978-0134562186 Chapter 6 Lecture Note

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Chapter 6: Completing Business Messages

This chapter wraps up the section on the three-step writing process by covering the tasks involved in

completing a message: revising, producing, proofreading, and distributing messages. It includes advice on

evaluating, editing, and revising the work of other writers and on designing messages for mobile devices.

CHAPTER OUTLINE

Revising Your Message: Evaluating the First Draft

Evaluating Your Content, Organization, Style, and Tone

Evaluating, Editing, and Revising the Work of Others

Revising to Improve Readability

Varying Your Sentence Length

Keeping Your Paragraphs Short

Using Lists to Clarify and Emphasize

Adding Headings and Subheadings

Editing for Clarity and Conciseness

Editing for Clarity

Editing for Conciseness

Producing Your Message

Designing for Readability

White Space

Margins and Justification

Typefaces

Type Styles

Formatting Formal Letters and Memos

Designing Messages for Mobile Devices

Proofreading Your Message

Distributing Your Message

Learning Catalytics is a “bring your own device” student engagement, assessment, and classroom

intelligence system. It allows instructors to engage students in class with real-time diagnostics. Students

can use any modern, web-enabled device (smartphone, tablet, or laptop) to access it. For more

information on using Learning Catalytics in your course, contact your Pearson Representative.

LECTURE NOTES

Section 1: Revising Your Message: Evaluating the First Draft

Learning Objective 1: Discuss the value of careful revision, and describe the tasks involved in evaluating

your first drafts and the work of other writers.

Since the first draft is rarely as good as it could be or needs to be, recognize that you’ll need to revise the

document.

Careful revision can mean the difference between a rambling, unfocused message and a lively, direct

message that gets results.

The third step of the three-step writing process involves four key tasks:

Revising your message to achieve optimum quality

Producing your message

Proofreading your message

Distributing your message

The nature of revision will vary according to the medium you’re using and the nature of each message.

Audiences are likely to equate the quality of your writing with the quality of your thinking.

For informal messages to internal audiences, particularly when using instant messaging, text messaging,

email, or blogging, the revision process is often as simple as quickly looking over your message to correct

any mistakes before sending or posting it.

With more complex messages, try to put your draft aside for a day or two before you begin the revision

process so that you can approach the material with a fresh eye.

After letting the document sit for a day or so, start with the “big picture,” making sure that the document

accomplishes your overall goals before moving to finer points, such as readability, clarity, and

conciseness.

Evaluating Your Content, Organization, Style, and Tone

To evaluate content, ask:

Is the information accurate?

Is the information relevant to the audience?

Is there enough information to satisfy the readers’ needs?

Is there a good balance between general information and specific information?

To review organization, ask:

Are all your points covered in the most logical order?

Do the most important ideas receive the most space, and are they placed in the most

prominent positions?

Would the message be more convincing if it were arranged in another sequence?

Are any points repeated unnecessarily?

Are details grouped together logically, or are some still scattered throughout the document?

Ask whether you have achieved the right style and tone for your audience by answering these

questions:

Is your writing formal enough to meet the audience’s expectations, without being too formal

or academic?

Is it too casual for a serious subject?

Does your message emphasize the audience’s needs over your own?

Spend a few extra moments on the beginning and end of your message.

Be sure that the opening is relevant, interesting, and geared to the reader’s probable

reaction.

Make sure your conclusion summarizes the main idea and leaves the audience with a positive impression.

Evaluating, Editing, and Revising the Work of Others

Before you dive into someone else’s work, recognize the dual responsibility that doing so entails:

Unless you’ve been specifically asked to rewrite something in your own style or change the

emphasis of the message, remember that your job is to help the other writer succeed at his

or her task, not to impose your writing style or pursue your own agenda.

Make sure you understand the writer’s intent before you begin suggesting or making changes.

Answer the following questions as you evaluate someone else’s writing:

What is the purpose of this document or message?

Who is the target audience?

What information does the audience need?

Does the document provide this information in a well-organized way?

Does the writing demonstrate the “you” a-tude toward the audience?

Is the tone of the writing appropriate for the audience?

Can the readability be improved?

