Business Writing (Materials For Distribution)

Effective Business
Writing
Safwat M. A. Elmansy
Safwat M. A. Elmansy
Msc.TQM
Introduced By
Hisham Rafik,
M.Sc., MBA, PMP
Safwat Elmansy- Leadership

Agenda
Agenda
1. Writing an effective business document
2. 9 Steps to produce a great document
3. Managing E-mails
4. The Language: Making it Simple
5. The Golden Rules

Types of Business Documents
Short letters
Short letters
1-2 pages
Uses the 3 Paragraph structure
E-mails and Memos
Short reports
Short reports
5-10 pages
Read in one sitting
Long Reports
Long Reports
10 or more pages
Includes index and detailed data

Why write a document
Instructions
Instructions
The sequence of a process
Proposals
Proposals
Moving from problem to solution
Research Reports
Research Reports
From Aim to Conclusion
Response to an inquiry
Response to an inquiry
Saying: Yes, No or Both
Information distribution
Information distribution
News, updates


Knowing your
Communication Type
Knowing your communication
type allows you to make
strategic adjustment in your
writing for readers whose
communication types differ
your own.



Knowing your
Communication Type
Communication Types
Communication Types
The Thinker
The Feeler
The Juggler
The Planner

The Thinker
The Thinker
The Thinker likes to think through
problems to understand their causes
and possible solutions.
Believes that communication is most
persuasive when ideas are presented in
a logical order, with appropriate
supporting evidence.

Begins communication by trying to
achieve agreement on a basic premise
or set of ideas.
Matters of opinion and feeling are of
little interest
Seeks the "truth" irrespective of office
politics and personalities.
Often uses statistics, verified examples,
and other sources of objective data to
prove his point.

The Feeler
The Feeler
The Feeler focuses on the emotional side
What people hope, fear, like, hate,
accept, reject
Believes that communication is most
persuasive when all involved feel
relatively good about what is being said
or decided.
Begins communication by trying to
establish rapport

The objective truth of any situation
matters less to the Feeler than its
social impact and implication
how others respond and react is
what really matters to him
Often attempts to make his points by
reference to personal emotions, and
broad appeals to "what will work for all
of us"

Is suspicious of so-called objective
data, viewing it as a false front behind
which others hide their real motives
and feelings.

The Juggler
The Juggler
The Juggler always has one eye on the
clock, schedule, deadlines, and
budgets.
Takes pride in being able to take on
several tasks at once.
Often tasks are not completed as
thoroughly or carefully as others
might do them
Always points to the emergency
circumstances involved or the lack of
any help to justify his shortcuts.

Is usually the first to respond creativity
and energetically to unexpected change.
His solutions to problems are
sometimes band-aids rather than true
cures, due to his/her rush to judgment
in finding answers.

Some people admire the Juggler for his
ability to get so many tasks done in a
short period of time.
Others respond less
positively to him, feeling
that his accomplishments
are half-baked and
flawed.

The Planner
The Planner
The Planner can relax only when daily
events and tasks have been organized
onto a sensible pattern or plan.
Uses flow charts, diagrams, timelines,
and other graphic aids in an attempt to
capture and demonstrate "the big
picture" to others.

Often initiates communication by a
request that we develop a workable
plan and may be unable to accomplish
much work until such a plan is in place.
At his best, the Planner aids the
organization by increasing efficiency,
eliminating redundancies, and enabling
resource allocation.

counter threats to the organization,
seize market opportunities,
resolve crises and
manage change.
At his worst, the Planner - in his
insistence on models, patterns, and
plans - can stand in the way of those
trying to act quickly and creatively to.
9 Steps to produce
a great document

9 steps to produce a great document
9 steps to produce a great document
1. Grasp your Purpose
2. Analyze your Audience
3. Brainstorm
4. Limit your material
5. Organize your material
6. Substantiate your effort
7. Draft your document
8. Polish your document
9. The Final Check

1. Grasp your Purpose
What is the Object of the report?
What is your purpose in writing this
report?
Write down your central purpose
statement on a note card, and keep it in
view while researching and writing.
It's easy to get off track without this reminder.

