EMMA FARR

MADELINE TRACY

BUSINESS
WRITING:
BIAS, STYLE &TONE.

02.10.17
FEBRUARY, 10 2017
 AVOID WHAT IS BIAS?

BIAS
Bias is a tendency to believe that some people, ideas, etc., are better
than others that usually results in treating some people unfairly.

Biased language in business, regardless of being aware of it or not, is

very likely to have a negative impact on you professionally. Avoiding
biased language will help you become professional in your writing.
In order to be taken seriously, you must treat every reader with respect.
Below are some steps you can take to avoid biased writing.

HOW TO AVOID BIASED WRITING

RECOGNIZE THAT EVERYONE IS BIASED CHOOSE FACTFOCUS
OVER OPINION
ON THE EVIDENCE

No two people have been through the same situations:
therefore, no two people view the world in the same way.
Chances are, you have had an experience with someone that
has been negative. Its important not to let these experiences
dictate how you talk about people.
If you want to be taken seriously as a writer, outlining the
facts instead of your opinion is crucial. Note the difference
between these two statements:
This city is turning to crap. There is no hope for us.

If you were to say: All teenagers are terrible drivers and
should not be allowed to drive. merely because you were in
an accident once with a teenager, that would communicate
bias. Claims should rely on evidence from reliable sources.
Making the statement: Teenagers are 68% more likely to be
in automobile accidents and then citing your source, frees
your statement of bias.
According to a study by Roberts in 2016, crime is increas-
ing by 15% while employment is decreasing by 11% each
year. As unemployment and crime-rates rise, we are likely to
experience greater difficulty in the future.
The first statement is clearly an opinion and can be easily
dismissed. The second statement supports its claim with
research and data and is far more reliable.

BE SENSITIVE
BE SENSITIVE WITHINDENTIFIERS
WHEN USING IDENTIFIERS DONT USE GENERALIZATIONS
AVOID GENERALIZATIONS

Offending people is easy if youre not careful, and is an easy
way to kill your credibility. One way to combat this is to be
specific rather than descriptive. Heres what that means:
Descriptive Language
I talked to several old people who think our
product is far better than the competition.
Generalizations are statements made about a group of peo-
ple based on the actions of a select few. These statements
can be offensive, and are often times unfounded. Suppose
someone gets pulled over for speeding a few times and gets
a ticket for 10 miles over the limit when they dont think its
justified. Here are two ways they might express their
frustrations:

Specific Language Police officers are too hard on the citizens

Individuals between the ages of 65-80 state that
they prefer our product to that of our competitors. A few of the police officers in this city are really strict.

Notice that the first statement regards police officers as

*Notice that only stating the facts lets the reader develop a whole, and is unfairly biased toward every person that
their own opinion about the interviewees. chooses to be a police officer. The second statement still
outlines frustrations, but removes bias.
 WHAT IS STYLE?
OWN YOUR In business writing, style is tailoring your message
to influence your audience effectively. Essentially, its the
delivery method that you use to get your message out.

STYLE Style can be verbal as well as non verbal in

communications. Below is a style guide that will
help you to deliver the best possible message.

WHICH STYLE IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

Aggressive communication is when people are harsh, demanding, & critical of others.
AGGRESSIVE This type of communicator tends to make enemies quickly and doesnt care about anyone elses opinion.
This is a great way to demotivate people and make enemies.

You are terrible at your job. I am amazing at mine, you should take notes from me.

Assertive communication is when people are clear, yet polite when making statements, and are polite
ASSERTIVE when others make their statements as well. This type of communication is healthy and effective but is the
least used style of communication.

Would you mind turning down the music? I am having a hard time focusing.

Passive-aggressive communication is when people pretend like something doesnt bother

PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE them but will ultimately act out in anger or spite. This communication style is difficult to deal
with and causes resentment.

Dont worry, I cant do it all by myself... Like usual.

Submissive communication is when people will avoid conflict and appease at all costs. This type of
SUBMISSIVE communicator will put all others needs before their own and tends to be unopinionated and carry a
victim mentality.

Youre right, I can stay late by myself. I have no problem doing this extra work by myself.

Manipulative communication is when people will pursuade, influence or control others. This type of
MANIPULATIVE communicator will generally have an underlying message and will cleverly scheme and calculate in
order to get what they want.

You can go ahead without me! If I get hurt doing all of this by myself, Ill call an ambulance.
 WHAT IS TONE?
In business writing, tone is how you are meant to

TONE
feel about the subject you are reading, or how the
author feels about what they are saying.

This is portrayed by word choice and the way in

which you describe things. Positive, negative and
neutral are the categories that tone covers.

When considering tone, there are three main things to look at:
ASK YOURSELF

1. Who is your audience?

Is it an email to your boss? An IM to a coworker?

2. What is your Message?

Is it an urgent matter? Is it a positive, neutral or negative message?

3. Where will it be seen?

Is it a group email? A post to a message board?

HOW DO YOU FEEL? HOW SHOULD THEY FEEL?

Confident
+ NEUTRAL NEGATIVE
Anger
Optimistic Complacence Hatred
Cheerful/Happy Indifferent Pessimistic
Sincerity Detached Frustrated
Sense of responsibility Disconnected Doubtful
Flexibility Unemotional Resentful
Determination Jealous
Reliability Inferior
Tolerance
Willingness to adapt
Humility

Each of these tones can be used appropriately in different circumstances. A negative tone, for example would
be appropriate if you were doubtful about meeting an unrealistic deadline. Similarly, if you were asked about
your interest in a promotion that you were being considered for, you would ideally use a positive tone.
Neutral tones are generally the most used in business, and show that you are being diplomatic with your
words. An example of a good time to use a neutral tone would be an HR manager addressing a complaint to
both parties involved. It is important to not only consider what you will say, but also how it will be percieved.
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