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Business Written Communications

Terms in this set (59)

Rhetorical Triangle
Writer --> Message --> Reader
Writer --> Encode --> Channel --> Reader
Theory:
1. Length
2. Beautiful language (effective, concise)
3. No know it all (information is service)
4. Nobody has to read what you write
Subtext
An underlying and often distinct theme in a piece of writing/conversation
Direct Organization
Writing to person to tell what they want right away
Indirect Organization
Buffering information to tell what you want
-Gain attention
-Tell a story, state a fact, question, history, describe problem, compliment reader, but don't bore people
-Build interest
-What is in it for them... Rational, emotional, ethical, direct benefits, indirect benefits
-Reduce resistance
-Expert or outside testimony, money back guarantee, scientific evidence/research, poll/award/survey, think like a debater
-Close to motivate action
-Act quickly, easy to take, clear, incentive immediate action (bonus offer, limited time)
Connotative Language
Emotional words that can be positive, negative, or neutral
Writing Process
Big picture changes
-Channel: hard copy, email, PDF
-Content: don't copy, be specifc
-Organization:
-Tone:
Small picture changes
-Paragraph: 3 to 5 sentences (8 lines)
-Sentences: Rhythm, 14-22 words
-Words: 3+ syllable, strong verbs
Media Richness Theory
A framework used to describe a communication medium's ability to reproduce the information sent over it.
A channel to opportunity to communicate that is rich.
1. Face-to-face
2. Phone
3. email
4. Poster billboard
End-dating
Ending a document with a date of call to action
Graphic Highlighting
1. First impressions are important. You wouldn't want to go to a job interview or on a hot date without
putting extra effort into your appearance. Why not put the same effort into making your letter or
memo visually appealing?
2. There's another reason for taking the extra effort with your visual layout: clear communication.
3. Word processing programs (like Microsoft Word) have many capabilities which you can and should
use to make your documents visually appealing, interesting, and powerful:
4. Use bold face to emphasize certain key or important words, but don't overuse it, or you will soon weaken its impact.
5. Italic can be used for emphasis, but with a softer impact than bold face. Italic is often used to make a phrase stand out from a sentence or to indicate a name of a book, brand name, or place.
6. Underlining is not as popular as it used to be. When people used typewriters, it was the only way of
emphasizing a word or phrase. Since the word processors, with their ability to add bold face or italic, and their ability to vary type sizes and styles, underlining is now only used in rare occasions.
7. NEVER USE ALL UPPERCASE LETTERS. AS YOU CAN SEE, IT IS VERY DIFFICULT
TO READ.
8. You can also use indentation and tabs to line up columns of information, and to make your bullet lists or outlines more appealing or easy to read.
9. Also use font size to create a logical array of headings and sub-headings. Normal font size should be 12 point. Major headings should be 18 or 24 point, while sub-headings should be 14 point.
10. Changing font styles in a document is usually not a good idea. Stick with a standard serif type such
as Times or Times New Roman. Headings and subheadings may use a sans-serif type such as Helvetica or Ariel.
11. Your strongest graphic highlighting technique is using
white space appropriately. Paper is cheap, so don't crowd your page. Use spacing correctly, and add extra space before and after tables and
drawings.
Dovetailing
Ending and starting a sentence with the same words
Signature File
e-mail signature
Inside Address
The name, title, and street address of the person to whom a business letter is written, as it appears on the letter above the salutation
Salutation
A salutation is a greeting used in a letter or other written or non-written communication. Salutations can be formal or informal. The most common form of salutation in an English letter is Dear followed by the recipient's given name or title. For each style of salutation there is an accompanying style of complementary close, known as valediction.
Complimentary Close
The part of a letter that immediately precedes the writer's signature, consisting of words such as Sincerely, Cordially, Very truly yours, etc.
Reference Initials
The author of the letter was also the typist. Such initials are only of interest if the typist was another person than the author.
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