Exampl e: Pur pose st at ement s
The purpose of this report / letter / memo is
1.To convince the board we should open a new plant in Germany.
2.To make the customer (who has written with a complaint) feel valued.
3.To give our sales team the information they need .
4. questions about the benefits of our new laptop.
5.To persuade store managers of how they can increase
turnover by better use of point-of-sale material.
6.To make our new premium ice cream attractive

2. Analyze your Audience
Who will read the report?
What do they expect from you?
What are their interests, needs,
backgrounds and biases?
What kind of terms, examples, and details
can you use to best effect?
The answers to these questions help you
determine what to discuss and how to
shape your material to best effect.

3. Brainstorming
How can your topic be best developed for
your audience
What aspects of the topic will be most
interesting?
What examples will best support your
points?

Br ai nst or mi ng quest i ons
Fill-in the blank with your topic.
Why do I/others even care about?
1.If I had to divideInto parts or stages,
what would they be?
2.What forces / circumstances led to
?
3.What kind of person is interested in
?
4.If did not exist, how would
things be different?

Br ai nst or mi ng quest i ons
Fill-in the blank with your topic.
5. What aspect of do I (or would my
readers) like best? Least?
6. What larger situation, cultural background, or
other context helps to explain ?
7. What are the principal benefits of
?
8. If fails or is ignored, what will be
the impact?
9. How could be explained to a
10-year-old child?

Brainstorming Plan
Brainstorming Plan
INTERACTIVE SHOPPING
Opportunities
market size / projected growth Packaged food
clothing
Problems
Fraud
Slow growth
Our response
Improve existing services
Develop interactive products
Trials in US/France behind schedule
Technology
attractions
Power to consumer
Long term savings

4. Limit your Material
What is Range of the report?
With what breadth and depth should you treat
your topic?
Determining the range of your report means that
you will have to leave out interesting but
nonessential information.
Out of all ideas from the brainstorming
What ideas are most appropriate for your
purpose and audience?
What ideas can you write about with the most
expertise and confidence?

5. Organize your material
What logical pattern can be used to
communicate your ideas clearly?
In what order should your ideas appear?
Sample outline for problem solving reports:
Overview
Problem definition and history
Problem analysis and impact
Proposed resolution
Actions and recommendations

6. Substantiate your points
Plug-in Support passages
Examples, details, statistics, research
findings
Locate places in your document where
graphic aids can be placed

7. Draft your document
I have prepared and can now express my
ideas in a first draft without suffering
Quite a bit of the first draft turns out to be
usable material in the final draft
Let the words flow
Write as if you are writing to a frienddont
bother about quality now

8. Polish your document
Polish the rough diamond that lies on the
desk so that others can appreciate it
Check for logical connections
Check for appropriate transitions between
sentences
Eliminate unnecessary words
Check for grammatical errors
Check the language simplicity
The shorter the better

9. The Final Check
Before you release the document,
ask the following questions:
Did the message appear to be important?
Did the message appear easy to read or
tough sledding?
Does the final message reflect the central
purpose statement?
Is the document nice to view and read?
Managing
e-mails

E-mail practices
Please answer the following questions:
On a typical business day, how often do you
check your e-mail?
When you check your e-mail, how do you
decide which messages to respond, which to
delay and which to ignore ?
Do your habits for checking e-mail vary widely
from day to day,?

E-mail practices
Are you able to check e-mail after work
hours?
What are the expectations of your company
regarding the checking of e-mail by
employees?
How do you measure up to those
expectations?
What I do now" and "What I want to do"

You
You
ve got mail
ve got mail
You (not others) must decide when to look at
your E-mails
Turn off the pop-up or noise which notifies
you of a new E-mail
Check your E-mail at certain times in the day
When you arrive at your desk or start work
Just before lunch
Third around an hour before normal
business closes.

Sending Effective E
Sending Effective E
-
-
mails
mails
Properly use:
To
Cc
Bcc
Copy only those readers with a need to
know.
More than 70 percent of e-mails
received are the result of misrouting or
needless copying.

