Transcript BUS-2 - WordPress.com

Chapter: 2
Adaptation and the
Selection of Words
The Basic Need for Adaptation
By adaptation we mean fitting the
message to the specific reader.
 Obviously, readers do not all have the
same ability to understand a message.
 They do not all have the same vocabulary,
the same knowledge of the subject, or the
same mentality.


The Basic Need for Adaptation
Thus, to communicate clearly you first
should know the person with whom you
wish to communicate. You should form
your message to fit that person’s mind.
This approach not only helps you
communicate but also is the basis of good
business etiquette.
 Making your message easy to understand
is simply good business manners.

The Basic Need for Adaptation

In adapting your message, you begin by
visualizing your reader. That is, you form a
mental picture of what he or she is like.
You imagine what the reader knows about
the subject, what his or her educational
level is, and how he or she thinks.
The Basic Need for Adaptation

In many business situations, adapting to
your reader means writing on a level lower
than the one you would normally use. For
example, you will sometimes need to
communicate with people whose
educational level is below your own. Or
you may need to communicate with people
of your educational level who simply do
not know much about the subject of your
choice.
Example of Adaptation
For people not well informed in finance:
Last year your company’s total sales were
$117,400,000, which was slightly higher than the
$109,800,000 total for the year before. After
deducting for all expenses, we had $4,593,000 left
over for profits, compared with $2,830,000 for
2003. Because of these increased profits, we were
able to increase your annual dividend payments
per share from the 50 cents paid over the last 10
years.
Example of Adaptation
For people well informed about finance (like
financial manager):
The corporation’s investments and advances in three
unconsolidated subsidiaries and in 50% owned
companies were $42,200,000 on December 31, 2000,
and the excess to the investments in certain
companies over net asset value at dates of
acquisition was $1,760,000. The corporation’s equity
in the net assets as of December 31, 2003, was
$41,800,000 and in the results of operations for the
years ended December 31, 2000 and 2001, was
$1,350,000 and $887,500, respectively. Dividend
income was $750,000 and $388,000 for the years
2003 and 2000, respectively.
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In case of multiple audiences, if your intended readers
vary widely in education, knowledge of the subject,
writing to the level of the best educated and best
informed persons would miss those at lower levels.
Adapting your message to the lowest level runs the risk
of insulting the intelligence of those at higher levels.
The answer is obvious. You have to adapt to the lowest
level you need to reach. Not doing so would result in not
communicating with that level. To minimize the risk of
offending readers at higher levels, you can use words
like “as you know” and similar expressions.
Suggestions For Selecting
Words
A major part of adaptation is selecting the
right words.
 Simplicity in choosing words must be
maintained for three reasons:

 Many
people tend to write at a difficult level,
which makes communication difficult.
 The writer usually knows the subject better
than the reader, and
 The results of research support simplicity.
Suggestions For Selecting
Words
The following techniques are helpful in choosing the right
words.

Use Familiar Words: Use the language that most of us
use in everyday conversation. We should avoid the stiff,
more difficult words that do not communicate so
precisely or quickly. For example, instead of using the
more unfamiliar word endeavor, use try. Instead of
using terminate, use end. Prefer use to utilize, do to
perform, begin to initiate, find out to ascertain, stop
to discontinue, and show to demonstrate.
Unfamiliar Words
Familiar Words
This machine has a
tendency to develop
excessive and unpleasant
audio symptoms when
operating at elevated
temperatures.
This machine tends to get
noisy when it runs hot.
The most operative
The most efficient
assembly-line configuration assembly-line design is a
is a unidirectional flow.
one-way flow.
Suggestions For Selecting
Words

Use slang and popular clichés with caution:
Example, “Is that your final answer?” (Who
Wants To Be a Millionaire), “voted off the
island” (Survivor). Such expressions may
convey a desired effect in a communication.
But they are likely to be meaningful only for the
moment. Thus, you should use such
expressions sparingly and always only in
informal communication with people who know
and appreciate them.
Suggestions For Selecting
Words

Use Short Words: Short wards generally
communicate better than long words. Of
course, part of the explanation is that short
words tend to be familiar words. But there is
another explanation: A heavy use of long
words --- even long words that are understood
--- leaves an impression of difficulty that
hinders communication.
Long Words
Short Words
The decision was
predicated on the
assumption that an
abundance of monetary
funds was forthcoming.
The decision was based
on the belief that there
would be more money.
During the preceding
year the company
operated at a financial
deficit.
Last year the company
lost money.
Suggestions For Selecting
Words

Use Technical Words and Acronyms with Caution: All
fields have technical words. These words are useful
when you communicate with people in your field. But
they do not communicate with outsiders. Use them with
caution. Some examples are: To a worker in the Social
Security Administration, the words covered
employment commonly mean employment covered by
social security. To some outsiders, however, they could
mean working under a roof. When a physician uses the
words cerebral vascular accident with other
physicians, they understand. Most people would get little
meaning from these words, but they could understand a
little stroke.
Suggestions For Selecting
Words

Use initials cautiously: Spell out and define as
needed. While some initials like IBM, are widely
recognized, others, such as XML (extensible
markup language), are not. Not only might your
readers not know certain initials, they might
confuse them with others. For example, if you
saw SARS, you might think of the virus, severe
acute respiratory syndrome, and someone else
might think of segmentation and reassembly
sublayer.
Suggestions For Selecting
Words

