Transcript Technical writing

ACADEMIC ENGLISH III
May 7, 2015
Today
Introduction to business writing
- The business letter
- Importance of tone and clarity
What is “business writing”?
More logically known as workplace writing.
- Any written communication at work.
- Examples?
Examples of workplace writing
- Job application (resume, cover letter, follow-up letter)
- Memos
- Internal emails
- Sales emails
- Proposals
- Progress reports
- Formal invitations and requests
- Complaint letters
Business letters
Letters are among the most important and official business
documents.
They are important because:
1. They represent your organization’s public image and
your competence.
- Carefully written letters can create goodwill.
- Poorly written letters can COST MONEY.
Business letters
2. They are more formal – in tone and structure – than
other types of business communication.
3. They constitute an official legal record of an agreement.
- i.e., A signed letter to a customer represents a legally
binding document. Thus, ACCURACY is important.
5. Letters are more “tangible” than e-mails.
- e-mails can be erased. Letters are usually stored.
Business letters
5. They are the official and expected medium through
which important documents and attachments are sent to
readers.
i.e., contracts, proposals.
- Sending these via e-mail or memo lacks formality and
respect.
6. Letters are still the standard medium through which to
conduct business with many international audiences.
Common types of business letters
• Inquiry letters (asking for information).
• Cover letters (accompany documents like proposals).
• Special request letters (make special demand, not routine).
• Sales letters ( persuading the reader to buy).
• Customer relations letters
- Follow-up letters
- Complaint letters
- Adjustment letters
- Collection letters
Business letters
• Usually represents a direct communication between one
person and another.
• For example, a business letter is usually addressed
specifically to someone (not writing for a “general reader”:
To whom it may concern: ).
Business letter formats
• Full Block Format:
• All information is flush against the left margin, with spaces
between paragraphs. This format is usually used when
the letter is on letterhead stationery.
Business letter formats
 Modified Format:
 The writer’s address (if not already imprinted on the
letterhead), date, complimentary close, and signature
are positioned at the center of the letter.
 All of these elements are aligned.
 Recipient’s address, salutation, and body of the letter are
all left-aligned.
Parts of a business letter
• Heading
• Date line
• Inside (recipient’s) address
• Salutation
• Body
• Complementary close
• Signature
• Enclosure (if necessary)
• Copy notation (if necessary)
Parts - Heading
• Either the company’s letterhead, or your full return
address.
Parts - Dateline
• May 7, 2015
• In Europe (or for international letters besides N.A.)
• 7 May 2015
Parts – Inside Address
• The address of the recipient.
- Always left-aligned.
Includes:
-
Name (and title)
Company/organization
Street address
City
State/province
Postal/ZIP code
NOTE: Single-spaced!
Parts – Inside Address
Parts – Salutation
Dear Mr. Park:
Dear Ms. Thomson:
Dear Dr. Wright:
Parts – Salutation
Dear ______ :
- If you do not know the gender of the recipient, use the full
name.
Dear Terry Jones:
- If you don’t know the recipients name, try to use the title.
Dear Hiring Manager:
Parts – Salutation
Dear ______ :
Do not use a comma. Use a colon.
Avoid casual salutations, like “Hello”, “Hey”, “Good Morning.”
Parts – Body
The complete message portion of the letter.
Body
Parts – Complementary close
Your “goodbye”.
Standard forms:
Sincerely,
Respectfully,
Sincerely yours,
Yours sincerely,
Regards,
Cordially,
Parts – Complementary close
Your “goodbye”.
Avoid:
Forever yours,
Devotedly yours,
Faithfully yours,
Parts – Signature
Allow four spaces after the close for your signature.
Type your name (and title) below the handwritten signature.
Standard Organization
 To help readers grasp your message clearly and
concisely, follow this simple plan:
1.
In your first paragraph tell readers why you are writing and why
your letter is important to them.
2.
Put the most significant point of each paragraph first to make it
easier for the reader to find (TOPIC SENTENCES)
3.
In the second and subsequent paragraphs of your letter, develop
the body of your letter with factual support.
4.
