Transcript Slide 1
Muhammad Bilal Anwar Assistant Professor in English FC College (A Chartered University),Lahore M.Phil in Linguistics/ELT MA English Language and Literature Introduction of Candidates Name Where you work Tell us something remarkable about yourself WRITING SKILLS WHAT IS WRITING SKILL? WHY WRITING????????????? WHY WORRY??????????? Writing is the major means of communication within an organization; paper is thought to be the major product of professional .Some estimate that up to 30% of work-time is engaged in written communication . it is absolutely vital for you as a Professional to actively develop the skill of writing; not only because of the time involved in writing, but also because your WORK’S success may depend upon it. Indeed, since so much of the communication between you and more senior management occurs in writing, your whole career may depend upon its quality. BENCH MARK STATEMENT ► The most significant point about official writing is that it is totally different from the writing most people were taught - and if you do not recognize and understand this difference, then your official writing will always miss the mark. However, this presentation outlines a methodical approach to writing which will enable anyone to produce great works of official writing. SIMPLE SENTENCE STRUCTURE S+V+O SUBJECT +VERB +OBJECT BUT NOW Forget the Past Professional writing has very little to do with the composition and literature learnt at school: the objectives are different, the audience has different needs, and the rewards in offices can be far greater. As an officer eng, we write for very distinct and restricted purposes, which are best achieved through simplicity In school we are taught to display knowledge. The more information and argument, the more marks. In offices it is totally different. Here the wise officers must extract only the significant information and support it with only the minimum-necessary argument. The expertise is used to filter the information and so to remove inessential noise. The officers as expert provides the answers to problems, not an exposition of past and present knowledge: we use our knowledge to focus upon the important points Two Roles In an official context, writing has two major roles: it clarifies - for both writer and reader it conveys information For the Future When you approach any document, follow this simple procedure: Establish the AIM Consider the READER Devise the STRUCTURE DRAFT the text EDIT and REVISE Aim You start with your aim. Every document must have a single aim - a specific, specified reason for being written. If you can not think of one, do something useful instead; if you can not decide what the document should achieve, it will not achieve it. Once you have established your aim, you must then decide what information is necessary in achieving that aim. The reader wants to find the outcome of your thoughts: apply your expertise to the available information, pick out the very-few facts which are relevant, and state them precisely and concisely. The Reader A document tells somebody something. As the writer, you have to decide what to tell and how best to tell it to the particular audience; you must consider the reader. There are three considerations: What they already know affects what you can leave out. What they need to know determines what you include. What they want to know suggests the order and emphasis of your writing. Write because you have to. If you can accomplish your purpose with a phone call or face to face, do so. Otherwise, make sure you state the facts briefly and to the point. Make sure you have a clear, defined purpose for your writing. You will have three critical tasks in writing – – – to inform or direct. to persuade. to assess the writing of others. Write so the average reader understands. Tell the audience what they need to know and why. Your main goal is to communicate accurately. Write not to impress but to express your ideas. Write the way you speak. Be personal and don't hide behind the bureaucratic mask. If you write for someone (speech/ presentation), try to adopt his/her voice or tone. Substitute short words for long ones. – – Weak words: initiate, terminate, utilize, optimal Better: start, end, use, best. Use short, conversational words. Words with three or more syllables are usually cumbersome and misunderstood Avoid jargon, technical terms and legalisms. Jargon is defined as the technical terminology or characteristic idiom of specialists or workers in a particular activity or area of knowledge; often pretentious or unnecessarily vague and obscure terminology. When writing, the use of jargon is often unavoidable; however, those terms can be easily identified by a brief explanation. – – Weak: Attached herewith is the report. Better: Here is the report. Don't waste your reader's time. Write short sentences, usually 15-20 words, and limit paragraphs to four or five sentences. – Weak: Long sentences often obscure the meaning of the writer and shouldn't be used if clarity is the intention. Better: Use short sentences to improve clarity State your main message in the first sentence. Discuss the detail in the sentences to follow. Make sure your reader knows what your writing is about. Next follow with your purpose, discussion, and conclusions. Use active voice and not passive voice. Active voice is most effective because it is more direct; someone or something is responsible for the action, and the action is stated in fewer words – – ACTIVE: Program managers will review all technical documents in final draft. PASSIVE: All technical documents will be reviewed in final draft by program managers. Use standard punctuation, spelling and grammar. Above all, make sure your writing is neat and legible. Maintain a consistent point of view by continuing to use one subject; and one tense, mood, and voice in verbs. Sudden shifts in any of these elements tend to obscure meaning