Unit 5 GUIDELINES FOR WRITTEN BUSINESS COMMUNICATION Unit

Unit 5 GUIDELINES FOR WRITTEN BUSINESS COMMUNICATION Unit 5 Business Communication

Unit Outline General principles of writing � Tips on writing style � Active vs. passive voice � Spelling and punctuation � Common errors in English 2. Principles of Business Writing � Tone � Emphasis and subordination � Writing at the appropriate level of readability 1. Unit 5 Business Communication

General Principles of Writing �Follow “KISS” principle �Use jargon only where relevant �Avoid slang and metaphors in formal writing �Parts of speech Nouns - Use concrete vs. abstract nouns Pronouns - Avoid “offensive” masculine pronouns -Avoid overuse of “I” -Use “you” carefully Unit 5 Business Communication

General Principles of Writing �Parts of speech Verbs - Make them agree with subject and person - Use tenses uniformly Adjectives - Avoid strong adjectives - Use minimum adjectives Adverbs - Avoid strong adverbs Unit 5 Business Communication

General Principles of Writing �Active vs. passive voice - Active to emphasize doer of action - Passive to de-emphasize doer or negative idea �Spellings - Differences in British and American English - Differences in noun and verb forms - Similar sounding words with different meanings Unit 5 Business Communication

General Principles of Writing �Punctuation Apostrophe - For possessive - To indicate ownership Brackets - To separate phrase from main sentence Colon - To suggest a list after main statement Comma - To separate series of words Unit 5 Business Communication

General Principles of Writing �Punctuation (contd. ) Dash - To separate words not needed for sentence structure Full stop - At the end of sentences and abbreviations Quotation marks - To enclose what is stated by others Semicolon - To indicate a long pause

General Principles of Writing Common errors in English �Redundancies –repetitive words that express same meaning �Cliches – over-used and worn out phrases �Frequently misused words – similar sounding words used in the wrong context Unit 5 Business Communication

Principles of Business Writing �Positive tone - Express negative ideas in positive language - Stress what can be done �Confident tone - Don’t be unsure of yourself - Don’t suggest that things may go wrong - Don’t be over-confident �Courteous tone - Build goodwill & good relations Unit 5 Business Communication

Principles of Business Writing �Sincere tone - Avoid exaggeration & flattery �Non-discriminatory tone - Use non-offensive language �Emphasis and subordination - Emphasize important and pleasant ideas - De-emphasize unimportant and unpleasant ideas Unit 5 Business Communication

Principles of Business Writing �Techniques for emphasis - Important ideas and words first or last - Active voice to emphasize doer of action - Passive voice to emphasize receiver of action - Emphatic words - Repetition - Numbering of ideas - Visual devices Unit 5 Business Communication

Principles of Business Letter Writing �“You” attitude vs. “me” attitude - Stress reader benefits - Avoid first person �Readability - Tailor writing to audience level - Measure readability – “Fog Index” Unit 5 Business Communication