BUSINESS

COMMUNICATION

Effective Business Documents

You are a Writer.

You are a Document Designer.

Communication can be effective only if:• It is planned and organized well• Uses appropriate language• Uses effective layout and visual aids• Uses an appropriate format

• Hartley and Bruckmann, 2002

• Written Communication to achieve a Business Objective:

• Tell someone what to do or how to do something (Instruction sheets/ manuals)

• Give someone accurate information (product info sheet)

• Market a product or an event (advt/ press release)

• Persuade someone to set up or continue with a project (project proposal/report)

Main Strategies used by Writers:

Watercolourists • Tend to write ‘in one pass’ from mental

plan• Tend to review and revise on screen rather

than print out drafts

Architects • Make detailed plan• Do a draft, then print out. Revise paper

version and then return to computer• Hartley and Bruckmann, 2002

Bricklayers• Build the text up sentence by sentence• Revise on screen as they go

Sketchers• Produce rough plan• Make frequent revision and review/ revise

both on screen and from pare draft

Oil Painters• Start by drafting rather than planning,

working from broad headlines• Review drafts on paper

Steps in Business Writing

• Write down your purpose• Assemble the information• Group the information• Put the information into logical sequence• Produce an outline• Write the first draft• Edit and write the final draft

Clear Objectives lead to New and Better Documents

To inform To support To assess To classify To evaluate To persuade To demonstrate To describe

• Defining Objectives• Phrasing Objectives

To show that replacing our current management information system with the Abacus system will :

Improve our management decisions Give operating staff more satisfying jobs; and Save on running costs

Structuring Information

• From the audience/ reader’s point of view:

• The ordering, logic and/or classification should make sense to the reader

• Information which is clearly structured is easily absorbed or retained

• Methods:

• Chunking: Breaking down info into sections or chunks

• Ordering: working the chunks into a useful order

• Signposting: offering clues or signals to explain /demonstrate how info is structured and prepare the reader for a change in direction (signalling words/phrases, linking words /phrases)

Methods using these 3 Principles

Outlining : • Point outlines• Headings, subheadings

• Mind Maps/ Spider-diagrams• Pyramids

• A Mind Map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items linked to and arranged around a central key word or idea. Mind maps are used to generate, visualize, structure, and classify ideas, and as an aid in study, organization, problem solving, decision making, and writing.

• Emphasis: images, colours and spacing• Association: links, developing your own

codes

PAIBOC

P What are your purposes in writing?

A Who is (are) your audiences?

I What information must your message include?

B What reasons or reader benefits can you use to support your position?

O What objections can you expect your reader(s) to have?

C How will the context affect reader response?

• DIRECT REQUESTS /

NEUTRAL / GOODWILL MESSAGES

• NEGATIVE MESSAGES

• PROBLEM-SOLVING / PERSUASIVE MESSAGES

DIRECT REQUEST

ASKING FOR INFO/SERVICE

DETAILS

REQUEST FOR ACTION

DIRECT APPROACH

• FIRMNESS IS NEEDED

• READER WON’T BE DISAPPOINTED

• SITUATION IS ROUTINE OR MINOR

• AUDIENCE PREFERS BAD NEWS FIRST

INDIRECT

APPROACH

• AUDIENCE WILL BE DISAPPOINTED

• AUDIENCE IS EMOTIONALLY INVOLVED

BUFFERS

• NEUTRAL• RELEVANT• NOT MISLEADING• ASSERTIVE• SUCCINCT

• GIVE THE BAD NEWS• ENSURE ITS ACCEPTANCE• MAINTAIN READER’S GOODWILL• MAINTAIN ORGANIZATION’S GOOD

IMAGE• REDUCE FUTURE CORRESPONDENCE

ON THE MATTER

NEGATIVE MESSAGES

• Reason that hurts company :• Our company is not hiring at the present

time because profits are down. In fact, the downturn has prompted top management to reduce the salaried staff by 5% just this month, with perhaps more reductions to come.

• Better:• Our company does not have any openings

now.

• Giving Bad news to Superiors:

• Shared Problem• Details• Alternatives• Request for Action

• Giving Bad news to Peers and Subordinates:

• Shared Problem• Alternatives• Request for Action/

Input

PROBLEM-SOLVING MESSAGE

• SHARED PROBLEM• DETAILS• SOLUTION• NEGATIVES – OUTWEIGHED BY

ADVANTAGES• READER BENEFITS• REQUEST FOR ACTION

THE AIDA ORGANIZATIONAL PLAN

• ATTENTION• INTEREST• DESIRE• ACTION

THANK YOU …..