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Chapter 6: Writing Business Messages - Coggle Diagram
Chapter 6: Writing Business Messages
Adapting to Audience
Adopting the "you" attitude
focus on the reader’s needs by demonstrating genuine interest
Maintaining standards of etiquette
Use extra tact when communicating with people higher up the organization chart or outside the company
Emphasizing the Positive
Euphemisms are phrases that convey your message without carrying a negative connotations
Use Bias-Free Language
Gender
Racial and ethnic
Age
Disability
Building Strong Relationships
Establishing credibility
a measure of your believability based on how reliable you are and how much trust you evoke in others
Honesty
Objectivity
Awareness of audience needs
Credentials, knowledge, expertise
Endorsements
Performance
Sincerity
Projecting company's image
help the company maintain a positive image by placing their interest and needs above your own
Controlling Style and Tone
Conversational Tone
warm but businesslike and emphasizes plain, clear language; not too formal and not too casual
Avoid stale and pompous language
Avoid preaching and bragging
Be careful with humor and intimacy
Using plain language
presents information in a simple, unadorned style that lets audiences grasp your meaning quickly and easily.
Active Voice
Helps make your writing more clear and concise to read
Passive Voice
Helps to create an impersonal tone when needed
Choosing Powerful Words
Using words correctly
to clear, more efficient and enjoyable writing to read.
Be alert to confusion and disagreement over several common usage rules
They/their
Split infinitive rule
awkward prepositions
Using words effectlively
Choose strong, precise, and familiar words.
Avoid clichés and use buzzwords careful.
Use jargon only when your audience is completely familiar with it
Understanding Denotation and connotation
Denotation
literal meaning
Connotation
includes all associations and feelings evoked by the word
Balance abstract and concrete words
Abstract
words express a concept, quality, or characteristic
Broad ideas
Concrete
words stand for something you can touch, see, or visualize
Direct, clear, and exact
Creating Effective Sentences
four types of sentences
Simple
one main clause
Compound
two main clause
Complex
one main thought and one related thought
Compund-complex
two main clauses and at least one dependent clause
Emphasize key thoughts
Devoting more words to them
Putting them at the beginning or end of the sentence
Making them the subject of the sentence
Crafting Unified, Coherent Paragraphs
Elements of a Paragraph
Topic sentence
Supprt sentences
Transitions
Connecting words
Repeated words or phrases
Pronouns
Words frequently paired
Best way to develop paragraph
Illustration
Comparison or contrast
Cause and effect
Classification
Problem and solution
Writing Messages for Mobile Devices
Use a linear organization
Prioritize information
Write short, focused messages
Use short subject lines and headings
Use short paragraphs