Digital Key ConceptsManagement 102
Professor Estenson
PREPARING TO WRITE
Writing Apprehension
• CAUSES– Early Efforts– Never Been Taught– Lack of Knowledge of
purpose, audience or point of the effort
• FIXES– Work Shops– Write then Right– Supportive Evaluation
PLANNING• WHAT
– Nature of the message– What needs to be communicated?
• WHY– Why bother? Does the receiver know why message is being
sent?• WHO
– Have I chosen the right person?– What channel is this person comfortable receiving?
• WHEN– Too early or too late. Close to critical meetings
• WHERE– Where should the message come from?
• HOW– Channel (Letter, Memo, Report, Email, Phone Call,
Brochure, Newsletter, Manual
PRINCIPLE ONE: Choose Words Precisely
• DENOTIVE - Word has a common meaning.– Malapropism - Confusing one word for another
• Allegory or Alligator Immoral or Immortal• CONNOTATIVE - Word’s meaning is subjective.
– Euphemism (Intended positive connotation)• Slim or Slender versus Skinny or Scrawny• Friendly Fire• Surgical Air Strike
• LANGUAGE IS FLUID NOT STATIC
PRINCIPLE TWOUse Short Rather Than Long Words
• The goal is clarity and understanding not a chance to show how smart you are.
PRINCIPLE 3Use Concrete Rather Than Abstract Words
• Concrete Specific at lower rung• General at the higher rungs
PRINCIPLE 4Economize on the Use of Words
• Avoid Wordiness.• Break old writing habits.• Avoid use of old models of
organizational writing.
PRINCIPLE 5AVOID OVERUSED OR HACKNEYED PHRASES OR
JARGON
• Hackneyed– At your earliest convenience– Pursuant to– Thank you in advance
• Jargon– Buzzword Hell
PRINCIPLE 6Use Positive Words That Convey Courtesy
• Minimize negative information• State information positively• Avoid gender terms
PRINCIPLE 7Use a Conversational Style
• Everyday business language (face to face communication with receiver)
• Check your understanding of receiver (knowledge, expertise, interests, culture, and value system)
PRINCPLE 8Keep Sentence Relatively Short
• Most effective business sentences are between 15 to 20 words long.
• Sentences express one main point
PRINCIPLE 9
Prefer Active Voice to the Passive Voice • Subject - Verb - Object
– David Leeper directed the meeting. (A)– The meeting was directed by David Leeper
(P)
PRINCIPLE 10Develop Effective Paragraphs
• One Main Idea Per Paragraph• Determine if Deductive or Inductive
– If Deductive - Present main idea in lst sentence
– If Inductive - Begin with details then main idea
• Use a Variety of Sentence Structures• Emphasize Important Points• Keep Paragraphs Short
PRINCIPLE 11DEVELOP COHERENCE
• Create a smooth flow between sentences• Transitions can be created by
– Repeating Key Words– Use pronouns and synonyms to avoid
repetition– Use transitional words or phrases
PRINCIPLE 12Edit and Rewrite
• Read what was written• Exam for clarity, concreteness, and
conversational tone• Determine grammatical accuracy• Check organization to assure coherence• Accept that multiple drafts are necessary
Specific Check Points
• Look for “Plain English” terms• Eliminate Unneeded Words• Explain Abbreviations and Acronyms• Eliminate Jargon• Eliminate Unnatural Phrases• Use Small Words
EDITING (Continued)
• Use Active Instead of Passive Verbs• Use a Fog Index• Correct Spelling and Grammatical Errors• Correct Sexist Errors
Work Products
• Audience analysis for each letter or memo.
• Refusal Letter• Persuasive Letter• Memo to your leader• Transmittal Letter
• You are free to pick topic and audience.
• Remember to write in a manner that matches your topic and audience.
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