PRDV002: Professional Writing

The purpose of business writing is to communicate facts and ideas. To accomplish this purpose, you must present key components in each document so your reading audience understands the message. These elements seem so simple that you wonder how writers neglect them. But miscommunication and misunderstandings happen all the time. Most omission or neglect is unintentional – the writer assumes the reader will easily understand a concept, idea, or meaning.  Many variables make effective communication challenging – from background to language, culture to education. How you address these basic elements increases the effectiveness of your documents.

Each document must address the following:

• Who
• What
• When
• Where
• How
• (and sometimes) Why

Having these elements in mind as you prepare your document makes it easier to decide what to write and in what order. It will also help you review your document before delivering it. If your draft omits any of these elements or addresses it unclearly, you will know what to fix.

Another approach to organizing your document is with the classical proofs of ethos, logos, and pathos. Ethos, or your credibility, will come through with your choice of sources and authority on the subject(s). Your logos, or the logic of your thoughts represented across the document, will help your reader understand the relationships among who, what, where, when, and so forth. If your readers cannot follow your logic, they will lose interest, fail to understand your message, and possibly not even read it at all. Finally, your pathos, or passion and enthusiasm, will be reflected in your design and word choices. If your document fails to convey enthusiasm for the subject, how can you expect the reader to be interested? Every document, indeed every communication, represents aspects of these classical elements.

Organizing Principles

Once you know the basic elements of your message, you need to decide how to present them to your audience. A central organizing principle will help you determine a logical order for your information. One common organizing principle is chronology or time: the writer tells what happened first, what happened next, what is happening now, and what they expect to happen in the future. Another common organizing principle is a comparison: the writer describes one product, an argument on one side of an issue, or one course of action and compares it with another product, argument, or course of action.

For example, imagine you are a business writer in the transportation industry and must write a series of informative pieces on the "TransAmerica Transportation System Study." Just as the First Transcontinental Railroad once unified the United States from east to west, the TransAmerica Transportation System will integrate Mexican, U.S., and Canadian markets from south to north. Rail transportation has been an integral part of the transportation and distribution system for goods across the Americas, and its role will be important in this new system.

When deciding how to organize your report, you have several challenges and possible organizing principles to use. Part of your introduction will involve a historical perspective and discussion of the events that led from the First Transcontinental Railroad to the TransAmerica Transportation System. Other aspects include comparing the old railroad and highway systems with the new ones and the transformative effect on business and industry. You must acknowledge the complex relationships and challenges that collaboration has overcome and highlight the common benefits. You will be asked to write informative documents for public relations initiatives, persuasive essays to underscore the benefits of the status quo and write speeches for celebrations and awards.

Table 6.1, "Organizing Principles," lists how to apply 17 organizing principles to pieces you might write on the TransAmerican Transportation System.

Table 6.1 Organizing Principles

Outlines

You have probably learned the basics of outlining in English writing courses. An outline is a framework that organizes main ideas and subordinate ideas in a hierarchical series of Roman numerals and alphabetical letters. The right column of Table 6.2, "Outline 1," presents a generic outline in a classical style. In the left column, the three main structural elements of an informative document are tied to the outline. Your task is to fill in the right column outline with the actual ideas and points you are making in your writing project.

Table 6.2 Outline 1

Table 6.3 "Outline 2" presents an alternate outline form that may be suitable for brief documents like letters and emails.

Table 6.3 Outline 2

Paragraphs

Paragraphs are how we package information in business communication. The more efficient the package, the easier to deliver the meaning.

You can think of each paragraph as a small essay within a larger information platform, defined by a guiding thesis and an organizing principle. The standard five-paragraph essay format used on college term papers is mirrored in individual paragraphs. College essays often have minimum or maximum word counts, but paragraphs rarely have established limits. Each paragraph focuses on one central idea. It can be as long or short to get the message across, but avoid long, drawn-out paragraphs that may lose your reader's attention.

A paragraph generally has an introduction, body, and conclusion. Each paragraph has one idea, thought, or purpose stated in an introductory sentence. This is followed by one or more supporting sentences and concluded with a summary statement and transition or link to the next idea or paragraph. Let's address each in turn:

• The topic sentence states the main thesis, purpose, or topic of the paragraph; it defines the subject matter to be addressed in that paragraph.
  
  
• Body sentences support the topic sentence and relate clearly to the subject matter of the paragraph and overall document. They may use an organizing principle similar to that of the document itself (chronology, contrast, spatial) or introduce a related organizing principle (point by point, process, or procedure).
  
  
• The conclusion sentence brings the paragraph to a close; it may do this in any of several ways. It may reinforce the paragraph's main point, summarize the relationships among the body sentences, and/or serve as a transition to the next paragraph.

Effective Sentences

How do we organize sentences? You have probably learned in English courses that each sentence needs to have a subject, verb, and object. There are four basic types of sentences: declarative, imperative, interrogative, and exclamatory.

Here are some examples:

• Declarative – You are invited to join us for lunch.
• Imperative – Please join us for lunch.
• Interrogative – Would you like to join us for lunch?
• Exclamatory – I am so glad you can join us!

