Transcript Preparing Spoken and Written Messages Business Communication

Chapter 4
Lecture Slides
Preparing Spoken and
Written Messages
Business Communication, 15e
Lehman and DuFrene
Business Communication, 15th edition by Lehman and DuFrene
Copyright
2008 by Thomson/South-Western
Actual Newspaper Headlines
• Police begin campaign
to run down jaywalkers
• Miners refuse to work after death
• Drunk gets nine months in violin
case
• Iraqi head seeks arms
Source: http://english.glendale.cc.ca.us/badheds.html
Chapter 4
Business Communication, 15th edition by Lehman and DuFrene
Copyright
2008 by Thomson/South-Western
Process for Planning and Preparing Spoken
and Written Messages
Chapter 4 Business Communication, 15th edition by Lehman and DuFrene
Copyright
2008 by Thomson/South-Western
Step 5: Prepare the First Draft
Craft Powerful sentences (pg 118-121)
 Avoid Run-on sentences (break into 2 or use
commas appropriately)
 Use commas when the sentence pauses
 Emphasize important ideas – simplify
sentences and repeat key words
 Use “labeling” language
 Place words at beginning or end or sentence
 Rely on active voice (the subject of the
sentence is the doer of the action)…exceptions
when communicating unpleasantness or hiding
who the “doer” was
Chapter 4
Business Communication, 15th edition by Lehman and DuFrene
Copyright
2008 by Thomson/South-Western
Active/Passive Construction
Identify the construction in these sentences.
The award was presented to Josh.
The company president presented the award to
Josh.
Maggie was invited to be the keynote speaker.
The event manager invited Maggie to be the
keynote speaker.
Ryan was driven to the airport after the meeting.
My assistant drove Ryan to the airport after the
meeting.
Chapter 4
Business Communication, 15th edition by Lehman and DuFrene
Copyright
2008 by Thomson/South-Western
Step 5: Prepare the First Draft
Develop Coherent paragraphs
 Position “topic” (key) sentences deductively or
inductively as appropriate
 Link ideas from one sentence to the next to
achieve coherence (page 122) – can repeat a
key word, use a pronoun in lieu of a key word, or
use connecting words
 Use logical paragraph order – 1st/last are based
on deductive vs. inductive intentions. In between
paragraphs need to have logical order
 Vary sentence and paragraph length and
structure – don’t fall into a rut
 Be consistent with tenses and 1st/3rd person
______
Chapter 4
Business Communication, 15 edition by Lehman and DuFrene
Copyright 2008 by Thomson/South-Western
th

Using Bulky vs. Broken Text
Chapter 4 Business Communication, 15th edition by Lehman and DuFrene
Copyright
2008 by Thomson/South-Western
Step 6: Revise and Proofread
Why does sloppy writing matter?
• Impression of writer suffers
• Receiver will be quicker to ascribe
other negative traits
• Reader will have less interest in
material
• Reader may not be able to
understand key points
Chapter 4
Business Communication, 15th edition by Lehman and DuFrene
Copyright
2008 by Thomson/South-Western
Improve Readability
1. Create documents appropriate for audience
reading level (see calc on slide 10)
2. Apply visual enhancements like
enumerations and bulleted/enumerated lists
(examples on page 128)
3. Use headings (or “headers”)
4. Insert tables and graphs
5. Use borders where appropriate (ex: resume)
6. Use images when beneficial (see slides
11 & 12)
Chapter 4
Business Communication, 15th edition by Lehman and DuFrene
Copyright
2008 by Thomson/South-Western
Readability Computation
No. of words:
138
No. of sentences:
8
Average sentence length:
(138 ÷ 8 = 17)
17
No. of difficult words:
16
Percentage of difficult words:
(16 ÷ 138 = 11.6)
11.6%
Average sentence length
+ Percentage difficult words
17.0
11.6
28.6
x 0.4 (constant)
11.4
Readability level
Chapter 4
Business Communication, 15th edition by Lehman and DuFrene
Copyright
2008 by Thomson/South-Western
Example: Before
This is a multipurpose passenger vehicle
which will handle and maneuver
differently from an ordinary passenger
car, in driving conditions which may
occur on streets and highways and off
road. As with other vehicles of this type,
if you make sharp turns or abrupt
maneuvers, the vehicle may roll over or
may go out of control and crash. You
should read driving guidelines and
instructions in the Owner's Manual, and
WEAR YOUR SEAT BELTS AT ALL
TIMES.
Chapter 4
Business Communication, 15th edition by Lehman and DuFrene
Copyright
2008 by Thomson/South-Western
Example: After
Source: http://www.plainlanguage.gov
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Chapter 4 Business
BusinessCommunication,
Communication,
1515
edition
edition
byby
Lehman
Lehmanand
andDuFrene
DuFrene
Copyright
Copyright
2008
2008
byby
Thomson/South-Western
Thomson/South-Western
Use Systemic Procedures for
Proofreading and Revising
1. Use spell check to locate simple keying errors
and repeated words
2. Print a draft of the document – easier to spot
mistakes when printed
3. Proofread several times
• 1st for content, organization, style/tone
• 2nd for mechanical errors that spell-check
can’t catch – grammar, capitalization,
punctuation, number usage, abbreviations,
word substitutions (THEIR!)
• 3rd time for if important/complex. Read ALOUD
and get 2nd brain if you can
Chapter 4
Business Communication, 15th edition by Lehman and DuFrene
Copyright
2008 by Thomson/South-Western
Use Systemic Procedures for
Proofreading and Revising
4. Edit for format and layout – specific to
business/industry/company
5. Print on high-quality paper
Chapter 4
Business Communication, 15th edition by Lehman and DuFrene
Copyright
2008 by Thomson/South-Western
Cultivate a Frame of Mind for
Effective Revising and Proofreading
•
Attempt to see things from your
audience’s perspective rather than from
your own – how will they react and will
they fully understand it?
•
Revise documents until you cannot see
further improvements (within reason
and based on importance)
•
Allow others to make suggestions for
improving your writing – avoid “pride of
ownership” and have thick skin!
Chapter 4
Business Communication, 15th edition by Lehman and DuFrene
Copyright
2008 by Thomson/South-Western