Sending Effective E
Sending Effective E
-
-
mails
mails
Subject
A one sentence summary of the whole
E-mail
It has to be descriptive and attractive to
invite the reader to open the E-mail
The reader can get to the heart of your
communication right away.

E-mail Body
Use the 3 paragraph format
1.Paragraph One: an introduction
The past: Why the E-mail is written
2.Paragraph Two: the development phase
The present: Bring reader up to date
3.Paragraph three: the conclusion
The Future: Focuses on actions needed
Sending Effective E
Sending Effective E
-
-
mails
mails

No more than one screen-full.
When a message must run longer, send
a brief cover message and use the
"Attachment" function for the longer
document.
Be specific, organized and to the point
Use bullets and numbers
Avoid Re:Re:Re:Re
Sending Effective E
Sending Effective E
-
-
mails
mails

Make clear (usually at the end of the
message) what you want your reader to
do after reading this E-mail
Is your message for informational
purposes only?
Do you want a reply?
Do you want action of some kind?
Sending Effective E
Sending Effective E
-
-
mails
mails

Cultural aspects
High context and low-context cultures
Time zones
Signatures
Use in the start of the thread.
Dont reuse with those who already
know you.
Attachments
Refer to the attachment in the E-mail
body.
Sending Effective E
Sending Effective E
-
-
mails
mails

Handling incoming E-mail
RAFT Technique
Refer it Forward/delegate
Act on it Reply to sender
File It Move it to its folder
Throw it away Delete it

Effective E-mail filing
Organize your E-mail folders
Classify by:
Subject
Alphabetical
Customer
Date
Geographical
Use simple headings
Separate active files from archive
Review/Clean files regularly

Dont use the inbox as a storage box
Delete E-mails that:
Effective E-mail filing
You will never have
time to look at
You can find
somewhere else
Have a low pay-off

E-mail reduction checklist
Remove your corporate E-mail from external
mailing lists
Use private account: hotmail, yahoo, gmail .
Remove your name from unneeded internal
circulation list
Ask colleagues to put you in the cc only if
needed
Start with yourself:
Talk to people instead of writing
The Language:
Making it Simple

Using Simple Language
Using Simple Language
Choose the right style
The Paragraph and its topic sentence
Linking paragraphs and sentences
Using simple words and vocabulary
Abbreviations

Style
Style
Formal: legal documents, letters from the
bank
Neutral: business reports and letters
Informal: letters to friends, your personal
diary

Paragraphs
Paragraphs
The Topic Sentence:
States the subject of the paragraph
Usually is the 1
st
sentence
Everything in the paragraph is clearly connected
to its subject
Write shorter paragraphs
Use single sentence paragraphs to make an
important statement stand out strongly
Write shorter sentences; rewrite very long
sentences into 2-3 shorter ones.

Linking Sentences
From a report recommending the closure of a factory
One plant must go, because we simply have too much capacity in relation
to any
likely future market demand.
It seems to me that the plant at Lyon is the obvious candidate for closure.
For one thing, it is by far the oldest and smallest of our manufacturing
facilities.
For another, it is a little remote from our emerging markets in Eastern
Europe, and freight costs are therefore .
The third thing that makes Lyon the likely candidate is its very poor
production record. If we compare worker output per hour at Lyon with
our newer factories in Holland, Germany and England we can see
that
By Listing

Linking sentences
Linking sentences
Logical cause
If you want we will install a thermostat on each
radiator, so you will be able to control the
temperature of each room.
Not all our customers want the same from a
trolley when they visit the supermarket. Thats
why at every one of our stores you will now find
ten different kinds of trolley to choose from.
As a result of this recovery, we expect US
exports in Europe and Japan to be boosted.