Declarative sentences make a statement, whereas interrogative sentences ask a question. Imperative sentences convey a command, and exclamatory sentences express strong emotion. Interrogative and exclamatory sentences are easy to identify by their final punctuation, a question mark, and an exclamation point, respectively. In business writing, declarative and imperative sentences are more frequently used.

Compound and complex sentences combine two or more of the four basic types:

1. Simple sentence. Sales have increased.
2. Compound sentence. Sales have increased, and profits continue to grow.
3. Complex sentence. Sales have increased, and we have the sales staff to thank for it.
4. Compound complex sentence. Although the economy has been in recession, sales have increased, and we have sales staff to thank for it.

In our simple sentence, "sales" serves as the subject, and "have increased" serves as the verb. The sentence can stand alone because it has the two basic parts that constitute a sentence. In our compound sentence, we have two independent clauses that could stand alone; they are joined by the conjunction "and." In our complex sentence, we have an independent clause (which can stand on its own) combined with a fragment (not a sentence) or dependent clause which, if it were not joined to the independent clause, would not make any sense. The fragment "and we have the sales staff to thank" on its own would have us asking "for what?" as the subject is absent. Complex compound sentences combine a mix of independent and dependent clauses, and at least one of the clauses must be dependent.

Writing complete, correct sentences requires practice. The more you write, the easier it becomes. Most reading audiences will not waste their time on poor writing, especially in a business context. They move on. Your challenge is to know what you will write and present it – via words, symbols, and images – clearly and concisely.

Avoid vague sentences by focusing on specific content. Each sentence should convey a complete thought. Vague sentences leave the reader wondering what the author meant to convey.

• Vague – We can facilitate solutions in pursuit of success by leveraging our core strengths.
• Specific – We will use our knowledge, experience, and capabilities to achieve the production targets during the next quarter.

Avoid needless complexity by limiting the range and scope of each complete thought. Some writers equate long, complex sentences with excellence and skill. Clear, concise, and brief sentences communicate ideas and concepts more effectively and efficiently.

• Complex – Air transportation features a speed of delivery in ways few other forms of transportation can match, including tractor-trailer and rail, and is readily available to the individual consumer and the corporate client alike.
• Clear – Air transportation is accessible and faster than railroads or trucking.

Your sentences should include a clear subject and verb. Incomplete sentences (sentence fragments) fail to pay attention to detail and invite misunderstanding.

• Fragments – Although air transportation is fast. Costs more than trucking.
• Complete – Although air transportation is fast, it costs more than trucking.

Avoid bureaucratic language and phrases that are the hallmark of decoration and ritual. For example, a state governor may begin their declaration that today is HIV/AIDS Awareness Day with the phrase "Whereas" to demonstrate its ritual importance. Similarly, legal documents use standard phrases such as "know all men by these presents." However, you should refrain from using these bureaucratic phrases and ritualistic words that can distract the reader from the essential meaning of your message in standard business writing. Each follow-up interaction with your customer, client, or supplier to clarify your message costs money! Table 6.4 "Bureaucratic Phrases and Standard Alternatives" offers examples of common bureaucratic phrases and standard English alternatives.

Table 6.4 Bureaucratic Phrases and Standard Alternatives

Although repetition is an effective strategy to reinforce messages in oral communication, it adds needless length and impairs clarity to written communication.

• Redundant – In this day and age, air transportation by an air carrier is the clear winner over alternative modes of conveyance for speed and meeting tight deadlines.
• Clear – Today, air transportation is faster than other methods.

When writers state something is a "true fact," a group achieved a "consensus of opinion," or the "final outcome" was declared, their words are unnecessarily redundant. You do not need to qualify a fact, consensus, or outcome with words that state similar concepts. A fact is true. A group of diverse opinions forms a consensus. An outcome is the final result, so adding the word "final" repeats the fact.

In business writing, we seek clear and concise writing to avoid misinterpretation. It is easy to lose track of the meaning of complex sentences, especially if the reader's first language is not English. Translation adds another layer of complexity that can lead to miscommunication. Effective sentences follow the KISS formula: Keep It Simple – Simplify!

Transitions

When building a house, you need a strong foundation. Can you install the beams to hold your roof in place without anything to keep them in place? Of course not. In the same way, the columns or beams are the main ideas of your document. They must connect with each other so they can be interdependent, and stay where you want them, so your writing does not come crashing down.

Transitions are words or visual devices that help the audience follow the author's ideas, connect the main points to each other, and see the relationships you have created in the information you are presenting. Many call them bridges between ideas, thoughts, or concepts, providing a sense of where you have been and where you are going. Transitions guide your audience as you progress from one important idea, concept, or point to the next. They also demonstrate the relationships between the main point and the ideas you use to support, illustrate, provide examples, or offer outside references. Table 6.5, "Types of Transitions in Writing," summarizes 14 types of transitions.

Table 6.5 Types of Transitions in Writing

 This text was adapted by Saylor Academy under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License without attribution as requested by the work's original creator or licensor.