Writing & Speaking for Business

Writing & Speaking for Business Chapter Three By William H. Baker

Composing Written Messages Identify your Purpose Analyze your Audience Develop an Outline Decided on a Strategy

Chapter 3 Agenda 1. Business Style 2. Writing Structure

Writing Styles Academic Writing Creative Writing Scholarly Writing Business Writing

Important Style Factors Readability —Sentence length —Word difficulty Formality —More formal —Less formal Diction —Slang —Flowery —Preferred

Readability

OABC The reason for the message The problem you will later address A major recommendation you are making An answer to the reader’s previous communication Other key information Opening

OABC Quantify Identify Organize Symbolize Agenda Types

OABC Caution . . . Don’t make the agenda sound too wordy or mechanical

OABC Develop the key point(s) given in the opening or agenda Body

OABC Ways to develop main ideas Explanations Illustrations Evaluations Applications

Persuasion

Enemies of Logical Reasoning = Indefensible Conclusions

CLOUD Paragraph Standards Coherence Length Development Unity Organization

OABC Summary Conclusions Recommendations Closing

Writing & Speaking for Business