Unit 4: Effective Business Writing
This unit will discuss writing in business context, and how effective writing compares with effective speaking. Successful writing develops from good habits like reading, targeted writing practice, and critical thinking, and is characterized by the use of rhetorical and cognitive strategies. In this unit, you will learn how to apply appropriate styles and ethical principles in business writing contexts while recognizing the kinds of barriers that can challenge communication objectives and outcomes. You will also explore the different ways that writing skills are applied and how to write effective documents.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 6 hours.
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- explain the processes involved in effective business communication;
- identify the rhetorical elements and cognate strategies that contribute to good writing and explain their purposes;
- demonstrate how the rules that govern written language relate to the legal implications of business writing;
- describe some common barriers to written communication and how to overcome them;
- identify the purpose, elements, and formats of memos, business letters, business proposals, reports, resumes, and sales messages;
- craft effective text messages, emails, memos, business letters, business proposals, and sales messages in business communication;
- explain the purpose and features of functional, reverse chronological, combination, targeted, and scannable resumes; and
- critique a set of writing samples, and identify their writing styles and traits associated with effective business writing.
4.1: Oral vs. Written Communication
These sections start with a review of the elements discussed in the communication models introduced in Unit 1, defining them and illustrating how writing differs from speaking. The biggest difference between those writing styles is that writing is usually asynchronous. After you read, try the exercises at the end of the section.
By the end of this video, you will be able to explain the eight essential elements of communication and explain how oral and written communication differ.
4.2: How Is Writing Learned?
Read this section, which demonstrates how you get better at reading and writing as you do it more often. This section discusses the benefits of constructive criticism, critical thinking, and targeted practice. After you read, try the exercises at the end of the section.
4.3: Principles of Good Written Communication and Writing Style
Read this section, which covers the characteristics of good writing, including examples of how rhetorical elements and cognate strategies relate to business communication practices. After you read, try the exercises at the end of the section.
Read this section, which categorizes writing styles as colloquial, casual, informal, or formal, and indicates when and where each style is appropriate. After you read, try the exercises at the end of the section.
Read this section, which many of the same concepts that were applied to language in Chapter 2 to words themselves. Words are governed by rules, shape reality, and have ethical dimensions. After you read, try the exercises at the end of the section.
Your writing reflects the essence of your personal presence. What does this mean, and why is it important if you are not there when someone reads what you have written?
4.4: Overcoming Barriers to Effective Written Communication
This section argues that to overcome barriers to communication, good writers pay attention to details, strive to understand the target meaning, consider nonverbal expressions, and make it a habit to review, reflect, and revise. After you read, try the exercises at the end of the section.
These six videos point out how mistakes can be barriers to effective communication. They then discuss how they apply to written and spoken contexts.
4.5: Business Writing in Action
These sections emphasize how your written business communication represents you and your company. It should be clear, concise, and professional. These sections also discuss the importance of netiquette in the workplace; common examples include memos, business letters, business proposals, reports, resumes, and sales messages. After you read, try the exercises at the end of each section.
This section focuses on various writing styles including formal and informal styles, the impact of being conversational in your writing, how to add emphasis, using a passive or active voice, and more. As you read this section, consider the ways in which you can improve your own writing style and be more effective in all of your messaging. After reading, try the exercises at the end of the section.
Because writing an email is something people do every day, people tend to be casual about the process. Watch this video on why business emails need to be carefully considered to create the right impression and communicate effectively. Consider the impression that a sender's actual email address can make, or how its subject line, greeting, content, word choices, and writing style can affect the overall message. After watching, examine your "sent" folder and find emails you've sent to people who were not friends or family. Critique your own email etiquette and identify ways you could improve your technique.
Social media has become a mainstream channel of communication for corporations. This video provides five tips for businesses to engage with online communities in a strategic and intentional manner that protects their brand.
This video provides an interesting history of digital imaging as well as the use of digital imaging today, and its enormous power to influence. As you watch, think about what digital images, both good and bad, have left a lasting impact on you.
This public service announcement provides an important reminder regarding the importance of responsible digital citizenship. T.H.I.N.K. before you post = Is it truthful? Is it hurtful? Is it illegal? Is it necessary? Is it kind?
Watch this video on how to write an effective sales proposal. Most people approach a proposal by finding someone else's proposal and using it as a template that enables them to fill in the blanks. By now, you should be aware of the need to tailor your messages to suit your particular audience. Given the importance of persuading an audience to accept and adopt your recommendations, cutting corners by copying someone else's presentation is not a good plan. That this video uses a term very familiar to people who work in marketing: "unique value proposition". This is the key message in a sales proposal. It indicates how the product benefits the consumer, meets his or her needs, and is better than its competition. As the term implies, the value proposition is unique, which is why copying others' proposals to produce your own is not a good idea.
Watch this video, which focuses on copywriting, and introduces a writing structure known as the inverted pyramid, which focuses on addressing the "who", "what", "where", "when", "why", and "how" elements in a message. To become more familiar with this structure, read the first two paragraphs of a few news stories. By the second paragraph of most stories, the reporter will have identified most of the "5Ws" and maybe the "H". Don't lose track of this speaker's point: the inverted pyramid is an effective way to write sales messages, too, especially if you can't come up with a more creative way. Once you've examined some examples of news stories that use the inverted pyramid, choose a product at random, and describe its unique value proposition. As an exercise, describe the "5Ws" and "H" that would frame a sales letter about that product.
These five videos cover a variety of topics you might encounter when writing in a business environment. They discuss proper netiquette, which is an essential skill in today's workplace. Understanding the role of text messaging in business and writing effective internal and external emails are critical skills for business professionals. They also explain the purpose and format of business letters, memos, proposals, reports, and resumes, as well as strategies for writing each.
Unit 4 Assessment
- Receive a grade
Take this assessment to see how well you understood this unit.
- This assessment does not count towards your grade. It is just for practice!
- You will see the correct answers when you submit your answers. Use this to help you study for the final exam!
- You can take this assessment as many times as you want, whenever you want.