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This is a workshop presentation we provided for a leading Alberta-based construction company on April 19, 2013.
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Business WritingLearn the world of writing, and construct documents that
meet objectives efficiently and effectively.
Prepared for Morgan Construction and Environmental Ltd.
Slideshare: Idris Fashan (theonlyidris)
1Monday, 22 April, 13
• Eschew “tips and tricks” and delve deeper into some history, mechanics and activities to make you a proficient business writer
• Parse and share elements that propel your writing from “colourless” to “compelling”
• Obtain tools and resources that will help you continue to improve your writing
What to expect today:
Remember: “Nothing is original.” -Jim Jarmusch
2Monday, 22 April, 13
Who are We?
How I got into this world.
3Monday, 22 April, 13
• US Fed Justice Dept. admits $100M in annual losses to poor communication
• North American Insurance Industry posted $1B losses attributed to poor communication
• >$225B is lost in North America businesses because of bad writing, reading, and math skills
The Cost of Bad Business (writing)
4Monday, 22 April, 13
• Reduces communication capacity within teams
• Creates uncertainty among readers/shareholders/stakeholders
• Demonstrates a lack of confidence/ability or mastery of the subject matter
• Omits or neglects key details
The Risks of Bad Business Writing
5Monday, 22 April, 13
Bad Examples.
• Buzzword Diseases
• Like, “assets, maximize, competency, validation, system, paradigm”
• Not always wrong to use in business documents, but often lack meaning (idioms)
• Bad words are interchangeable and often get packed together. Let’s try it!
6Monday, 22 April, 13
Bad Examples.
• “Analysis and validation of support strategies for customer satisfaction parameters.”
• “Maximize systems of strategic environmental parameters.”
• “Utilize paradigms of support parameters for assessment.”
7Monday, 22 April, 13
Business Writing Then
8Monday, 22 April, 13
• Greatest peak in Industrial Revolution
• Steam technology, energy and global industrial opportunities arose
• Markets still localized, business conducted face to face or via correspondence (commonwealth to territory)
Business Writing Then
9Monday, 22 April, 13
• Business writing was a means to catalogue what was already being conducted via other communicative means (person-to-person).
• Law, accounting, management, etc.
Business Writing Then
10Monday, 22 April, 13
Business Writing Today
11Monday, 22 April, 13
• Markets splinter as industries grow exponentially-information economy
• Larger entities, more of the smaller entities working across markets (non-localized)
• Requirements, SOPs, marketing, communications, policy
Business Writing Today
12Monday, 22 April, 13
• Business writing documents and facilitates all aspects of business startup, operations, development, strategy, communications, marketing, sales and dissolution.
Business Writing Today
13Monday, 22 April, 13
A Definition?
"Throughout the globe, the written word, in both paper and electronic forms, is seen less as strictly a way of archiving the business already completed and more as a vital, creative means of problem solving, collaborating, and actually doing business."
(R. Inkster and J. M. Kilborn, The Writing of Business)
14Monday, 22 April, 13
“We’ve grown from the world of writing about business, and we’ve entered a more active world of writing vital, functional, informative and persuasive content for conducting business.”
A Definition?
Let’s Try That Again:
15Monday, 22 April, 13
• Legal Documentation
• Accounting and Financial Reportage
• Policy, IP (depending on ministry, country)
• Regulatory Documentation
What’s Unchanged
16Monday, 22 April, 13
• Internal/External Communications (digital)
• Marketing (mobility)
• Operations Documents
• Policy
What’s Changed
17Monday, 22 April, 13
Types of Writing
18Monday, 22 April, 13
• Informative - used to educate
• Persuasive - used to solicit response/action
• Summarizing - used to simplify decisions
Types of Writing
19Monday, 22 April, 13
The Writing Process?
How we imagine it.
20Monday, 22 April, 13
The Writing Process.
How it really feels (sometimes).
21Monday, 22 April, 13
• Writing is more a science than it ever was an art.
• Process = planning, execution, testing, and adjustment
The Writing Process.
22Monday, 22 April, 13
• Preparation/Research
• Writing
• Editing
• Delivery
The Writing Process.
23Monday, 22 April, 13
• Most important phase in writing
• Defines all aspects of where you need to go as you create the document
1. Objectives
2. Audience
3. Scope
4. Tone and Style
Preparation.
24Monday, 22 April, 13
• Ask One Question:
What do we need the reader to know, do, or be able to do after reading this document?
Objectives.
25Monday, 22 April, 13
Keep it simple.
Keep it detailed.
Keep it clear.