In your last paragraph, thank readers and be clear and precise
about what you want them to do or what you will do for them.
Language used in business letters
• A letter that sounds impersonal and unfriendly can
damage the image of an organization
• (even if just in the eyes of one or a few potential clients).
• On the other hand, a thoughtful, sincere letter (even if it is
delivering negative news) can greatly enhance an
organization’s image.
Language used in business letters
• Business letters usually use formal language.
• Be polite! (Consider: How would I feel if I received this?)
Example
• Suppose you are a department store manager who
receives a request for a refund from a customer who
forgot to enclose the receipt with the request. In a letter to
the customer, you might write:
Example
• “The sales receipt must be enclosed with the
merchandise before we can process the refund.”
However, if you consider how you might keep the goodwill
of the customer, you might word the request this way:
• “Please enclose the sales receipt with the merchandise,
so that we can send your refund promptly.”
Example
• Notice that the second version uses the word please and
the active voice (“Please enclose the sales receipt”), while
the first version contains the passive voice (“The sales
receipt must be enclosed”).
• In general, the active voice creates a friendlier, more
courteous tone than the passive, which tends to sound
impersonal and unfriendly. Polite wording, such as the use
of please, also helps to create goodwill
• Be respectful, not demanding:
• CHANGE:
• Submit your answer in one week.
• TO:
• I would appreciate receiving your answer within one week.
• Be Modest, not Arrogant.
• CHANGE:
My report is thorough, and I am sure that you would not
be able to continue efficiently without it.
• TO:
• I have tried to be as thorough as possible in my report,
and I hope you find it useful.
• Be polite, not sarcastic.
• CHANGE:
• I just received the shipment we ordered six month ago. I
am sending it back – we cannot use it now. Thanks!
• TO:
• I am returning the shipment we ordered on March 12,
2005. Unfortunately, it arrived too late for us to be able to
use it.
• Be positive, not negative.
• CHANGE:
• Your complaint about our prices is way off target. Our
prices are definitely not any higher than those of our
competitors.
• TO:
• Thank you for your suggestion concerning our prices. We
believe, however, that our prices are competitive with, and
in some cases below, those of our competitors.
Very important!!!!!!!
Business letters are generally one page long. It is important
to use the space wisely.
Most importantly: GET TO THE POINT
Get to the point
Always state the purpose of the document in the first
paragraph, as early as possible.
e.g.
I am writing to apply for the research assistant position at
________, advertised on the company’s website.
This memo provides the agenda for next Monday’s staff
meeting.
We propose a solution to the recurring absenteeism issue
at our offices.
IMPORTANT!!! (pt. 2)
End your letter/email with your expectations (what you
would like of the reader).
- Sometimes called a “call to action”
IMPORTANT!!! (pt. 2)
Call to action.
e.g.
- We will discuss these details next Tuesday at 10:00 am.
- Please contact me if you have any questions and
concerns.
- I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss my
programming qualifications with you. I am available for an
interview at your convenience. Thank you for your
consideration.
Importance of knowing your audience
This letter, written by a native
English-speaking person from the
U.S. The recipient is an Englishas-a-foreign-language speaker in
Argentina.
Notice the use of unclear phrases,
slang, and culturally-sensitive
language, making this document
potentially difficult to understand
for the recipient.
This document highlights the
importance of audience analysis
(always consider your analysis).
The author here does not
consider his audience and the
linguistic and cultural aspects of
the audience.
I wanted to drop you a line: I wanted to contact you
Give you a ring : Call you
Praising to the hilt: “Strong praise” (do something to a high
degree)
felicitations –
flying down your way - flying to your location
Unclear date line
Informal salutation (creating a nickname
for an unfamiliar recipient).
The opening is impolite and disrespects
the recipient’s status by using colloquial
language.
Condescending tone “We are so glad
we can help you guys out.”
Constant use of culturally relative (North
American) idioms and abbreviations.
Ignores time differences (and assumes
the reader uses a 12 hour clock instead
of the standard 24 hour clock). Ignores
differences between Fahrenheit/Celsius
scales.
Impolite closing.