Welcome to Module 4

 Written Communication
 Stages of Writing Process
 Organizing and Composing messages
 Writing Effective Email messages
 Writing for web
 Writing goodwill, good and bad messages
 Resume and applications 2/15/2018 1
 Written Communication

Learning to write is learning to think

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 Written Communication
There are various ways of written communication
 E-mail message
 Memos
 Proposals
 Reports
 Letters
 Bulletins
 Minutes,
 Orders, quotations, contracts, forms, enquires etc

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Advantages
 Ready Reference.
 Legal Defence.
 Promotes Uniformity.
 Mass Access.
 Suitable for Distance Communication.
 Image Building.
 Accurate and Unambiguous.
 Permanent in Nature.
 Facilitates in order to Assign Responsibility.
 Permits Substitutions and Revisions.
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Disadvantages
 Limited to literate world.
 Time Consuming.
 Lot of paper work.
 Needs expertise in expression.
 Lack of immediate feedback.
 Costly than oral communication.
 More man hours needed.
 No immediate clarification.

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Tips for effective Written Communication
 Draft an outline at the beginning by proper planning.
 Focus on the audience, purpose, topic and desired
outcome.
 Structure the Introduction, Body and Conclusion in a
systematic and logical order.
 Focus on each paragraph.
 Understand the reader’s perception.
 Avoid grammatical mistakes.
 Use proper vocabulary, punctuations, commas, colons
and semi-colons.
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 Tips for effective Written Communication
 Avoid using slang language.
 Avoid using “you” while making any criticism.
 Always start with a positive phrase.
 Always write the name of the company and the person
correctly.
 Keep sentences short, clear and concise.
 Avoid repetition and too many irrelevant details.
 Elaborate on the technical language and jargons used.
 Effectively use the charts, graphs, diagrams and pictures.

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Tips for effective Written Communication
 Never express your anger, frustration, irritation and
aggression in written communication.
 Proof read the document before sending.
 Use proper communication channel.
 Get a proper feedback.
 Continuously update yourself to improve written skills.

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 5 step writing process

 Identify your purpose

 Analyze your audience
 Choose your ideas
 Collect data to support your ideas
 Organize your message

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 Identify your purpose

 Is it informational?
 Is it persuasive?
 Are you trying to negotiate a contract/deal?

All messages have a “relational “purpose.

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 Analyze your audience

Your message has to be seen from the receiver’s point of

view.
 Needs
 Interest
 Attitude
 Culture

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 Analyze your audience

Be sensitive to your audience needs with a

“you” attitude.
Ex-
To help us process this order, we must ask for
another copy of the requisition
So that your order can be filled promptly,
please send another copy of the requisition.

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 Choose your idea

Ideas depend on the type of message, the situation, and

the cultural context(national and international).

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 Collect your data

 Know company policies, procedures, product details.

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 Organize your message

 Outline your message

 Prepare a draft
 Different approaches for different cultures.

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 Basic Organizational Plans

 For letters and memos, you can choose one of the four
organizational plans
 Direct – Request
 Good news
 Bad news
 Persuasive – request plan

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 Organizing and composing messages
 Direct – Request Direct approach
(begin with main
 Good news idea)

 Bad news Indirect approach

 Persuasive – request plan (states main idea
later)

Use the Direct – Request plan when the purpose is to make

a request that requires less persuasion.
Use the Good news plan to grant requests, announce
favorable information.
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 Indirect Approach
 When you expect resistance to your message, such
as in a bad-news message or a persuasive request.
 You should not present the main idea in the first
paragraph.
 Begin with a pleasant, neutral statement, then give an
explanation before you introduce the idea.(“Porch”)

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 Good News

When your message is favorable or neutral, you can

use the good-news plan.

1. Best news or main idea

2. Middle – Explanation, all necessary details,
educational information, resale, Sales promotion.
3. Positive, friendly ending, motivation to action,
willingness to help further, appreciation.

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 Bad News

A bad-news message varies from a good-news

message in structure, tone, and information.
With bad-news there is less tolerance for mistakes
in communication.

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 Bad News

In bad-news messages it is important that your tone be

appropriate.
 Put yourself in the reader’s place.
 Include, if possible, the customer-benefits and
reasons that are behind your policies and rules.
 Show confidence in the reader
 Single people out when you praise them, put them in
a group when you criticize them.
 Be courteous and shield the reader’s pride.
 Talk with, not down to, the reader.
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 Bad News

Every bad-news message has an underlying objective - to present the

unpleasant facts in such a way that the reader will consider you fair
and reasonable.

Structure the message

 Buffer
 Explanation and analysis of circumstances
Friendly, positive close

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 Bad News

 Buffer

Buffers should be neutral in tone: avoid misleading the reader

into thinking the news is good.

 Explanation and Analysis

Explanation are often crucial to the effectiveness of a negative

message.

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 Bad News

 Friendly, Positive close

•Endings should be positive, with reader friendly requests,
assurances, and reader benefits.
• Invite future patronage, cooperation, suggestions or
compliances
• Express continued interest, service and offer assurances.

