SAY WHAT YOU MEAN AND MEAN WHAT YOU SAY Clarity and Conciseness in Professional Writing
Presented by: Katie Shaw, Director of Enrollment Services Adventist University of Health Sciences
Presentation Overview
¨ Define professional writing ¨ Importance of good grammar ¨ Audience recognition ¨ Email writing and etiquette ¨ Punctuation ¨ Write with active voice ¨ Resume tips
About Me
¨ Been at Adventist University of Health Sciences (ADU) for almost 9 years
¨ BA in English from Andrews University (AU) ¨ Was the News Writer at AU for 2 years ¨ Have taught Technical Writing at ADU for 7 years ¨ Edit most marketing documents for ADU ¨ Grammar nerd!
Professional Writing Defined
¨ Composed primarily in the work environment for supervisors, colleagues, subordinates, vendors, and customers. ¤ Students ¤ Parents ¤ Constituents
Grammar
Grammar Counts
¨ We work in higher education ¨ Direct correlation between English I grades and high
graduation GPAs (recent ADU study)
Be sure to revise!
¨ Writing can be personal ¨ Importance of revision
¤ Your first draft is never your best ¤ Read it over ¤ Examples of good writing have always gone through
several revisions ¤ Don’t be self-conscious about your writing –
perfection comes out of revision!
Audience
Audience Importance
¨ It’s very important to identify your audience ¤ High tech
n People who are in your same field or same department and know your lingo. You are writing to professional peers.
¤ Low tech n Coworkers in other departments who know some of what you do
but are not as familiar with terms and procedures as you are.
¤ Lay n People who neither work for your company nor have a lot of
knowledge of your field ¤ Multiple
n You have to write for a variety of audiences - could be all three
¨ Where did you learn how to write effective emails? ¨ No extensive instruction at the college level
Email Grammar
¨ Why worry about grammar – it’s just email! n Email is the primary form of professional writing now. n Email can be used as a legal document. n Never send an email that you wouldn't be comfortable
seeing on the front page of a newspaper.
Email Cautions
¨ “Reply all” ¤ Do you really need to respond to everyone?
¨ Blind copies (bcc) ¤ Person blind copied can respond to all
n May not realize they were blind copied
¤ Better to copy (cc) so everyone knows what’s going on
Clarity and Conciseness in Email
¨ Provide specific detail ¨ Avoid using vague words like "recently" or "some" ¨ Answer the reporter's questions
¤ Who, what, where, when, why, and how
Important Email Components
¨ Identify yourself (your signature should do this effectively)
¨ Provide an effective subject line ¤ Avoid uninformative subject lines like "Hi," "What's new," or
"Important message." ¤ Instead, use something like "Your ADU application file is
almost complete!"
¨ Keep your email brief ¤ Average attention span is 9 seconds or less
¨ Use bulleted lists if possible ¤ Readers tend to skim or scan for important info
Proofreading
¨ Let someone else read it ¨ Print it ¨ Let it sit ¨ Use technology (spell check, grammar check) ¨ Read it out loud
Netiquette
¨ Be courteous ¤ Avoid angry email messages
¨ Be professional ¤ You represent your employer with every email sent
from your work address
Punctuation
¨ Commas, apostrophes, and colons are small but can make a big impact!
Resources
Make writing inclusive
¨ Acronyms/abbreviations ¤ Is this an acronym everyone would know? (MRI, CIA,
SCUBA, etc.) ¤ Example: At ADU, you can become part of the HBS
department for Pre-Med or study nursing and set your sights on the NAP!
¨ Use parenthetical definitions or just spell it out
Multicultural Audiences
¨ Avoid idioms and jargon (crunch time, guesstimate, through the roof)
¨ Spell out dates ¤ 7-1-13
n In some countries this would be interpreted not as July 1, 2013, but as January 7, 2013
Paint a Picture
¨ Use active voice when writing ¤ Students can participate in a variety of ministries. ¤ When you’re a student at ADU, you can participate in
ministries such as SALT (Service and Love Together), Ecclesia (Friday vespers), Circle Up (daily prayer), and many others!
Resumes
Resume Design
¨ Look at other resumes before you begin ¨ Use Word templates ¨ Good white space ¨ Try to keep to one page but can go over ¨ Choose appropriate fonts (no more than two in your
document) ¨ Avoid sentences ¨ Reader-friendly access (use bulleted lists) ¨ Begin lists with verbs (Accomplished, led, performed, etc.) ¨ Quantify your achievements
Resumes
¨ Begin by clearly identifying yourself and giving contact information
¨ List career objectives ¨ Summary of qualifications
¤ Tailor your resume to speak to the job you are applying for
¤ Overview of skills, abilities, accomplishments, and attributes
¤ Strengths relative to the job you're seeking
Resumes
¨ Education ¤ Omit high school, any colleges attended from which
you did not graduate
¨ Employment ¤ Start with most recent employment (reverse
chronological) ¤ Omit jobs that have no relation to the position you're
seeking unless that's all you've done (leave out McDonald's and Taco Bell)
Resumes
¨ Professional Skills/Accomplishments ¤ Certifications ¤ Awards received ¤ Recognition
¨ Memberships ¤ Professional affiliations
Summary
¨ Important to say what you mean and mean what you say in professional writing
¨ Good writing skills can open doors to new opportunities
References
Einsohn, Amy (2011). The copyeditor’s handbook: A guide for book publishing and corporate communication. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Gerson, Sharon J. & Gerson, Steven M. (2013). Technical communication: Process and product. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
Schuman, Nancy (2008). The everything resume book. Avon, Mass.: Adams Media.
Contact Info
Katie Shaw
Director of Enrollment Services
Adventist University of Health Sciences
