Writing Business Messages

1. Ways to achieve a tone that is conversational, yet business-like

1.1. Avoid stale and pompous landuage

1.2. Avoid preaching and bragging

1.3. Be careful with intimacy and avoid sharing personal details

1.4. Be careful with humor, which can easily backfire

2. Examples of the value of using plain language

2.1. "The development team designed the new method" clearly identifies who did what.

2.2. "This negotiation will create financial issues"plainly lays out the issue with the negotiation

2.3. "Our HR department has begun planning the new move" states clearly and exactly what the HR department did.

3. Examples of words that are correct and effective

3.1. Find out, learn, instead of ascertain

3.2. Avoid, instead of circumvent

3.3. Specifc numbers, like $100 million, instead of large or small

3.4. Expensive, instead of idioms, like "costs an arm and a leg"

4. Ways to develop unified, coherent paragraphs

4.1. Illustration, or giving examples that demonstrate ideas

4.2. Comparing or contrasting topics or ideas

4.3. Cuase and effect to focus on a reason for something

4.4. Classification to show how a general idea is broken into categories

4.5. Presenting a problem and solution

5. Apsects of being sensitive to audience needs

5.1. Using the "you" attitude to focus on the audience

5.2. Maintaining standards of etiquette

5.3. Emphasizing the positive

5.4. Using bias-free language

6. Characteristics of building and maintaing a communicator's credibility

6.1. Honesty

6.2. Objectivity

6.3. Awareness of audience needs

6.4. Credentials, knowledge, and expertise

6.5. Endorsements

6.6. Performance

6.7. Sincerity

7. Types of sentences with definitions

7.1. Simply sentence, a sentence with one main clause

7.2. Compound sentence, a sentence with two main clauses joined by and, but, or or.

7.3. Complex sentence, a sentence containing one independent and one dependent clause

7.4. Compound-complex sentence, a sentence that has two main clauses, of which one is a subordinate clause

8. Techniques for writing effective messages for mobile readers

8.1. Use linear organizations

8.2. Prioritize information

8.3. Write shorter and more focused messages

8.4. Use shorter subject lines and headings

8.5. Use shorter paragraphs