2. Researching
Background
Information
To avoid frustration and inaccurate messages, writers collect information
that answers several questions:
▪What does the receiver need to know about this topic?
▪What is the receiver to do?
▪ How is the receiver to do it?
▪When must the receiver do it?
▪What will happen if the receiver doesn’t do it?
3. Informal
Research
Methods
▪ Search your company’s files.
▪ Talk with the boss. Get information from the individual
making the assignment. What does that person know about
the topic?
▪ Interview the target audience. Consider talking with
individuals at whom the message is aimed.
▪ Conduct an informal survey. Gather unscientific but helpful
information through questionnaires, telephone surveys, or
online surveys.
▪ Brainstorm for ideas. Alone or with others, discuss ideas
for the writing task at hand, and record at least a dozen
ideas without judging them.
4. Formal
Research
Methods
▪ Access electronic sources. College and public libraries provide digital
retrieval services that permit access to a wide array of books, journals,
magazines, newspapers, and other online literature.
▪ Search manually. Valuable background and supplementary
information is available through manual searching of resources in public
and college libraries
▪ Investigate primary sources. To develop firsthand, primary
information for a project, go directly to the source.
▪ Conduct scientific experiments. Another source of primary data is
experimentation. Instead of merely asking for the target audience’s
opinion, scientific researchers present choices with controlled variables.
6. Format for an
outline
Direct Strategy for Receptive Audiences
▪ Saves the reader’s time. Many of today’s
businesspeople can devote only a few moments to each
message.
▪ Sets a proper frame of mind. Learning the purpose up
front helps the reader put the subsequent details and
explanations in perspective
▪ Reduces frustration. Readers forced to struggle
through excessive verbiage before reaching the main
idea can become frustrated and begin to resent the
writer.
7. Format for an
outline
Indirect Strategy for Unreceptive Audiences
▪ Respects the feelings of the audience. Bad news is always
painful, but the trauma can be lessened by preparing the
receiver for it.
▪ Facilitates a fair hearing. Messages that may upset the
reader are more likely to be read when the main idea is
delayed.
▪ Minimizes a negative reaction. A reader’s overall reaction to
a negative message is generally improved if the news is
delivered gently.
9. Enhancing
Readability
Through
Document
Design
Well-designed documents improve your messages in two important ways.
First, they enhance readability and comprehension. Second, they
make readers think you are a well-organized and intelligent person.
Employing White Space: Empty space on a page is called white space. A
page crammed full of text or graphics appears busy, cluttered, and
unreadable. To increase white space, use headings, bulleted or numbered
lists, and effective margins.
Understanding Margins and Text Alignment: Margins determine the
white space on the left, right, top, and bottom of a block of type. They
define the reading area and provide important visual relief. Business
letters and memos usually have side margins of 1 to 1.5 inches.
Choosing Appropriate Typefaces: Business writers today may choose
from a number of typefaces on their word processors. A typeface defines
the shape of text characters
11. Enhancing
Readability
Through
Document
Design
When revising, look for ideas that could be converted to lists, and
follow these techniques to make your lists look professional
▪ Numbered lists: Use for items that represent a sequence or reflect a
numbering system.
▪ Bulleted lists: Use to highlight items that don’t necessarily show a
chronology.
▪ Capitalization:Capitalize the initial word of each line.
▪ Parallelism: Make all the lines consistent; for example, start each with a
verb.
13. Proofreading to
Catch Errors
What to Watch for in Proofreading
▪ Spelling. Now is the time to consult the dictionary. Is recommend
spelled with one or two c’s?
▪ Grammar. Locate sentence subjects; do their verbs agree with them?
▪ Punctuation. Make sure that introductory clauses are followed by
commas. In compound sentences put commas before coordinating
conjunctions (and, or, but, nor).
▪ Names and numbers. Compare all names and numbers with their
sources because inaccuracies are not always visible
▪ Format. Be sure that your document looks balanced on the page.
14. How to
Proofread
Complex
Documents
▪ Print a copy, preferably double-spaced, and set it aside for at
least a day.You will be more alert after a breather.
▪ Allow adequate time to proofread carefully. A common excuse
for sloppy proofreading is lack of time.
▪ Be prepared to find errors. One student confessed, “I can find
other people’s errors, but I can’t seem to locate my own.”
Psychologically, we don’t expect to find errors, and we don’t
want to find them.
▪ Read the message at least twice—once for word meanings and
once for grammar and mechanics.
▪ Reduce your reading speed. Concentrate on individual words
rather than ideas.