Linking Sentences
Linking Sentences
In spite of the recession in the Far East, the performance
of the stock-market has been quite good.
You may feel that you cannot afford to have your
extension designed by an architect, but a well-designed
extension will be more attractive, and make your
property more saleable.
The marketing department are obviously keen on their new
logo design. All the same, Im not convinced
particularly when you consider the expense.
Contrasts

Linking Sentences
Premium ice cream sales continue to grow at a year-on-year rate
of 26%. Premium ice cream sales have grown at a year-on-
year rate of 26% for the last five years.
The rate of growth of premium ice cream shows no sign of
slackening. The premium ice cream market is now worth almost
110 million. The total UK ice cream market is worth 840
million.
The premium ice cream market is expected to achieve a 25%
share of the total ice cream market by the end of the century.
Substitution
From a briefing the premium ice cream market

Simple words and Vocabulary
1. Eliminate unnecessary determiners
and modifiers
Any particular type of dessert is fine with me.
Any dessert is fine with me.
For all intents and purposes, American
industrial productivity generally depends on
certain factors that are really more
psychological in kind than of any given
technological aspect.
American industrial productivity depends more on
psychological than on technological factors.

2. Change phrases into single words
The employee with ambition...
The ambitious employee...
Jeff Converse, our chief of consulting,
suggested at our last board meeting
the installation of microfilm equipment
in the department of data processing.
At our last board meeting, Chief Consultant Jeff
Converse suggested that we install microfilm
equipment in the data processing department.

3. Change unnecessary that, who,
and which clauses into phrases
The report, which was released recently...
The recently released report...
All applicants who are interested in the job
must...
All job applicants must...
The system that is most efficient and
accurate...
The most efficient and accurate system...

4. Avoid overusing expletives at the
beginning of sentences
It is the governor who signs or vetoes bills.
The governor signs or vetoes bills..
There are four rules that should be
observed: ...
Four rules should be observed:...
There was a big explosion, which shook the
windows, and people ran into the street.
A big explosion shook the windows, and people
ran into the street

5. Use active rather than passive verbs
An account was opened by Mrs. Nagwa.
Mrs. Nagwa opened an account.
Your figures were checked by the research
department.
The research department checked your figures .

6. Avoid overusing noun forms of
verbs
The function of this department is the
collection of accounts.
This department collects accounts
The current focus of the medical profession is
disease prevention .
The medical profession currently focuses on
disease prevention .

7. Reword unnecessary infinitive
phrases
The duty of a clerk is to check all incoming mail
and to record it.
A clerk checks and records all incoming mail.
A shortage of tellers at our branch office on
Friday and Saturday during rush hours has
caused customers to become dissatisfied with
service.
A teller shortage at our branch office on Friday and
Saturday during rush hours has caused customer
dissatisfaction.

8. Replace circumlocutions with direct
expressions
At this/that point in time...
Now/then
She has the ability to influence the outcome.
She can influence the outcome
It is necessary that we take a stand on this
pressing issue.
We must take a stand on this pressing issue.

9. Omit words that explain the obvious
or provide excessive detail
We received your inquiry yesterday. Yes, we do
have...
Yes, we do have...
Imagine a mental picture of someone engaged
in the intellectual activity of trying to learn what
the rules are for how to play the game of chess.
Imagine someone trying to learn the rules of chess.

10. Omit repetitive wording
The supply manager considered the
correcting typewriter an unneeded luxury.
The supply manager considered the correcting
typewriter a luxury.
My past memories of the various differences
My memories of the differences
During that time period, many car buyers
preferred cars that were pink in color and
shiny in appearance.
During that period, many car buyers preferred
pink, shiny cars.

Abbreviations
Abbreviations
1. Use the Full version the first time
immediately followed by the
abbreviation in brackets.
European Community (EC)
Knowledge Academy (KA)
2. After that, simply use the abbreviation
EC - KA
The Look: Making it
Clear and Readable

Make your writing
Clear and Readable
Layout
Headings and sub-headings
Punctuation
Achieving Emphasis
Illustrations, charts and graphs

Layout


Punctuations
Capital Letters:
God
Beginning of sentence
Proper names, organizations, ministries, places:
House of Parliament
Any label formed from a proper name: Egyptians
Countries, capitals: South Africa
Titles when used with names: King Fahd
Some periods of history: Renaissance

