mgmt
Chapter 3
Organizing and Drafting Business Messages
1
The 3-x-3 Writing Process
Analyze audience & purpose
Research background, collect info
Edit for clarity
Anticipate audience and its reaction to message
Adapt message to audience
Organize info
Draft first version
Proofread
Evaluate whether the message will accomplish goals
2
Today’s Agenda
Research
Organizing Information
Composing the First Draft
Writing Techniques
Effective Paragraphs
3
Today’s Agenda
Research
Organizing Information
Composing the First Draft
Writing Techniques
Effective Paragraphs
4
The 3-x-3 Writing Process
Analyze audience & purpose
Research background, collect info
Edit for clarity
Anticipate audience and its reaction to message
Adapt message to audience
Organize info
Draft first version
Proofread
Evaluate whether the message will accomplish goals
5
Informal Research Methods
Search company digital or other files.
Conduct an informal survey.
Talk with
the boss.
Interview the
target audience.
Brainstorm for ideas.
6
Formal Research Methods
Investigate primary sources.
Search manually.
Access electronically.
Conduct scientific experiments.
7
Today’s Agenda
Research
Organizing Information
Composing the First Draft
Writing Techniques
Effective Paragraphs
8
The 3-x-3 Writing Process
Analyze audience & purpose
Research background, collect info
Edit for clarity
Anticipate audience and its reaction to message
Adapt message to audience
Organize info
Draft first version
Proofread
Evaluate whether the message will accomplish goals
9
Organizing Information to Show Relationships
How do you organize your thoughts in order to begin writing?
10
Organizing Information to Show Relationships
Group similar ideas.
Organize into lists or outlines.
11
Thought Web
Tips for Efficient Outlining
Define the main topic (purpose of message) in the title.
Divide the main topic into 3 to 5 major components.
Break major component into exclusive subpoints (no overlapping).
Use details, illustrations, and evidence subpoints.
13
Organizing Ideas Into Strategies
Review: When should we use direct strategy and when indirect?
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Organizing Ideas Into Strategies
Use the Direct Strategy if audience will be
Pleased
Somewhat interested
Neutral
15
Organizing Ideas Into Strategies
Use the Indirect Strategy if audience will be
Uninterested
Displeased
Disappointed
Hostile
16
Please analyze the following email:
Does it use the direct or indirect strategy? What sentence contains the most important information?
Why did the author use that strategy? Was it the right strategy?
Is there any “downside” to using this strategy?
17
| Colleagues, In my brief tenure at CSUSB, I have been incredibly impressed by the quality and commitment of our faculty. On a campus that places student success as the lead initiative of its strategic plan, you embody that value in your scholarship, advising, teaching and research. I also recognize the inherent challenges associated with your individual workloads, reflected by a recommendation by the CSUSB Q2S Steering Committee to establish a 3/3 semester baseline schedule. Giving our faculty the resources they need to be successful stands as my highest priority, but this must be accomplished in a transparent system, where each of us can be accountable to one another. We are working with deans to develop a clear path for reassigned time, one that meets institutional priorities and keeps the campus fiscally accountable. I am in favor of a reduced workload for those that work to meet the mission and goals of CSUSB. However, I have also noticed a number of inconsistencies in the way releases have been handled. We currently approve an average of 2.6 courses of reassigned time per tenured/tenure-track faculty member each year with wide variability among colleges. The university estimates that the replacement costs associated with the current level of reassigned time is over $7 million annually, which sits inside the permanent budget allocations to the colleges and academic departments. As we convert to semesters, university leadership commits to carrying this financial commitment forward and has no intention of changing the ability of deans to review and grant reassigned time that meets institutional priorities and keeps the institution accountable for its actions. Providing equitable treatment to faculty is very important to me, therefore we will be establishing a baseline teaching load of 4/4 under the semester system with a promise that faculty will be provided ample opportunities through their college deans to have reassigned time. I imagine many of you are concerned with this decision, but let me be clear that opportunities for reassigned time will continue to be available at the present level in a process that is clear to everyone across campus. There should never be any ambiguity on why reassigned time is being given. Most importantly, thank you for your continued hard work and dedication to our students. I look forward to working with each of you as we bring clarity to this important process. As I begin my visits with departments, I will be happy to answer any specific questions that you have. Best, Shari Shari McMahan, Ph.D. Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs California State University San Bernardino 5500 University Parkway, San Bernardino, Ca. 92407 |
Today’s Agenda
Research
Organizing Information
Composing the First Draft
Writing Techniques
Effective Paragraphs
Compose the first draft of a message using a variety of sentence types while avoiding sentence fragments, run-on sentences, and comma splices.
