sm299bizcomm1lecture-1-1

8/13/2019 SM299BizComm1Lecture-1-1

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SM299Management As A System

Business Writing 1

How to contact Prof. Nancy Lee Nelson

Email: [email protected]

Office: SMG Writing Center (Room 343A)


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This is a business classwhy are we studying writing?

Professor Nancy Lee NelsonSeptember 8, 2011


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Business Writing 3

Agenda

1. What is good business writing?

2. How does business writing differ from academic

writing?3. What are common forms of business

documents?

4. What are document standards?

5. What will we be doing in SM299 to developbusiness writing skills?

6. How can I succeed on the first gradedassignment?


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Business Writing 4



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Business Writing 5

BIG BOX GAME


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Business Writing 6

1. What is the proposed solution

to the problem?


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Business Writing 7

2. What two facts can you use to

support the proposed solution,

given what you know about

your competitors?


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Business Writing 8

3. What do you, Tony, need to do

next to implement the solution?


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Business Writing 9

Which memo is better?


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Business Writing 10

What did we learn?

As readers, users of business documents, we preferdocuments that are

Visually appealingnot overwhelming or daunting

Briefincludes only the necessary information

Easily understood

Positive and pleasant in tone

Solution and action oriented


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Business Writing 11

What do business leaders

say about good writing?


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Business Writing 12

National Commission

on Writing Report

Surveyed HR directors of the Business

Roundtable, an organization of 120

leading U.S. businesses


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Business Writing 13

What does good

business writing look like?Extremely

Important

Important Total top

two ratings

Accuracy 95.2% 1.6% 96.8%

Clarity 74.6% 22.2% 96.8%

Mechanics 58.7% 36.5% 95.2%

Conciseness 41.3% 50.8% 92.1%


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Business Writing 14


Context specific

Clear

Concise

Compelling

CordialCorrect


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Business Writing 15


Context specificaddresses specific

reader(s) in a specific time and place with

reference to the writers specific goal for

the document

Cleareasily understood

Concisebrief in content and wording

(what is said and how it is stated)


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Business Writing 16


Compellingpersuasively argued,

visually appealing, solution and action

oriented

Cordialpositive and pleasant tone

Correctaccurate information andcontent, follows rules of language

mechanics, meets formatting

specifications


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Business Writing 17

2. How does business writingdiffer from academic writing?


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Business Writing 18

Academic vs Business Writing

1. Reader progresses

from beginning to

middle to end of the

document

1. Reader makes

choices about

passages to read

carefully, passages to

skim, and passages to

skip


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Business Writing 19


2. Builds towards a

conclusion found at

the end of the

document

2. Conclusion usually

appears at the

beginning of the

document


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Business Writing 20


3. In many cases,

academics write to

provoke thought.

3. In most cases,

business people write

to create action.


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Business Writing 21


4. Sentence and paragraph

length vary greatly

depending on audience,

the subject matter, andthe writers purpose

4. Short, concise sentence

(average 20 words or

fewer)

Short, concise paragraphs

(average 6-8 lines)


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Business Writing 22


5. Mostly prose

formatted in full

sentences and

paragraphs

5. May include bulleted

lists; ample white

space to help direct

the reader to key

passages and points


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Business Writing 23


6. Headlines act as section

dividers

6. Headlines capture the main

idea of a paragraph or section

and tell a story that helps the

reader make informed

choices about where to focus

his/her attention


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Business Writing 24

3. What are common forms of

business documents?


