GUIDELINES FOR WRITTEN BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Unit 5

Unit 5 Business Communication

Unit Outline

1. General principles of writing Tips on writing style Active vs. passive voice Spelling and punctuation Common errors in English2. Principles of Business Writing Tone Emphasis and subordination Writing at the appropriate level of readability

Unit 5 Business Communication

General Principles of Writing

Follow “KISS” principleUse jargon only where relevantAvoid slang and metaphors in formal writingParts of speechNouns - Use concrete vs. abstract nounsPronouns - Avoid “offensive” masculine pronouns -Avoid overuse of “I” -Use “you” carefully

Unit 5 Business Communication

General Principles of Writing

Parts of speechVerbs - Make them agree with subject and person- Use tenses uniformlyAdjectives- Avoid strong adjectives- Use minimum adjectivesAdverbs- Avoid strong adverbs

Unit 5 Business Communication

General Principles of Writing

Active vs. passive voice- Active to emphasize doer of action- Passive to de-emphasize doer or negative ideaSpellings- Differences in British and American English- Differences in noun and verb forms- Similar sounding words with different meanings

Unit 5 Business Communication

General Principles of WritingPunctuation

Apostrophe- For possessive- To indicate ownership

Brackets- To separate phrase from main sentence

Colon- To suggest a list after main statement

Comma

- To separate series of words

Unit 5 Business Communication

General Principles of Writing

Punctuation (contd.)Dash- To separate words not needed for sentence structureFull stop- At the end of sentences and abbreviationsQuotation marks- To enclose what is stated by othersSemicolon- To indicate a long pause

General Principles of Writing

Common errors in English

Redundancies –repetitive words that express same meaning

Cliches – over-used and worn out phrasesFrequently misused words – similar sounding words

used in the wrong context

Unit 5 Business Communication

Principles of Business Writing

Positive tone- Express negative ideas in positive language- Stress what can be doneConfident tone- Don’t be unsure of yourself- Don’t suggest that things may go wrong- Don’t be over-confidentCourteous tone- Build goodwill & good relations

Unit 5 Business Communication

Principles of Business Writing

Sincere tone- Avoid exaggeration & flatteryNon-discriminatory tone- Use non-offensive languageEmphasis and subordination- Emphasize important and pleasant ideas- De-emphasize unimportant and unpleasant ideas

Unit 5 Business Communication

Principles of Business Writing

Techniques for emphasis - Important ideas and words first or last - Active voice to emphasize doer of action- Passive voice to emphasize receiver of action- Emphatic words- Repetition- Numbering of ideas- Visual devices

Unit 5 Business Communication

Principles of Business Letter Writing

“You” attitude vs. “me” attitude- Stress reader benefits- Avoid first personReadability- Tailor writing to audience level- Measure readability – “Fog Index”

Unit 5 Business Communication