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 Bad News

Negative replies to requests

Honesty, tactfulness and caution are necessary when responding

to a request for a recommendation for a person about whom you
have unfavorable information.

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 Bad News

 Refusing Credit

Try to use positive language when stating an unfavorable

decision

 Acknowledging Orders you cannot fill now or at all

 Declining Invitations and Requests for Favors

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 Bad News

When you have made a mistake, it is often best to

admit your error in the beginning of your message.

Letters of resignation should include a reason,

appreciation for people you are leaving, and a cordial
ending.

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 Tips for Email writing

Objectives
To effectively write an email pertaining to the purpose/
subject of the mail
 Understand the nuances of writing a good mail
 Write mails that are concise but precise
 Comprehend the rules of writing e-mails

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 Tips for Email writing

Write a meaningful subject line - Recipients scan the

subject line in order to decide whether to open,
forward, file, or trash a message.

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 Tips for Email writing

 Subject: [Blank]
If you don't put a subject line on your e-mail, this could
come across as arrogant, or at the very least, thoughtless.
 Subject: "10 confirmed for Friday... will we need a
larger room?"
Upon reading this revised, informative subject line, the
recipient immediately starts thinking about the size of the
room, not about whether it will be worth it to open the e-
mail.

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 Tips for Email writing
 Subject: "Important! Read Immediately!!“
What is important to you may not be important to your
reader. Write an informative headline that actually
communicates at least the core of what you feel is so
important: "Emergency: All Cars in the Lower Lot Will Be
Towed in 1 Hour.“

 Subject: "Follow-up about Friday“

Fractionally better -- provided that the recipient
remembers why a follow-up was necessary.
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 Tips for Email writing

Subject: "That file you requested."

If you're confident your recipient will recognize your e-

mail address, and really is expecting a file from you,
then this would be fine.

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 Tips for Email writing

 Keep the message focused and readable

 Avoid fancy typefaces. Don't depend upon bold font or large
size to add nuances.
 Avoid attachments that are too large or too many.

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 Tips for Email writing
 Skip lines between paragraphs.

 Use standard capitalization.

All-caps comes across as shouting, and no caps
invokes the image of a laziness. Regardless of your
intention, people will respond accordingly.
 Proofread
If you are asking someone else to do work for your work
take the time to make your message look professional

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 Tips for Email writing
 Don't assume privacy
Don't send anything over e-mail that you wouldn't want posted --
with your name attached -- in the break room. E-mail is not
secure.

 Identify yourself clearly –

 Be kind -- don't flame –

Just don't hit "Send" while you're still angry.

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 Tips for Email writing

 Respond Promptly
If you want to appear professional and courteous, make
yourself available to your online correspondents.

 Show Respect and Restraint

Be tolerant of other people's etiquette blunders.

 Distinguish between formal and informal situations

Always know the situation, and write accordingly.
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 Resumes

A resume is a one or two page summary of

your skills, education, experiences and
accomplishments designed to capture a
prospective employer's interest.
It serves as a letter of introduction to get
you considered for a position.

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 Resumes

 Write a clear objective statement. Knowing what you want and

what the employer is looking for can help you write a clear
objective.
 Also, keep in mind that you do not want your objective
statement to be too broad or too specific.
 Make it easy for the reader to pick out specific skills by
selecting appropriate categories, presenting relevant experience
and skill areas higher on the page, and using underlining,
boldfacing or capitalizing.
 Present information in reverse chronological order within
categories.
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Resumes

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 Resumes

 Good quality writing and clear communication are critical. You

might be the most qualified candidate out there, but that is not the
message you will be sending if your resume is disorganized and
ambiguous.
 Use job titles and skill headings that relate to and match the jobs
you want. Employers make quick judgments when reviewing your
resume. If they see unrelated job titles or skills, they are likely to
make the assumption that you are not qualified for the job.
 Keep your writing style and formatting consistent throughout.

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Resumes

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 Resumes

 Adjust the specifics of your resume and cover letter

so that they address each employer and position
individually.
 If you are applying for an entry level position, focus
more on your grades and extracurricular activities
rather than on work experience that is not related to
the desired position.
 Although the design and appearance of your resume
matters, the content is what is really important.
 Be sure to double and triple check your grammar,
spelling, formatting, etc. A mistake in this area says a
lot about you as a candidate!
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 Applications
Apply three step process of planning, writing
and completion.

 Be Specific – avoid general objectives. Be as clear as

possible about the kind of opportunity and industry you are
looking for. Show that you understand the company and the
position by echoing the key messages from the job ad.

 Never volunteer salary information unless an employer

asks for it.

 Keep it short – and keep email cover letters shorter.

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 Applications
Apply three step process of planning, writing
and completion.

 Show some personality

Keep it professional. Make the most of your chance to reveal
not only your excellent communication skills but also some of
your personality.

 Aim for high quality

Be meticulous. Check spellings, grammar

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End of Module 4
Thank you

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