Business Writing: Email and Communication

Business WritingLearn the world of writing, and construct documents that

meet objectives efficiently and effectively.

Prepared for Morgan Construction and Environmental Ltd.

Slideshare: Idris Fashan (theonlyidris)

1Monday, 22 April, 13

• Eschew “tips and tricks” and delve deeper into some history, mechanics and activities to make you a proficient business writer

• Parse and share elements that propel your writing from “colourless” to “compelling”

• Obtain tools and resources that will help you continue to improve your writing

What to expect today:

Remember: “Nothing is original.” -Jim Jarmusch

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Who are We?

How I got into this world.

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• US Fed Justice Dept. admits $100M in annual losses to poor communication

• North American Insurance Industry posted $1B losses attributed to poor communication

• >$225B is lost in North America businesses because of bad writing, reading, and math skills

The Cost of Bad Business (writing)

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• Reduces communication capacity within teams

• Creates uncertainty among readers/shareholders/stakeholders

• Demonstrates a lack of confidence/ability or mastery of the subject matter

• Omits or neglects key details

The Risks of Bad Business Writing

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Bad Examples.

• Buzzword Diseases

• Like, “assets, maximize, competency, validation, system, paradigm”

• Not always wrong to use in business documents, but often lack meaning (idioms)

• Bad words are interchangeable and often get packed together. Let’s try it!

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Bad Examples.

• “Analysis and validation of support strategies for customer satisfaction parameters.”

• “Maximize systems of strategic environmental parameters.”

• “Utilize paradigms of support parameters for assessment.”

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Business Writing Then

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• Greatest peak in Industrial Revolution

• Steam technology, energy and global industrial opportunities arose

• Markets still localized, business conducted face to face or via correspondence (commonwealth to territory)

Business Writing Then

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• Business writing was a means to catalogue what was already being conducted via other communicative means (person-to-person).

• Law, accounting, management, etc.

Business Writing Then

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Business Writing Today

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• Markets splinter as industries grow exponentially-information economy

• Larger entities, more of the smaller entities working across markets (non-localized)

• Requirements, SOPs, marketing, communications, policy

Business Writing Today

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• Business writing documents and facilitates all aspects of business startup, operations, development, strategy, communications, marketing, sales and dissolution.

Business Writing Today

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A Definition?

"Throughout the globe, the written word, in both paper and electronic forms, is seen less as strictly a way of archiving the business already completed and more as a vital, creative means of problem solving, collaborating, and actually doing business."

(R. Inkster and J. M. Kilborn, The Writing of Business)

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“We’ve grown from the world of writing about business, and we’ve entered a more active world of writing vital, functional, informative and persuasive content for conducting business.”

A Definition?

Let’s Try That Again:

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• Legal Documentation

• Accounting and Financial Reportage

• Policy, IP (depending on ministry, country)

• Regulatory Documentation

What’s Unchanged

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• Internal/External Communications (digital)

• Marketing (mobility)

• Operations Documents

• Policy

What’s Changed

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Types of Writing

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• Informative - used to educate

• Persuasive - used to solicit response/action

• Summarizing - used to simplify decisions

Types of Writing

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The Writing Process?

How we imagine it.

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The Writing Process.

How it really feels (sometimes).

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• Writing is more a science than it ever was an art.

• Process = planning, execution, testing, and adjustment

The Writing Process.

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• Preparation/Research

• Writing

• Editing

• Delivery

The Writing Process.

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• Most important phase in writing

• Defines all aspects of where you need to go as you create the document

1. Objectives

2. Audience

3. Scope

4. Tone and Style

Preparation.

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• Ask One Question:

What do we need the reader to know, do, or be able to do after reading this document?

Objectives.

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Keep it simple.

Keep it detailed.

Keep it clear.

Objectives.

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Readers/Audience.

How can we help our readers understand our objective?

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Ask:

• Who is reading this? What level are they?

• What is it they’re reading?

• What do they need?

• What do they know?

• Will they (all) care?

Readers/Audience.

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Scope.

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• Technically, TWO QUESTIONS!

• What kind of information do I need?

• How much will be enough/too much?

Scope.

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Style and Tone.

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Style and Tone.

• Style - word choice

• Formal, casual, slang

• Tone - attitude in the writing

• Logical vs. emotional

• Personal vs. Professional

Choose what’s appropriate for each type of communication.

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• Investigation part of the process

• More complex documents require deeper research

Research.

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Writing/Drafting.

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• Said to be the hardest part, but it’s only hard if you don’t prepare.

• Rely on the preparation, research and audience to tell you what you’re doing, how much you need to do, and where things go.

Writing.

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• Just do one thing: Write.

• Then write more.

• Start with what’s easy.

• Finish with the introduction and conclusion.

Writing.

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• Don’t focus on spelling, grammar, punctuation, or any of the detail.

• Get everything down first, then clean up what’s there at the next stage.

• Drafting is hard because people struggle to do one thing at a time.

Writing.

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Editing, Review & Revision.

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• More than janitorial work

• Give time between the writing and editing tasks—from 5 minutes to 24 hours

• Be strategic and work it into your schedule

Editing, Review & Revision.

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• Find the key idea in each paragraph

• Is it clearly defined?

• If not, add a clear sentence in, and rework the paragraph to reflect the change

• Check the Editor Checklist (handout)

Editing, Review & Revision.

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Activity: Worst Mistakes

in Email20 Minutes

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• Get into groups of FIVE

• Brainstorm examples of worst-case scenarios in your emails, or use the exercise guides.

• Determine a “best of the worst cases” and what could have been done to prevent it.

• One person will present the “best” example to the group.

Email Activity

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The World’s Worst Inbox... MINE!

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Headlines.

• We are often competing for people’s minds, even while they are looking at the page.

• Headlines are the gateway to the content

• Make it easy for different people to dive in

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Gateway to Content

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• We use headlines to judge content, whether it’s in email, online, written on a file or sitting on a cover page.

• We’re forced to pack big ideas in ever smaller spaces

Headlines.

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Relevance +

Entertainment/emotion

Headlines.

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Memo: Inappropriate Conduct Warning — Xmas Party

vs.

Memo: Xmas Party Announcement

Example.

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• Using Research:

• Paragraph = Point + Proof

• State the point clearly

• Follow up with proof, then detail (use research)

Body Content.

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• No more than 10-15%

• Write in the same order as the main document

• May include recommendations, justification, and/or conclusions

• Provide new readers solid introduction to the topic

• Critical in documents requiring decisions (business cases, plans, pitches,etc.)

Summaries.

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One or Two Purposes

• Review main findings, presenting in general terms

• Presents a single conclusion and links to document recommendations

Conclusions.

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S.M.A.R.T.

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Results Oriented

Time-bound

Recommendations.

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• Cost-benefit analysis

• Opportunity cost (land, labour, capital use)

• Problem analysis

Types of Recommendations.

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Activity: Email Composition

20 Minutes

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• Get into your groups of FIVE

• Using the exercise guide, choose one scenario

• Compose an appropriate email as a group

• One person will present your group’s example to the room

Email Activity

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• ALL business writing is persuasive.

Parting Thoughts.

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Questions?

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Thanks!

Slideshare: Idris Fashan (theonlyidris)

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