Probably the most troublesome technical
language is that of the legal profession. Among
the legal words that may add little real meaning
are thereto, therein, whereas, herewith, and
herein. For example, “the land adjacent
thereto” can be written “the adjacent land”
without loss in meaning. “Despite” can replace
“notwithstanding”.
Suggestions For Selecting
Words

Select Words with the Right Strength and
Vigor (force): Words have personalities. Select
the stronger ones. To select words wisely, you
should consider shades of difference in
meanings. For example, you should recognize
that tycoon is stronger than eminently
successful businessperson, that bear market
is stronger than generally declining market,
that boom is stronger than a period of
business prosperity; and that mother is
stronger than female parent.
Suggestions For Selecting
Words

You will not always want the strongest and most
vigorous words. Sometimes, for good reason,
you will choose weaker ones. The word bill is
strong. Because it has a harsh meaning in some
minds, you may prefer statement in some
instances. The same goes for debt and
obligation, die and passed on, labor boss and
union official, and fired and dismissed.
Suggestions For Selecting
Words
Use Concrete Language: Good business
communication is marked by words that
form sharp and clear meanings in the
mind. These are the concrete words.
Concrete is the opposite of abstract.
Abstract words are vague. In contrast,
concrete words stand for things the
reader can see, feel, taste, or smell.
Suggestions For Selecting
Words
Among the concrete words are those that
stand for things that exist in the real world.
Included are such noun as chair, desk,
Micky Mouse, Empire State Building,
etc. Abstract nouns, on the other hand,
cover broad meanings --- concepts, ideas,
and the like. Examples: administration,
incompetence, negotiation, loyalty, etc.
Abstract
Concrete
A significant
A 53 percent loss
Good attendance record 100 percent attendance
record
The leading company
First among 3,212
competitors
The majority
62 percent
In the near future
By noon Thursday
Suggestions For Selecting
Words
Use the Active Voice: Prefer the active voice to
the passive voice. Active voice produces
stronger, livelier writing. It emphasizes the
action, and it usually saves words. In active
voice, the subject does the action. In passive,
the subject receives the action. For example: “
The auditor inspected the books” is in active
voice. In passive voice, the sentence would
read: ”The books were inspected by the
auditor.”
Passive
Active
The results were
reported in our July 9
letter.
This policy has been
supported by our union.
We reported the results
in our July 9 letter.
Our union supported this
policy.
A gain of 30 percent was Hardware sales gained
reported for hardware
30 percent.
sales.
Suggestions For Selecting
Words
Passive is better when the doer of the
action is not important. It also helps avoid
accusing the reader. Passive is better
when the performer is not known.
Example:
 The color desired was not specified in your
order.
 Anonymous complaints have been
received.

Suggestions For Selecting
Words
Avoid Overuse of Camouflaged Verbs:
Avoid camouflaged verbs. You
camouflage a verb by changing it to a
noun form and then adding action word.
For example, if cancel becomes
cancellation, you must add “to effect a” to
have action.
Camouflaged Verb
Clear Verb Form
An arrangement was
made to meet for
breakfast.
We arranged to meet
for breakfast.
Application of the
mixture was
accomplished.
They applied the
mixture.
The new policy involved The new policy
the standardization of standardized the
the procedures.
procedures.
Suggestions For Selecting
Words
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Select Words for Precise Meanings: Writing
requires knowledge of language. You should
study language and learn the shades of
difference in the meanings of similar words.
You should learn the specific meanings of
other words. Example:
Money, funds, cash, finances
Boy, youth, young man, lad
Suggestions For Selecting
Words

Use correct idiom. Idiom is the way ideas
are expressed in a language. Example:
you “agree to” a proposal, but you “agree
with” a person; you are “careful about”
an affair, but you are “careful with” your
money.
Suggestions For Selecting
Words
Suggestions for Nondiscriminatory
Writing:
Avoid words that discriminate against sex,
race, nationality, age, or disability. We
often use discriminatory words without bad
intent. Following are some major form of
discriminatory words.

Suggestions For Selecting
Words
1.
Use Gender-Neutral Words: Avoid
using the masculine pronouns (he, him,
his) for both sexes. You can do this by
rewording the sentence, by making the
reference plural, or by substituting
neutral expressions. Examples:
Controversial
Gender-Neutral
If a customer pays
promptly, he is placed
on our preferred list.
A customer who pays
promptly is placed on
our preferred list.
If customers pay
promptly, they are
placed on our preferred
list.
If a customer pays
promptly, he or she is
placed on our preferred
list.
Suggestions For Selecting
Words
Avoid words suggesting male dominance.
Examples:
Controversial
Gender-Neutral
Man-made
Manpower
Businessman
Human origin
Personnel, workers
Business executive,
businessperson
Fire man
Fire fighter
Suggestions For Selecting
Words
2. Avoid words that stereotype(typecast)
by race or nationality: Example: “ a
hardworking African-American” suggests
that only African-Americans are hard
working.
Suggestions For Selecting
Words
3. Avoid words that stereotype by age:
Words that label people as old or young
can arouse negative reactions. Example,
instead of using old, use senior citizens.
Suggestions For Selecting
Words
4. Avoid words that typecast those with
disabilities: Disabled people are
sensitive to words that describe their
disabilities. Example: instead of using
deaf, use hearing disorder.