Effective Writing - Part 1

Ten minutes to Effective Business Writing

• If you become anxious at the thought of writing a business document, you're not alone.

• Effective business writing is a critical leadership tool.

• The foundation of effective business writing is clear thinking.

• Writing effectively for business is something you can easily learn.

• Working within a framework can reduce the natural fear of writing business documents.

Start with a Purpose in Mind

A clear, well-thought-out purpose will adhere to the "SMART" principle. SMART stands for …

Specific: . Your purpose focuses on a single, well-defined issue.

Measurable: . There is a way to measure whether the objective is achieved.

Actionable: . Achieving your purpose is within the control of you or others in the organization—i.e., you needn't rely on outside, uncontrollable factors to achieve your purpose.

Rewarding: . Achieving your purpose has value for you and your organization.

Terse: . The purpose can be stated in a few simple words.

Use memo for better writing

Identify the appropriate audience for your document base on your objective, and understand this audience's perspective before writing.

Remember, every memo gives you the opportunity to lead others' thinking and advance your business objectives.

Chapter 3. Framing Your Thinking

standard memo framework

Modify the standard framework to better suit your personal style and specific business situation.

처음 Overview를 말하고 그리고 그게 일어난 배경을 말한다음에 이걸 어떻게 해야할지 말해주고 이렇게 하면 좋은 일이 생길 것과 함께 논리적인 이유를 써준 다음에 이걸 마무리 짓는다

오버뷰 -> 배경 -> 이렇게 하자 -> 이렇게 하면 이렇게 좋을것

The Opening

State the intent of your document in the first two or three sentences.

Make sure the reader knows what he's supposed to do with the information you're presenting.

Provide a brief statement of why the information is important or the recommendation should be accepted.

Background

The background lays the foundation, or "sets the stage," for the rest of the document.

The background should include enough information so that readers previously unfamiliar with the situation can become knowledgeable enough to make informed judgments on the topic.

The background should exclude extraneous information, unsupported assumptions, and "news"—previously unreported or unknown information.

Writing

Always take time to outline before you begin writing.

Start by stating your purpose for writing.

List everything you know related to your purpose without worrying about sentence structure.

Sort your thoughts by the memo sections found in the standard framework.

Write your document based on your outline.

다 쓰고 -> Standard framework 에 따라서 쓰다

Overview -> Background -> Recommendation -> Rationale

Structruring your letter

The Opening

In the first paragraph of your letter, you should immediately state your reason for writing. As you write this paragraph, refer to the thinking you've done about your purpose, or objective. This paragraph is similar to the overview of an internal document, discussed in Les- son 4, "The Opening Is the 'Bottom Line.'" As with the overview, there are a number of key elements in the first paragraph of your letter. After reading your opening paragraph, your recipient should know …

Why you're writing.

What you're asking for.

What kind of action you will take or want your recipient to take.

본론에서는

Background -> 추천을 해준다

결론에서는

The Closing The final paragraph of your letter is similar to the Next Steps or Indicated Actions section of an internal document. In this paragraph, you will want to …

Conclude, or sum up, your letter.

Request or agree to initiate a specific action.

Provide a specific time by which the action will or should occur.

Writing 정리

In the opening paragraph, clearly explain why you're writing.

In the body of the letter, provide all necessary detail.

Close the letter with specific action steps, including who should take them and when.

Commas

In a series of modifiers, use a comma after each modifier except the last.

Incorrect

The sales team asked for a simple focused effective plan.

Correct

The sales team asked for a simple, focused, effective plan.

Use a comma to separate clauses joined by a conjunction if the clauses have different subjects.

Incorrect

The VP of Human Resources requested the performance ratings and I submitted them on Friday.

Correct

The VP of Human Resources requested the performance ratings, and I submitted them on Friday.

Use a comma to separate clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction such as "but" or "yet."

Incorrect

We wanted to run the advertising but we had no budget to cover the expense.

Correct

We wanted to run the advertising, but we had no budget to cover the expense.

Semicolons

Use semicolons to separate word series that contain other punctuation and to join related independent clauses not joined by a conjunction.

Word series

The board of directors includes Virginia Coleman, Voila Cosmetics President; Alice Burns, GW Transport Chief Financial Officer; and David Michael, BFS Vice President of Sales.

Joined independent clauses

The tax attorneys reviewed all possible deductions; only three were legal.

The last example could also be written with a conjunction:

The tax attorneys reviewed all possible deductions, but

only three were legal.

Colons

Use colons to introduce a list or a quote, or a related thought to an independent clause.

List

We created three new positions: Office Managing Partner, Integrated Solutions Director, and Business Development Director.

Quote

The president began the meeting with this mantra: "Work hard. Work smart. Take risks. Have fun."

Related thought

The shelter exists for one reason: to serve the homeless.