Lecture Three Chapter Four PREPARING TO WRITE Writing Apprehension • CAUSES – Early Efforts – Never Been Taught – Lack of Knowledge of purpose, audience or point of.
Download ReportTranscript Lecture Three Chapter Four PREPARING TO WRITE Writing Apprehension • CAUSES – Early Efforts – Never Been Taught – Lack of Knowledge of purpose, audience or point of.
Lecture Three Chapter Four PREPARING TO WRITE Writing Apprehension • CAUSES – Early Efforts – Never Been Taught – Lack of Knowledge of purpose, audience or point of the effort • FIXES – Work Shops – Write then Right – Supportive Evaluation COLLABORATIVE WRITING • ADVANTAGES – IMPLEMENTATION – ADDITIONAL LABOR APPLIED – MORE EXPERTISE – ACCULTURATE NEWCOMER – BREAKDOWN BARRIERS – IMPROVE QUALITY • DISADVANTAGES – – – – – COORDINATION RESPONSIBILITY TIME EGO CONFLICT CHARACTERISTICS • • • • • • • • • • • FLEXIBLE RESPECTFUL LISTENERS SPEAK AND WRITE CLEARLY DEPENDABLE MEET DEADLINES SHARE RESPONSIBILITY FOLLOW AND LEAD OPEN TO CRITICISM CONFIDENT CREATIVE USE OF CONFLICT PLANNING • WHAT – Nature of the message – What needs to be communicated? • WHY – Why bother? Does the receiver know why message is being sent? • WHO – Have I chosen the right person? (See page 96) – What channel is this person comfortable receiving? • WHEN – Too early or to late. Close to critical meetings • WHERE – Where should the message come from? • HOW – Channel (Letter, Memo, Report, Email, Phone Call, Brochure, Newsletter, Manual PRINCIPLE ONE: Choose Words Precisely • DENOTIVE - Word has a common meaning. – Malapropism - Confusing one word for another • Allegory or Alligator Immoral or Immortal • CONNOTATIVE - Word’s meaning is subjective. – Euphemism (Intended positive connotation) • Slim or Slender versus Skinny or Scrawny • Friendly Fire • Surgical Air Strike • LANGUAGE IS FLUID NOT STATIC PRINCIPLE TWO Use Short Rather Than Long Words • The goal is clarity and understanding not a chance to show how smart you are.(Page 82) PRINCIPLE 3 Use Concrete Rather Than Abstract Words • Concrete Specific at lower rung • General at the higher rungs (Page 83) PRINCIPLE 4 Economize on the Use of Words • Avoid Wordiness. • Break old writing habits. • Avoid use of old models of organizational writing. • Look at examples on page 84 PRINCIPLE 5 AVOID OVERUSED OR HACKNEYED PHRASES OR JARGON • Hackneyed – At your earliest convenience – Pursuant to – Thank you in advance • Jargon – Check your skills handout • (See examples on page 85 and 86) PRINCIPLE 6 Use Positive Words That Convey Courtesy • • • • Minimize negative information State information positively Avoid gender terms Check page 88 PRINCIPLE 7 Use a Conversational Style • Everyday business language (face to face communication with receiver) • Check your understanding of receiver (knowledge, expertise, interests, culture, and value system) PRINCPLE 8 Keep Sentence Relatively Short • Most effective business sentences are between 15 to 20 words long. • Sentences express one main point PRINCIPLE 9 Prefer Active Voice to the Passive Voice • Subject - Verb - Object – David Leeper directed the meeting. (A) – The meeting was directed by David Leeper (P) PRINCIPLE 10 Develop Effective Paragraphs • One Main Idea Per Paragraph • Determine if Deductive or Inductive – If Deductive - Present main idea in lst sentence – If Inductive - Begin with details then main idea • Use a Variety of Sentence Structures • Emphasize Important Points • Keep Paragraphs Short (See page 92 table 4-1) PRINCIPLE 11 DEVELOP COHERENCE • Create a smooth flow between sentences • Transitions can be created by – Repeating Key Words – Use pronouns and synonyms to avoid repetition – Use transitional words or phrases (See Page 94 table 4-2) PRINCIPLE 12 Edit and Rewrite • Read what was written • Exam for clarity, concreteness, and conversational tone • Determine grammatical accuracy • Check organization to assure coherence • Accept that multiple drafts are necessary • Use questions on page 95 Stage Three Edit • BECAUSE – Writer is Lazy – Writer does not know right from wrong – Writer is on a tight deadline • Look for “Plain English” terms • Eliminate Unneeded Words • Explain Abbreviations and Acronyms EDITING • • • • • (Continued) Eliminate Jargon Eliminate Unnatural Phrases Use Small Words Use Active Instead of Passive Verbs Use a Fog Index FINAL CHECK • Proper or Effective Word Choice • Correct Spelling and Grammatical Errors • Correct Sexist Errors – Gender Pronouns – Recast into Plural (Individuals, Their, They) – Avoid Certain Gender Terms (Lady) – Substitute for man or mankind (Humans) – Substitute non Sexist terms (Business person) – Use Current Job Title