Is the writing clear? If not, how can it be improved?

Is the writing as concise as it could be?

Does the design support the intended message?

Section 2: Revising to Improve Readability

Learning Objective 2: List four techniques you can use to improve the readability of your messages.

After confirming the content, organization, style, and tone of your message, make a second pass to

improve readability.

During your second pass, focus on readability:

Readers will save time and understand your messages be/er.

Your reputation for well-cra1ed documents will garner more attention for your work.

Readability formulas offer a useful reference point but are limited by what they are able to measure:

They can measure word length, number of syllables, sentence length, and paragraph length.

They cannot measure document design, the “you” a-tude, clear sentence structure, smooth

transitions, or proper word usage.

Help readers skim your message by:

Varying the sentence length

Using shorter paragraphs

Using lists and bullets instead of narrative

Adding effective headings and subheadings

Varying Your Sentence Length

By varying sentence length, you can create a rhythm that:

Emphasizes important points

Enlivens your writing style

Makes your information appealing to your reader

Each sentence length has its advantages:

Short sentences can be processed quickly and are easier for nonnative speakers to interpret.

Medium-length sentences are useful for showing the relationships among ideas.

Long sentences are often the best way to convey complex ideas, list multiple related points, or summarize

or preview information.

Each sentence length also has disadvantages:

Too many short sentences in a row can make your writing choppy.

Medium sentences lack the punch of short sentences and the informative power of longer

ones.

Long sentences are usually harder to skim and harder to understand than short sentences because they are

packed with information that must all be absorbed at once.

Keeping Your Paragraphs Short

Try to keep paragraph length short to medium:

Short paragraphs of 100 words or fewer are easier to read than long ones.

They make your writing look inviting.

You can emphasize an idea by isolating it in a short, forceful paragraph.

Don’t go overboard with short paragraphs; for example, use one-sentence paragraphs only

occasionally and usually only for emphasis.

Using Lists to Clarify and Emphasize

By using bulleted or numbered lists, you can:

Show the sequence of your ideas.

Heighten the impact of list items.

Increase the likelihood the reader will find key points.

Listed items can be separated by numbers, letters, or bullets, and they are easier to find if the entire

numbered or bulleted section is set off by a blank line before and after it.

Introduce lists clearly so that people know what they’re about to read:

Make the list a part of the introductory sentence.

Precede the list with a complete introductory sentence, followed by a colon.

Items in lists should be phrased in parallel form.

Adding Headings and Subheadings

Headings (brief titles that tell readers about the content of the section that follows) serve several

important functions:

Organization—showing readers at a glance how the document is organized

A/ention—grabbing the reader’s attention, making the text easier to read, and helping

readers ‘nd the parts they need

Connection—helping readers see the relationships between subordinate and main ideas

Headings may be:

Descriptive—merely identify the topic

Informative—are self-contained and guide readers to think in a certain way

Headings should be brief and parallel throughout the entire document.

Section 3: Editing for Clarity and Conciseness

Learning Objective 3: Describe eight steps you can take to improve the clarity of your writing, and give

four tips on making your writing more concise.

After you’ve reviewed and revised your message for readability, your next step is to make sure your

message is as clear and as concise as possible.

Editing for Clarity

Ask yourself whether your message is as clear and as concise as possible by focusing on your:

Paragraph organization

Sentence structure

Word choices

When editing for clarity, be sure to:

Break up overly long sentences.

Rewrite hedging sentences.

Impose parallelism.

Correct dangling modi’ers.

Reword long noun sequences.

Replace camou=aged verbs.

Clarify sentence structure.

Clarify awkward references.

Editing for Conciseness

When editing for conciseness, remember to:

Delete unnecessary words and phrases.

Shorten long words and phrases.

Eliminate redundancies.

Recast “It is/There are” starters if shorter alternatives are available.

Remove every adverb that adds nothing to the meaning already carried in the verb.

As you rewrite, concentrate on:

How each word contributes to an effective sentence

How each sentence develops a coherent paragraph

Section 4: Producing Your Message

Learning Objective 4: List four principles of effective design, and explain the role of major design

elements in document readability.

