What you'll learn to do: Identify the three parts of the writing process Writing a message that is consistently well received can become a habit, but it can be hard for new writers to achieve. The three part writing process ensures the best outcome each time. Show
Learning Outcomes
Planning Business MessagesWhile this whole module is about writing, most of the thinking about what you are going to write happens before you compose a single sentence. Planning and outlining is where your analysis and organization get done, so that when you're ready to write, all you have to worry about is sentence structure, word choice, and tone—which is more than enough!Remember those school days when teachers required outlines before you could start writing your paper? They may have referred to it as part of a "pre-writing" phase. It turns out those outlines are life skills, not just busy work. As adult business communicators, you should still commit to outlining. An outline serves as a road map for what you're going to write, and it aids in breaking weak writing habits. Outlines set a writer up for success. Unlike in school, they do not need to be formally typed and numbered; they can exist on a notepad or scrap to the side of the keyboard. That said, using your word processor's outlining function is a great way to keep your outline tidy, and cutting and pasting makes it easy to rearrange your order. First, determine how the receiver of this communication likely feels about the communication: positive, neutral or negative. Focus on what the receiver feels based on the receiver’s situation. Do not factor in “How I’d like to hear this news.” The receiver has not researched this message, might not have heard parts of the topic before, or has the background you have. The receiver may have a different work responsibility and may need background to fully appreciate the communication. Factor all of that into the audience analysis. This is you-view planning. You-view thinks about what the receiver wants and needs to understand. Do not factor in your own feelings. Planning is the key first step in the writing process because it enables the writer to begin thinking about how the final product will be created and evaluated. It is the first step in establishing your accountability and reliability as a writer. Remember that when you are writing for a corporation or organization, your writing lives on as legal documentation and reference. Writers are no less responsible for accountability for their work than are lawyers and medical personnel. Solid planning leads to reliable final documents. Skipping the pre-writing stage is like taking a vacation without first choosing a destination: If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you get there? Fortunately, pre-writing can take many forms, and there are strategies that suit every type of writer. The strategies and processes used in the pre-writing stage not only help the writer formulate a topic and solidify ideas, they also serve as a kind of rehearsal for the rest of the writing process. As the writer uses the vocabulary associated with a particular topic, he or she becomes well-versed in the subject and is able to express ideas with more confidence, organization, and clarity. All of this brings to mind the old joke, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” The answer, of course: “Practice. Practice. Practice.” Just as a musician must practice their instrument in order to achieve their goal, the practice undertaken during the pre-writing stage guides the writer toward a specific goal. That goal is to develop a well-defined topic that will eventually be couched in the language of a succinct thesis or hypothesis. Planning starts with audience reaction, which maps to an organizational structure for the document.
All messages contain three or four blocks:
Depending on your audience reaction, you will place these blocks in a different order: Positive Message Outline The basic organizational outline for a positive message uses the blocks introduced above in that same order: news, reasons, and goodwill and action. Remember,
this is the outline for writing the entire message (the second step in the writing process). The blocks are the labels of the outline section where the writer collects notes and thoughts on that part or paragraph. With these notes, the writer can write the entire message without stopping to look for detail.
Negative Message Outline The generic organizational outline for a negative message uses the three blocks news, reasons, and goodwill and action. It uses these organizational blocks in a different order and also adds the buffer block. Remember this is the outline for writing the entire message (step 2 in the writing process). With these notes, the writer can write the entire message without stopping to look for detail.
Persuasive Message OutlineThe simplest understanding and approach to persuasive messages is to determine how likely the receiver is to comply with the sender's wishes. If the audience is positive, then follow that outline. For negative audiences you need to use a different approach.It is helpful to overlay these structures with the marketing concept of Awareness, Interest, Desire, and Action (AIDA). This strategy starts with the opening of a positive or negative message. The opening should include an attention grabbing opening, such as a fact, question, or something to catch the receiver's interest. Next, direct your writing to discuss more details to interest the receiver in this situation. The desire is about how the receiver's help or action matters. Finally, the closing includes the specific action requested of the receiver. Practice QuestionWriting Business MessagesIt's also helpful to remember at this stage that you're not actually starting from a blank page, even with your first draft. You've got the raw materials of your pre-writing, outlining, and source gathering at hand to build from. From Planning to WritingAt this stage of the process, the purpose and organization of your message is already decided. Now you need to craft the words and phrasing for each part of the message.Whichever outline you've started with, it can seamlessly morph into a first draft simply by choosing an area to attack. Start fleshing it out with full sentences, complete thoughts, and relevant sources. The format for the communication matters. Letter formats and layout are discussed at the end of this module. Before examining types of messages, there are skills to have in hand. Writing SkillsSubject LineThe subject line is surprisingly important in business communications. It is found in both email and memo formats. Subject lines are a mini introduction to the message. However, they do not replace the need for subject to be addressed in the first paragraph of the communication.