and make reading difficult. Use personal pronouns. – Weak: The undersigned requests that your office submit the report to this office. Better: Please send us the report Use proper contractions to avoid wordiness. Improper use of contractions can be confusing [who've (who have), where've (where have), who're (who are)]. – – Weak: It is incumbent upon personnel at all echelons to conserve energy. Better: It's everybody's job to save energy. Don't be repetitious just for the sake of sounding more important. You avoid getting to the point. – – – – Weak: The project's importance and significance. Better: The project's importance. Weak: Exceptional, exemplary performance. Better: Exemplary performance. Avoid starting sentences with "It is," "There is," and "There are." . – – – Weak: It is necessary to prepare the report. Better: You must prepare the report. Weak: There are two alternatives mentioned in the report. Better: The report mentions two alternatives Don't Use Nominals. Nominals are noun forms of verbs. For clearer writing, try to use the verb form of the noun. – Weak: You must make arrangements to see him. Better: Arrange to see him. Weak: They held a meeting. – Better: They met. – – Rely on active verbs in the present tense, and avoid "will," "will be," and "must be." – – Weak: All safes will be checked. The duty officer will spin each safe's dial as part of the inspection. Better: Check all safes. Spin each safe's dial when you inspect it. • SIX-STEP WRITING PROCESS. Research. Start with mind mapping or brainstorming. This lets the creative part of your brain work before the ordered part puts the ideas together. Capture what you know about your subject. – Mind mapping Process. This helps determine your purpose and narrow down your ideas: Write topic. Write down all ideas that come to you about topic. Determine aim or focus of paper. Determine your intended audience. Cross out extraneous ideas that do not relate to your purpose or audience. Group remaining ideas. Eliminate any group or idea that does not support your purpose. Assign headings (subtopics) to each group. Plan - there are three parts to planning: – – Introduction. Development. Conclusion. Begin by forming an outline from your mind mapping. Organize the known information into major parts and organize the groups internally. Establish your controlling idea/bottom line. This will help you organize the major groups and check to make sure you have adequate information to support your bottom line: Establishing your bottom line will vary depending on the organizational style you choose to develop your idea. A decision paper will need a bottom line that announces or takes a position on a topic. An information paper will provide facts. The information must serve a purpose, and the bottom line has to be the purpose of the paper. Make sure your bottom is relevant to the purpose of your paper and to your audience. Make sure the content focused on a single ideal; is it clear? Make sure your information adequately supports your bottom line Make sure you define the major parts of your groups more precisely and focus on each group, one at a time. You will develop subordinate controlling ideas relating to each major part. Select the sequence of parts to be more effective. Choose a developmental style that will support your bottom line. Time - chronological order. Space - spatial order. General to Particular - discuss general idea first and then break down into particular example(s). Particular to General - discuss particular example(s) first and then discuss the overall general idea last. Comparison/Contrast - discuss all advantages and disadvantages of your choices. Analysis - break down into parts. Cause and Effect - what will the consequences be of an action. Detail/Example - use examples for support of bottom line. Definition - explain an abstract concept (not a dictionary definition). – Check for final consistency between: Bottom line and purpose. Bottom line and audience. Bottom line and major parts. Major parts and minor parts. Form and Sequence Minor Parts - Need to sequence minor parts in the base to support the major parts. Along each pathway from bottom line to major part to subordinate part, you must have a credibility point. Your reader must see the relevance of this point and how it supports your bottom line. CONCLUSION Be brief. Keep content—and titles—as short as possible to catch and hold readers’ attention. Use bulleted lists instead of paragraphs when possible. Be specific. For powerful, precise communication, get right to the point and say just what you mean. Instead of “There was a recent increase in sales,” say, “We sold 12% more software last quarter.” Be accurate. Take time to review what you’ve written to verify that your facts, and references and each part of your message are correct. Limit pronouns as sentence subjects. Where possible, use nouns as the subjects of sentences. It and they can be ambiguous. “The dog chased the cat. It ran very fast.” Which is the speedy one? Be consistent. To avoid confusing readers, use a consistent style of wording and a consistent style for formatting of similar elements. Use simple sentences. Readers get lost in long sentences. To keep your message strong, limit each sentence to a single concept. Instead of connecting new thoughts with words like “however” and “whereas,” use a period and start a new sentence. Put important content first. To catch your readers’ attention, lead with your core conclusions, then show how you reached them. Stick to a single topic. Try to discuss just one thing per article, memo, letter, or e‐mail. Your point stands out when it stands alone. Know and target your audience. Tailor your message to the knowledge and needs of your readers. Remember to define terms for those not familiar with them. Include a “call to action.” If you seek a specific result, spell it out. “Please take notes during the next meeting.”