Production quality of your message—the total effect of page or screen design, graphical elements,

typography:

Plays an important role in the effectiveness of your message

Makes your material easier to read but also conveys a sense of professionalism and importance

Designing for Readability

Document presentation can help or hurt readability in two ways:

Carefully done design elements can improve the effectiveness of your message (and thus

poorly done design elements can act as barriers, blocking your communication).

The design itself sends a nonverbal message to the audience, influencing their perceptions of the

communication before they read a single word.

Effective design helps you:

Establish the tone of your document.

Guide your readers through your message.

Make your design elements effective by paying careful attention to the following design elements:

Consistency

Balance

Restraint

Detail

Class discussion question: Have you ever prejudged or rejected the message contained in a document or

website because of poor or inappropriate visual presentation? For example, if a website’s design looked

dated or clumsy, did you find yourself dismissing its content because something so poorly presented

couldn’t possibly be useful, authoritative, or current? What effect does visual design have on the

credibility of a message?

White space:

Is space of any color that is free of text and artwork

Provides contrast

Offers readers a visual resting point

White space includes:

The open area surrounding headings

The space in margins

The space in paragraph indents

The space around images

The vertical space between columns

The horizontal space between paragraphs or lines of text

Lines of type can be set:

Justi’ed (=ush on both the le1 and right margins)

Flush le1 with a ragged-right margin

Flush right with a ragged-le1 margin

Centered with ragged-left and ragged-right margins

Justified type:

Creates a denser look because the uniform line lengths decrease the amount of white

space along the right margin

Produces a more formal and less personalized look

Is more difficult to read because it can produce large gaps between words and excessive

hyphenation at the ends of lines

Flush-left–ragged-right type:

Produces a less formal and more contemporary look

Gives a document an informal, contemporary feeling of openness

Is easier to read (because the spacing between words is the same)

Reduces hyphenation (because only long words are hyphenated at the end of lines)

Centered type is:

Rarely used for text paragraphs

Commonly used for headings and subheadings

Flush-right–ragged-left type is rarely used in business documents.

The term typeface refers to the physical design of letters, numbers, and other characters.

Font and typeface are often used interchangeably, although strictly speaking, a font is a set of

characters in a given typeface.

Each typeface influences the tone of your message.

Serif typefaces such as Times Roman:

Have small crosslines (serifs) at the ends of each letter stroke

Are commonly used for regular paragraph text

Can look busy and cluttered when set in large sizes for headings and other display type

Sans serif typefaces such as Helvetica and Arial:

Have no serifs

Are ideal for larger sized font

Can be diDcult to read in long blocks of text unless set with generous leading

Look best when surrounded by plenty of white space

The classic style of document design uses a sans serif typeface for headings and a serif typeface

for regular paragraph text; however, many contemporary documents now use all sans serif.

Two typefaces should be enough for most business documents, although you might consider a

third for special uses.

Type style is any modification that lends contrast or emphasis to type, such as:

Boldface

Italics

Underlining

Color

Other highlighting and decorative styles

Use boldface type for subheads, but avoid overuse of boldface within the text.

Use italic type for emphasis as well as for highlighting quotations and indicating foreign words,

irony, humor, book and movie titles, and unconventional usage.

Underlining, all upper case, and shadowed or outlined type can hinder legibility and slow your

readers’ progress.

When completing your business message, choose your type size to match the importance of your

message and the space allotted:

Use a size of 10 to 12 points for regular text and 12 to 18 points for headings and

subheadings.

Small type is hard to read.

Extra-large type looks unprofessional in most applications.

Formatting Formal Letters and Memos

Formal business letters usually follow certain design conventions.

Most are printed on letterhead stationery, which includes the company’s name, address, and other contact

information.

Typical elements, in the following order:

Date

Inside address (identifies the person receiving the letter)

Salutation, usually in the form of Dear Mr. or Ms. Last Name.

The message

Complimentary close, usually Sincerely or Cordially

Paper memos have largely been replaced by digital media in many companies.

