© blr ® —business & legal resources 1408 business writing for supervisors and managers

© BLR®—Business & Legal Resources 1408

Business Writing for Supervisors and Managers


Identify the characteristics of good business writing

Use words for maximum impact

Develop efficient sentences and paragraphs

Write more effective letters, memos, e-mails, job procedures, guidelines, and reports

Session Objectives


What You Need to Know• The right words

• Well-structured sentences and paragraphs

• A variety of business communications proficiently



Why Good Writing Skills Are Important

• Many job functions involve writing

• People judge you


Characteristics of Good Business Writing

• Clear

• Concise

• Correct

• Complete

• Coherent



How to Use Words for Maximum Impact• Choose concrete over

vague

• Avoid jargon and puffed-up language

• Avoid slang


How to Use Words for Maximum Impact (cont.)

• Link concepts to examples

• Use positive language

• Use active verbs



Vague Versus Concrete• “This year’s sales were

disappointing.”

• “Sales this year fell by 10 percent overall, with sales of fixtures and switches hitting a 4-year low of 500,000 and 300,000 units, respectively.”



Jargon and Puffed-up Language

“Pursuant to our safety policy, I investigated a possible 3(a)(iii) violation, endeavoring to ascertain whether the

injured party had taken precautionary measures, including PPE, commensurate with the explosive

propensity of the material as required by the MSDS.”



Jargon and Puffed-up Language (cont.)

“Following our safety policy, I investigated a possible violation of Section 3(a)(iii) of the regulations, trying to find out whether the accident victim had taken adequate precautions, including personal protective equipment, against the risk of explosion, as required by the material safety data sheet.”



Slang • “The customer claims that

our prices are a rip-off.”

• “The customer claims that our prices are too high.”


Concept and Examples • “The first step in the procedure is

to access the data.”

• “The first step in the procedure is to access the data by pressing the F7 key.”


Positive Versus Negative• “You’ll be glad you

chose our company.”

• “You won’t be sorry you chose our company.”


Active Verbs • “It is planned that the

project will be completed by the end of the month.”

• “I plan that we will complete the project by the end of the month.”



Make Your Words Count— Questions?• Do you understand

how your writing affects your effectiveness and success?

• Do you understand the importance of choosing words for maximum positive impact?


Sentence Structure • Keep sentences

simple

• Make them efficient

• Mix short and longer sentences


Paragraph Structure• Topic sentence

• Content

• Length



Paragraph Structure (cont.)

• Use transitions to form a bridge between paragraphs


Structure Your Writing Correctly

• Do you understand what we’ve discussed about sentence and paragraph structure?



Five Steps to Writing Better Business Communications • Define your reason

for writing

• Prepare your material

• Make an outline


• Write a first draft

• Revise before you send

Better Business Communications (cont.)


• Opening

• Body

• Closing

Three-Point Format



Business Letters • Block style


Business Letters (cont.) • Simplified format



Memos • Purpose

• Format

• Length

• Content

• Tone


E-mail • Organization

• Structure

• Length


Job Procedures and Guidelines • Focus on actions

• Use command words

• Be consistent with terminology

• Use a step-by-step approach


Reports • Informational

reports


Reports (cont.) • Situational reports

WhatWhereWhenWhyWho How


How you write is a reflection of your professional image

Effective business writing is clear, concise, correct, complete, and coherent

Your choice of words has a major impact on the way your written communications are received by readers

Proper sentence and paragraph structure helps readers interpret your meaning

Key Points to Remember

© blr ® —business & legal resources 1408 business writing for supervisors and managers

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