The document discusses the importance of effective business writing, highlighting its role in communication and the high costs associated with poor writing. It covers the evolution of business writing, the writing process, and types of writing, emphasizing preparation, audience awareness, and editing. Additionally, it stresses that all business writing is inherently persuasive and provides tools for improving writing skills.

1. Business Writing
Learn 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

2. • 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
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3. Who are We?
How I got into this world.
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4. • 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)
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5. • 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
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6. 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!
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7. 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.”
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8. Business Writing
Then
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9. • 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
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10. • 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
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11. Business Writing
Today
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12. • 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
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13. • Business writing documents and facilitates
all aspects of business startup, operations,
development, strategy, communications,
marketing, sales and dissolution.
Business Writing
Today
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14. 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)
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15. “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:
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16. • Legal Documentation
• Accounting and Financial Reportage
• Policy, IP (depending on ministry, country)
• Regulatory Documentation
What’s Unchanged
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17. • Internal/External Communications (digital)
• Marketing (mobility)
• Operations Documents
• Policy
What’s Changed
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18. Types of Writing
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19. • Informative - used to educate
• Persuasive - used to solicit response/action
• Summarizing - used to simplify decisions
Types of Writing
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20. The Writing
Process?
How we imagine it.
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21. The Writing
Process.
How it really feels (sometimes).
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22. • Writing is more a science than it ever was
an art.
• Process = planning, execution, testing, and
adjustment
The Writing
Process.
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23. • Preparation/Research
• Writing
• Editing
• Delivery
The Writing
Process.
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24. • 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.
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25. • Ask One Question:
What do we need the reader to know, do, or be
able to do after reading this document?
Objectives.
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26. Keep it simple.
Keep it detailed.
Keep it clear.
Objectives.
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27. Readers/Audience.
How can we help our readers understand our objective?
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28. 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.
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29. Scope.
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30. • Technically,TWO QUESTIONS!
• What kind of information do I need?
• How much will be enough/too much?
Scope.
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31. Style and Tone.
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32. 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.
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33. • Investigation part of the process
• More complex documents require deeper
research
Research.
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34. Writing/Drafting.
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35. • 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.
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36. • Just do one thing:Write.
• Then write more.
• Start with what’s easy.
•Finish with the introduction and
conclusion.
Writing.
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37. • 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.
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38. Editing, Review &
Revision.
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39. • 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.
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40. • 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.
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41. Activity:
Worst Mistakes
in Email
20 Minutes
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42. • 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
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43. The World’s
Worst Inbox... MINE!
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44. 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
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45. Gateway to Content
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46. • 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.
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47. Relevance
+
Entertainment/emotion
Headlines.
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48. Memo: Inappropriate Conduct
Warning — Xmas Party
vs.
Memo: Xmas Party Announcement
Example.
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49. • Using Research:
• Paragraph = Point + Proof
• State the point clearly
• Follow up with proof, then detail
(use research)
Body Content.
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50. • 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.
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51. One or Two Purposes
• Review main findings, presenting in general
terms
• Presents a single conclusion and links to
document recommendations
Conclusions.
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52. S.M.A.R.T.
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Results Oriented
Time-bound
Recommendations.
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53. • Cost-benefit analysis
• Opportunity cost (land, labour, capital use)
• Problem analysis
Types of
Recommendations.
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54. Activity:
Email Composition
20 Minutes
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55. • 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
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56. • ALL business writing is persuasive.
Parting Thoughts.
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57. Questions?
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58. Thanks!
Slideshare: Idris Fashan (theonlyidris)
58Monday, 22 April, 13