19
The 3-x-3 Writing Process
Analyze audience & purpose
Research background, collect info
Edit for clarity
Anticipate audience and its reaction to message
Adapt message to audience
Organize info
Draft first version
Proofread
Evaluate whether the message will accomplish goals
20
Three Common Sentence Faults
1. Avoid fragments
(broken-off parts of sentence).
Fragment:
E-mail seems boring. When compared with Twitter.
Revision:
E-mail seems boring when compared with Twitter.
21
Three Common Sentence Faults
Avoid run-ons (two independent clauses without coordinating conjunction or semicolon)
Run-on:
He’s addicted to social media he posts updates constantly.
Revision:
He’s addicted to social media, and he posts updates constantly.
Revision:
He’s addicted to social media; he posts updates constantly.
22
Three Common Sentence Faults
Comma splice:
He prefers a tablet, she prefers her laptop.
Revision:
He prefers a tablet; she prefers her laptop.
Revision:
He prefers a tablet; however, she prefers her laptop.
Revision:
He prefers a tablet, but she prefers her laptop.
Avoid comma splices (two clauses joined without proper punctuation)
23
Three Common Sentence Faults
Let’s look at questions 21-25 in the book (page 79)
24
Prefer Short Sentences
8 words
15 words
19 words
28 words
100%
90%
80%
50%
Sentence
Length
Comprehension Rate
25
You should strive for sentences that average about 20 words.
Prefer Short Sentences
26
Prefer Short Sentences
Readability scores and Goldman Sachs letter
27
Today’s Agenda
Research
Organizing Information
Composing the First Draft
Writing Techniques
Effective Paragraphs
Improve your writing by emphasizing important ideas, employing the active and passive voice effectively, using parallelism, and preventing dangling and misplaced modifiers.
28
Active and Passive Voice
Look at questions 36 and 40 on page 80 in the book.
29
Use Parallelism to Achieve Balance
Lacks Parallelism
Illustrates Parallelism
We focus on money – earning it, investing it, and how to spend it.
We focus on money – earning it, investing it, and spending it.
Applicants are interested in work environment and how they can advance their careers.
Applicants are interested in work environment and career advancement.
30
Use Parallelism to Achieve Balance
Lacks Parallelism
Illustrates Parallelism
Our peanut butter spread (a) is all natural, (b) contains no hydrogenated oil, and (c) there’s no need to stir.
Our peanut butter spread (a) is all natural, (b) contains no hydrogenated oil, and (c) requires no stirring.
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Parallelism
Look at questions 45, 48 and 50 on page 81 in the book.
32
Today’s Agenda
Research
Organizing Information
Composing the First Draft
Writing Techniques
Effective Paragraphs
Draft well-organized paragraphs that incorporate (a) topic sentences, (b) support sentences, and (c) transitional expressions to build coherence.
33
Support Sentences
Drafting Effective Paragraphs
Topic Sentence
Tells readers what to expect
Illustrate, explain, and strengthen the topic sentence
Explains central thought
Provide details and evidence
34
Controlling Paragraph Length
Compose short paragraphs.
Paragraphs with eight or fewer printed lines are most readable.
35
Effective Paragraphs
Let’s look at questions 57-59 on page 82 in the book.
36
Enough Writing for Now?
Questions?
38
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