Subject lines are succinct introductions to a direct, negative, or persuasive message
Check to see if your subject lines pass a simple list of questions:
Constructing BuffersBuffers are a specific component of negative messages. They allow the writer to start the message without fully disclosing the bad news that is coming. Buffers must be more than an unrelated hello such as "How about those Broncos?" They must lead in to the topic while avoiding negative overtones. At the same time, a buffer shouldn't promote an untruth or raise the recipient's hopes only to dash them. For example, in writing to a job applicant, the subject line, "You are our best candidate" only to follow in the body with "but unfortunately, we needed to hire from within the company, so you didn't get the job" is needlessly cruel. On the other hand, "You are one of many impressive candidates," is both honest and appropriately complimentary while serving as a buffer.
Negative Words and Tone Business relationships are like all relationships. There are ups and downs. At times employees, customers, and others must hear news that is not to their choosing. Two important skills save the relationship while delivering the bad news. In all situations, the sender works to avoid negative words and tones. These words and tone can overshadow even the best message, like gray clouds on a warm summer day.
You-ViewIn defining positive messages, both good news and expected news fit the category. However, some expected news may not please the receiver. The you-view in writing helps the sender keep an overall good relationship to the receiver. Consider the following:
Writing a Positive MessageConsider the following example outline constructed in the planning process:
With this outline in place, the message is formatted as a business letter or email as the situation warrants.
Writing a Negative MessageAssume that the outline for this negative message constructed in the Planning process is the following. Notice that there is a typo where "april" is not capitalized. For the outline, that is just fine. These are organizational notes that only the writer sees:
With this outline in place, the message is formatted as a business letter or email, as the situation warrants.
Writing a Persuasive MessageWith persuasive messages, the audience analysis in the planning stage will point you in the right direction. This example outline assumes that the receiver needs a push to accept the solution being presented. In this example, a marketing team has planned to do some focus groups in Manhattan among a difficult-to-find consumer segment (let's say, left-handed teenage girls who like both crocheting and motocross racing). The facility that's finding and scheduling the participants is having a hard time finding enough of these girls in Manhattan, so they want to loop in a partner facility just across the river in New Jersey. It's going to cost the marketing team more money, which they've anticipated but still won't like, and it will involve extra travel. Here's one way to present that news.
With this outline in place, the message is formatted as a business letter or email, as the situation warrants.
Practice questionRevising Business Messages Once you've written your message beginning to end, you may be feeling pretty proud of yourself and ready to move on to your next task. Well, not quite. It's time to clarify, refine, and reorganize to make sure your message is exactly what you want it to be. The Art of Re-SeeingRevising is the rearrangement and fine tuning of a fully developed—if not totally completed—draft so that the thesis or hypothesis is aligned with the writer’s purpose, the audience’s needs and characteristics, the development of the argument, and the persuasive conclusion. A Critical StepRevising, for many writers and teachers of writing, is the most critical step in any writing process. It is also the step that often frustrates many writers because it can be hard to maintain objectivity and focus when looking so closely at your own work. Many writers find it beneficial at this stage to have someone else read the document they have been working on, since it is too close to the writer’s thoughts and emotions. Remember that when you ask someone for a critique of your work, you are not asking for praise for your brilliance but rather asking to have your work made even better and more effective for its purpose. Also keep in mind that just because someone makes a suggestion doesn't mean you have to accept it. Unless that person is your boss, of course. The need to revise acknowledges the likely scenario that no one's writing is perfect as presented in the latest draft. Willingness to revise means that the writer recognizes the dynamic nature of communication and that revisions are required in order to clearly articulate ideas and meet the expectations of the audience. Effective written expression is the result of careful revisions. Practice QuestionRevision SkillsA Two-Step Revision ProcessIn the revising process the writer does two things:
Proofreading SkillsFragmentsAs the final readings of the message, short or long, completes, make sure there are whole sentences. Run-OnsOn the other side of fragments are sentences that go on and on and on. Beware the run-on sentence. Licenses and AttributionsCC licensed content, Shared previously
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What are the three stages of the revising process in writing?There are three steps to the revision process: revising, editing and proofreading. It is also important to remember that time management is a key factor in the complete process of researching, writing and editing your work.
What is revising in writing?What does it mean to revise? Revision literally means to “see again,” to look at something from a fresh, critical perspective. It is an ongoing process of rethinking the paper: reconsidering your arguments, reviewing your evidence, refining your purpose, reorganizing your presentation, reviving stale prose.
At which stage of the essay writing process do we do rewriting?During the editing and proofreading stage of the writing process, the text is revised before being submitted for approval.
During which step of the writing process should a document be proofread?Proofreading is the final stage of the editing process, focusing on surface errors such as misspellings and mistakes in grammar and punctuation. You should proofread only after you have finished all of your other editing revisions.
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