1、Effective Business Writing,Mr. Laurent Philippe,Course Objective,You will learn:Understand the importance of memo writingWrite memos to meet the needs of readersWrite persuasively to achieve your purpose,HOW TO BECOME A WINNING MANAGER,Communication is one of the most underdeveloped skills in the ar
2、senal of young professionals entering business today.If you want to run the show someday and run it well, you had better learn to think, write and speak, in that order, clearly, forcefully, concisely and to the point.Communication is a skill that will quickly separate the winners from the losers up
3、the management ladder. Mr. E.L. Artzt - Former P&G President,Importance of Business Writing,Writing counts because it helps to :Make Business DecisionsEstablish/strength RelationshipImpact broad range of peopleSell ideas/oneselfDevelop People,PUT OURSELVESIN THE READERS SHOES !,BEFORE WRITE, LETs,Ho
4、w Business Readers Read,Whats a good Business Writing,A Model of Good Writing,PlanOrganizeWriteEditRevise,Planning,Issue to consider before start:The type of messageThe authors objectivesThe messages intended readers and their objectivesThe main points the authors needs to makeThe next steps that sh
5、ould be taken,Planning:How the P&G Mind Works,Typical expectation of a P&G reader:Prove this is important to your job, your department, and the companyProve this is “on strategy”Support your case with sound dataPresent a balanced picture,Organizing information in 5-box format:,Box 0: Subject LineSta
6、rt the subject line with a word or phrase that immediately indicates the message type,Organizing information in 5-box format:,Box 1: Introductory SummaryUses very clear first verbsOrients the reader by answering the WHAT, WHY and WHEN,Organizing information in 5-box format:,Box 2: BackgroundProvides
7、 a concise summary of historical facts WHYLink the current document to previous,Organizing information in 5-box format:,Box 3: BodyPresents main points that are:Logically related to the documents WHYEasy for readers to find and understand, and Important to the readersUse topline in the body,Example:
8、 Use headings to improve scanability and retrievability,Organizing information in 5-box format:,Box 4: Other IssuesCould be:Constrains(internal, such as budgets, personnel, equipment)Risk (external concerns, such as regulations, competitive reaction, consumer response)Alternative solutions rejectedF
9、indings from a trip no directly related to the trip objectiveImplementation details,Organizing information in 5-box format:,Box 5: Follow UpIt is most effective when it is:Complete answered the WHO, WHAT, WHEN question, andLogical follow from the body of the memo,Writing,Write with AuthorityWrite po
10、sitivelyWrite concisely,Write with Authority,Support your statement with sound data Use factual, concrete languageReplace qualifiers, disclaimers, and generalitiesReplace emotional language (adverbs often highlight emotions)Replace phrases that suggest uncertainty and wishful thinking,Authoritative
11、Style Initial results are 20% above target . We are on schedule to finish by deadline. Our share is up 3% this quarter.POP promotions proved effective in 85% of the Pretend campaigns we analyzedOur analysis indicates that to protect share we needed a faster response to ABCs temporary price reduction
12、s,Non- authoritative styleOverall, initial results are very good. We think we will finish on time. It appears we are gaining share.POP promotions have always proven to be effectiveIf only we had reacted more quickly,Write positively,Benefit:Understood more easily than negative words and ideas.Helps
13、reinforce a proactive, “can do” impression,PositiveThank you for your order. We will ship it as soon as we receive a check for the $35 balance on your accountThe rebate programs are open to competing manufacturers,NegativeWe regret to inform you we cannot fulfill your order because you sent us a che
14、ck that was $35 less than the invoiced priceThe rebate programs do not offer category exclusivity to participating manufacturers,Techniques for Writing Positively,Write about what is instead of what isntWrite about the future instead of the pastWrite about what you want instead of what you dont want
15、Write about improving positive attributes instead of reducing negative attributes,Write Concisely,Principles:Prefer the active to the passive voiceUse simple words and phrases in place of fancy onesWrite concise, easily understood sentences,Fancy Words facilitate utilize aggregate a multitude ofWord
16、y Phraseswith regard todespite the fact thatin view of the fact thatfor the purpose of,Simpler Words help use total manyConcise Words about although because for,Write Concisely,Long, Confusing Sentence:In response to my letter of 8/25/02, in which I reiterated our request for cost estimates for both
17、 the trail and the main study, Dr. Morgan of ABC Veterinary called to say she will fax us an itemized list of the cost of all materials by weeks end. (48 words, 1 sentence)Fluent, Concise SentencesIn an 8/25/02 letter to ABC Veterinary, I again requested cost estimates for both the trial and the mai
18、n study. Dr. Morgan responded that she will fax us an itemized list of all material costs by weeks end. (38 words, 2 sentences),Exercise,Rewrite the following paragraph:We reject this research design as invalid. No control area has been selected. Without a test/control situation, we will not know if
19、 the business results are due to the promotional mailing or to some other factor. Therefore we feel that a test/control research design is essential for getting a valid test of the mailings impact.,Editing and Revising,Use the “Skim-Scan-Read” process to review the document“The New York Times” Rule,
20、Example: Greater China Monthly Letter December 2002,Coach Others to Write More Effectively,Provide examples of well-written documentsEmphasize the importance of the audienceGive constructive feedback to others writingIf you receive a poor memo, focus on the content firstRewrite others documents only in extreme circumstances,Any Questions?,Thank You !,
