect the following information at product Web sites:
Price
Quality
Performance
Availability
Designing Documents for Readability
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
Add headings for quick comprehension:
The company needs to focus attention in three key areas:
Attracting applicants. We need to analyze where and how we advertise for applicants. Specifically, online job boards …
Interviewing applicants. We should consider adding simulated customer encounters to the process. Simulated …
Checking references. We should consider contacting all references, not just former employers. Currently, the …
Designing Documents for Readability
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
Designing Documents for Readability
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
Types of headings to consider
Main headings
Subheadings
Category headings
What to Watch for in Proofreading
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Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
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Proofreading
Names and Numbers
Format
Spelling
Grammar
Punctuation
For reading messages on screen
Use the down arrow to reveal one line at a time.
Read from a printed copy, to be safer.
In general
Look for typos, misspellings, and easily confused words.
Study the document for inconsistencies and ambiguous expressions.
Look for factual errors.
How to Proofread Routine Documents
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
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Print a copy, preferably double-spaced.
Set it aside and take a breather.
Allow adequate time for careful proofing.
Expect errors and congratulate yourself when you find them.
Read the message at least twice – once for meaning and once for grammar and mechanics.
Reduce your reading speed and focus on individual words.
How to Proofread Complex Documents
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
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Use Microsoft Word to Help You With Readability and With Proofreading
The higher the score, the easier it is to understand the document.
Source: Microsoft
The Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level rates text on a U.S. school grade level.
Comprehension decreases as sentence length increases.
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
Revised Digital Document Using Strikethrough and Color
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
Basic Proofreading Marks
Delete
Capitalize
Lowercase (don’t capitalize)
Transpose
Close up
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
Basic Proofreading Marks
Insert
Insert space
Insert punctuation
Insert period
Start paragraph
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
Marked Copy of Printed Document
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Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
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Revised Copy of Printed Document
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
33
Evaluating a Business Message
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
How successful will this communication be?
Does the message say what you want it to say?
Did you encourage feedback so that you will know its success?
End
©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch. 6, Slide ‹#›