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Business Writing 25

What are common forms of

business documents? Memos

Email

Letters Executive summaries

Business plans

Reports

Proposals

Performance

evaluations

Agendas

Meeting minutes

Announcements Requests (for

information, for

proposals, for

funding, etc) Procedures (SOPs)

Presentations


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Three primary forms of business documents used

in day-to-day communications:

mailleast private; used in a range of situationsvery informal to very formal; used both within a

business organization and externallyMemomore formal than email; used only within abusiness organization

Lettermost formal form; used whencommunicating outside a business organization or

to signal significance of message

Business Writing 26


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Business Writing 27

4. What are document standards


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Sample document standards guidelines

http://www.smead.com/images/library/smead_g

uidelines.pdf

http://www.diebold.com/brandmanual.pdf

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http://www.smead.com/images/library/smead_guidelines.pdfhttp://www.smead.com/images/library/smead_guidelines.pdfhttp://www.diebold.com/brandmanual.pdfhttp://www.diebold.com/brandmanual.pdfhttp://www.smead.com/images/library/smead_guidelines.pdfhttp://www.smead.com/images/library/smead_guidelines.pdf


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Business Writing 30

5. What will we be doing in SM299 to

develop business writing skills?1. 3 Graded In-class writing assignments

Written in 50-minute in-class setting

Based on a Business Writing Case, for yoursection

A. Friday, Sept. 23Summary Memo

B. Friday, Oct. 21Argument Email

C. Friday, Dec. 2Resistant Reader Letter

Evaluated by Writing Associates


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Writing Associates

B1 Eric Maxson

B2 Lisa BeckerB3 Eric Maxson

B4 Lauren Terry

B5 Cathy McNally

B6 Cheryl Clark

B7 Lauren TerryB8 Lisa Toft

B9 Lisa Becker

C1 Lenore Myka

C2 Cheryl Clark

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develop business writing skills?

2. 2 Flash assignments

Written in a specified time frame outside class

Evaluated by discussion section professors

SM299 M A A S


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develop business writing skills?

3. Industry Project documents

4. PowerPoint presentations

5. Daily email communications with professors,

classmates, teammates

SM299 M t A A S t


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develop business writing skills?Lectures and Labs

Lecture: Before each graded writing assignment

Labs: Before the first and third writing assignments

Readings and Practice Assignments

Textbook: Write to the Top by Deborah Dumaine

Optional Practice Assignments posted in VWC

Graded Assignments and Feedback

You will receive written feedback for each graded

assignment and have an opportunity to seek

clarification in office hours

SM299 M t A A S t


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Business Writing 35

6. How can I succeed on the first

graded assignment?

WA1: Summary memo

Written to a specific reader identified in theassignment prompt and related to the writingcase for the course

SM299 M t A A S t


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Business Writing 36


graded assignment?1. Clear and accurate context-specific and reader-

centered synthesis of information presented inthe case stated in the writers own words

2. Well-defined paragraphs presented in asequence that is easy to follow

3. Substantive headlines that capture the mainidea of each paragraph

4. Cordial, business-like tone5. Format in keeping with SM299 document

standards

6. Correct grammar, punctuation, and word usage

SM299 M t A A S t


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graded assignment?

Note: The Big Box Memo is not asummary. It is an argument in support ofa recommendation.

SM299 M t A A S t


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graded assignment?1. Summary memos do not include

suggested next steps.

2. They do not include an analysis orrecommendations unless the material

being summarized includes them.

3. In general, a writers purpose when

creating a summary is to inform. (Note

contrast to Dumaine, pp 1314)

SM299 M t A A S t


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Business Writing 39

But I have only 50 minutes!!!!!!!

SM299 Management As A System


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Business Writing 40

I apologize forwriting such a

long letter; I

didnt have timeto write a short

one.

Mark Twain



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SM299 Writing Program

is Process Oriented

Business Writing 41

Plan Draft Edit



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Plan

Analyze

Audience;Define Purpose

Brainstorm

Organize

Sequence

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This is a business class.

Why are we studying

writing?

Business Writing 43



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Preparation for lab Friday, Sept. 16

1. See Assignment hyperlink in coursecalendar

2. WTTT reading

3. Case reading



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Please bring to lab on Sept. 16

1.

Write to the Top textbook

2. Copy of your sections Business Writingcase

sm299bizcomm1lecture-1-1

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