Objectives.
26Monday, 22 April, 13
Readers/Audience.
How can we help our readers understand our objective?
27Monday, 22 April, 13
Ask:
• Who is reading this? What level are they?
• What is it they’re reading?
• What do they need?
• What do they know?
• Will they (all) care?
Readers/Audience.
28Monday, 22 April, 13
Scope.
29Monday, 22 April, 13
• Technically, TWO QUESTIONS!
• What kind of information do I need?
• How much will be enough/too much?
Scope.
30Monday, 22 April, 13
Style and Tone.
31Monday, 22 April, 13
Style and Tone.
• Style - word choice
• Formal, casual, slang
• Tone - attitude in the writing
• Logical vs. emotional
• Personal vs. Professional
Choose what’s appropriate for each type of communication.
32Monday, 22 April, 13
• Investigation part of the process
• More complex documents require deeper research
Research.
33Monday, 22 April, 13
Writing/Drafting.
34Monday, 22 April, 13
• Said to be the hardest part, but it’s only hard if you don’t prepare.
• Rely on the preparation, research and audience to tell you what you’re doing, how much you need to do, and where things go.
Writing.
35Monday, 22 April, 13
• Just do one thing: Write.
• Then write more.
• Start with what’s easy.
• Finish with the introduction and conclusion.
Writing.
36Monday, 22 April, 13
• Don’t focus on spelling, grammar, punctuation, or any of the detail.
• Get everything down first, then clean up what’s there at the next stage.
• Drafting is hard because people struggle to do one thing at a time.
Writing.
37Monday, 22 April, 13
Editing, Review & Revision.
38Monday, 22 April, 13
• More than janitorial work
• Give time between the writing and editing tasks—from 5 minutes to 24 hours
• Be strategic and work it into your schedule
Editing, Review & Revision.
39Monday, 22 April, 13
• Find the key idea in each paragraph
• Is it clearly defined?
• If not, add a clear sentence in, and rework the paragraph to reflect the change
• Check the Editor Checklist (handout)
Editing, Review & Revision.
40Monday, 22 April, 13
Activity: Worst Mistakes
in Email20 Minutes
41Monday, 22 April, 13
• Get into groups of FIVE
• Brainstorm examples of worst-case scenarios in your emails, or use the exercise guides.
• Determine a “best of the worst cases” and what could have been done to prevent it.
• One person will present the “best” example to the group.
Email Activity
42Monday, 22 April, 13
The World’s Worst Inbox... MINE!
43Monday, 22 April, 13
Headlines.
• We are often competing for people’s minds, even while they are looking at the page.
• Headlines are the gateway to the content
• Make it easy for different people to dive in
44Monday, 22 April, 13
Gateway to Content
45Monday, 22 April, 13
• We use headlines to judge content, whether it’s in email, online, written on a file or sitting on a cover page.
• We’re forced to pack big ideas in ever smaller spaces
Headlines.
46Monday, 22 April, 13
Relevance +
Entertainment/emotion
Headlines.
47Monday, 22 April, 13
Memo: Inappropriate Conduct Warning — Xmas Party
vs.
Memo: Xmas Party Announcement
Example.
48Monday, 22 April, 13
• Using Research:
• Paragraph = Point + Proof
• State the point clearly
• Follow up with proof, then detail (use research)
Body Content.
49Monday, 22 April, 13
• No more than 10-15%
• Write in the same order as the main document
• May include recommendations, justification, and/or conclusions
• Provide new readers solid introduction to the topic
• Critical in documents requiring decisions (business cases, plans, pitches,etc.)
Summaries.
50Monday, 22 April, 13
One or Two Purposes
• Review main findings, presenting in general terms
• Presents a single conclusion and links to document recommendations
Conclusions.
51Monday, 22 April, 13
S.M.A.R.T.
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Results Oriented
Time-bound
Recommendations.
52Monday, 22 April, 13
• Cost-benefit analysis
• Opportunity cost (land, labour, capital use)
• Problem analysis
Types of Recommendations.
53Monday, 22 April, 13
Activity: Email Composition
20 Minutes
54Monday, 22 April, 13
• Get into your groups of FIVE
• Using the exercise guide, choose one scenario
• Compose an appropriate email as a group
• One person will present your group’s example to the room
Email Activity
55Monday, 22 April, 13
• ALL business writing is persuasive.
Parting Thoughts.
56Monday, 22 April, 13
Questions?
57Monday, 22 April, 13
Thanks!
Slideshare: Idris Fashan (theonlyidris)
58Monday, 22 April, 13