Punctuations
Commas:
To separate items in a list
The car vibrated at high speed, held the road badly on sharp
bends, did not
As a parenthesis
One way to get publicity, the most common way, is to produce
press releases.
After introductory words:
Normally, you
If you buy this bottle, I shall

Punctuations
Semicolon:
Where two statements are closely related
The bank would not help me; they refused to lend me any more money
Separate items in a complicated sentence
One way to get publicity, the most common way, is to produce
press releases.
Colon:
Introduces list of items
The following items need repair: the washing machine, the radio,

Emphasis
1. Visual Devices
Samy is the new committee chair, not Khaled.
This mission is extremely important for our future: we
must not fail!
The picture that television commercials portray of the
American home is far from realistic.
BE WARE OF SARS
Use Red color to alert the reader

Emphasis
2. Punctuation Marks
Watch Out.
Watch out!
The employees were surprised by the decision, which
was not to change company policy.
The employees were surprised by the decision -- no
change in company policy.

Emphasis
3. Choice and Arrangement of Words
See your good times come to color in minutes: pictures
protected by an elegant finish, pictures you can take
with an instant flash, pictures that .
Cairo Rent-a-car is first in reliability, first in service,
and last in customer complaints.
Fifty dollars I'd make in just two hours on a busy night
at the restaurant.

Emphasis
4. Sentence Position and Variation
For a long time Japanese corporations used Southeast Asia
merely as a cheap source of raw materials, as a place to dump
outdated equipment and overstocked merchandise, and as a
training ground for junior executives who needed minor league
experience. But those days have ended.
The increased number of joggers, the booming sales of exercise
bicycles and other physical training devices, the record number of
entrants in marathon races--all clearly indicate the growing belief
among Americans that strenuous, prolonged exercise is good for
their health. But is it?

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The golden Rules

The Golden Rules
Your reader expects you to:
Your reader expects you to:
Write Simply
Write Briefly
Write Clearly
Also, you need to:
Also, you need to:
Write Quickly

Write Simply
Using uncomplicated words
Using uncomplicated phrases
Putting information and ideas in a logical
order
Check what you write. Look for words and
phrases that can be put more simply.

Write Briefly
Use as few words as possible
Reduce the average length of your
paragraphs and sentences
Check what you write. Look for words and
phrases to take out

Write Clearly
Layout
Emphasis
Punctuation

Exampl e
There are several different ways of making coffee, and most people are very fussy abut the one they
prefer. For a start theres instant coffee; its certainly the quickest method and a lot of people
genuinely prefer the taste. For those who like their coffee mage with all milk, its easy to do this
with instant coffee. Its also very easy to make for one person, without any wastage. On the other
hand, its arguably the least healthy and some of the varieties taste extremely unpleasant. Then
theres filter coffee. You can make this in a machine, which takes a little while, and isnt very hot
when it comes out. But it has the benefit that you can leave it on a hotplate for some time and go
back later for a second cup. And you can make enough for several people at once. You van also
make filter coffee in a cafeteria. This is usually only enough for a few people. It isnt terribly hot
because it has to be left to stand for a short while, but its hotter than filter coffee made in a
machine. One other variety of coffee which is increasing in popularity is espresso coffee. You need
an espresso machine to make this in; it works by forcing steam through the coffee grounds; the
steam then condenses into coffee. Espresso coffee is usually very hot and very strong. It is
commonly considered to make the best black coffee, and when combined with milk it is rich and
strong. The two biggest disadvantages are the fact that the machine are not very big. You can make
several small cups of strong black coffee (Mediterranean style) from them, but only a couple of
mugs worth. The other disadvantage is that the machines are a hassle to wash up if you dont have a
dishwasher.

Write Quickly
Put a time limit
Set a limit on the document length
Use standard formats/wordings
Use Bullets:
Quick to write, easy to read
Single sentences
Used for lists, e.g. lists of instructions

Exampl e
From Robert Evans Pro Manufacturing
To Tom Lee General Garage
Date June .
Message
We have received your order, reference 443 XJ, Dated 10 June.
All the items have been dispatched to you except for the gear boxes, part no. OL449374.
These will be dispatched on Monday 15, and you should receive them the following day.

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