When used, they usually contain the following:

A title such as Memo, Memorandum, or Interoffice Correspondence

Four headings: Date, To, From, and Subject (Re:, short for Regarding, is sometimes used instead

of Subject)

Memos usually don’t use a salutation, complimentary close, or signature, although signing your initials

next to your name on the From line is standard practice in most companies.

Memos are often distributed without sealed envelopes, so they are less private than most other message

formats.

Designing Messages for Mobile Devices

Follow these steps to format content for mobile devices:

Think in small chunks. Try to divide your message into independent, screen-size,

easy-to-consume bites.

Make generous use of white space. Keep your paragraphs short (4–6 lines), and separate them

with blank lines so the reader’s eyes can easily jump from one point to the next.

Format simply. Avoid anything that is likely to get in the way of fast, easy reading.

Consider horizontal and vertical layouts. Most phones and tablets can automatically rotate their

screen content from horizontal to vertical as the user rotates the device.

Section 5: Proofreading Your Message

Learning Objective 5: Explain the importance of proofreading, and give eight tips for successful

proofreading.

Proofreading is the quality inspection stage for your documents, your last chance to make sure that your

document is ready to carry your message—and your reputation—to the intended audience.

Review your document for:

Undetected mistakes from the writing, design, and layout stages

Mistakes that crept in during production

Several techniques can help you proofread more effectively:

Make multiple passes.

Use perceptual tricks (such as reading each page backward).

Double-check high-priority items.

Give yourself some distance.

Be vigilant.

Stay focused.

Consider reviewing complex electronic documents on paper if possible.

Take your time.

The amount of time you need to spend on proofreading depends on:

Document length

Document complexity

Situation

Class discussion question: How do you react when you see a typo, grammatical error, or other mistake in

a written message? Do you tend to look past it and keep your focus on the message, or does it color your

assessment of writer’s knowledge, education, and abilities? Do you judge formal messages and

documents more harshly than informal ones?

Section 6: Distributing Your Message

Learning Objective 6: Discuss the most important issues to consider when distributing your messages.

When planning your distribution, consider:

Cost

Convenience

Time

Security and privacy

HIGHLIGHT BOX: THE FUTURE OF COMMUNICATION

Haptic Technologies

As the box notes, haptic technologies present at least a couple of interesting possibilities that relate to

business communication in its broadest sense. First, adding touch to a human-machine interaction can

make it realistic or provide vital feedback. This can relieve some of the burden of trying to describe

something verbally. Second, by providing a more immersive experience, they might improve access to

job opportunities and company resources (production systems, information systems, etc.) for people

with limited vision.

COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES AT TYPE TOGETHER

Individual Challenge

Note: For an exercise such as this, where students are tasked with repurposing a company’s published

information, it is acceptable for them to reuse short text sections verbatim.

The Info/About Us page has multiple key points that students should be able to identify. Here are four

points that summarize the company’s appeal to professional designers and other people shopping for

fonts:

TypeTogether’s main interest is finding innovative and stylish solutions to old problems for the

professional market, with a focus on editorial use

The aesthetic and functional efficiency of TT’s fonts are accompanied by excellence in technical

performance.

In addition to TypeTogether’s high quality library of retail fonts, TT also provides custom

modifications and specially tailored typefaces

The quality of TypeTogether’s work has been already recognized in several international

competitions, including TDC and ED-Awards.

You may want to explain to students that editorial in this context refers to use in magazines, newspapers,

and other periodicals. In addition, the description should include the company’s URL

(www.type-together.com) so that potential customers can get more information.

The four bullet points above add up to 73 words, so the raw material is already near the word-count limit,

but students only need to stitch these components together to create the description. At 74 words, here is

one possible version:

TypeTogether develops innovative and stylish solutions to age-old challenges for the professional

market, with a focus on editorial use. These fonts offer aesthetic and functional efficiency with

excellence in technical performance. In addition to a high-quality library of retail fonts, we provide

custom modifications and specially tailored typefaces for unique corporate uses. The quality of our

work has been recognized in several international competitions, including TDC and ED-Awards. See

our full range at www.type-together.com.

Team Challenge

By searching online for “dos and don’ts for choosing and using fonts” or similar phrases, students will be able

to find a wealth of advice on this topic.