Chapter 3 Lecture Notes ● 1
CHAPTER 3 LECTURE NOTES
ORGANZING AND DRAFTING BUSINESS MESSAGES
Chapter Synopsis
This chapter describes the second stage in the writing process that includes gathering
information, organizing it into outlines, and drafting messages. Students learn formal and
informal methods of researching data and generating ideas for messages. They are taught to
use outlining techniques and how to apply the direct and indirect strategies for organizing
business messages.
Learning Objectives
1. Apply Phase 2 of the 3-x-3 writing process, which begins with formal and informal
research to collect background information.
2. Organize information into strategic relationships.
3. Compose the first draft of a message using a variety of sentence types while avoiding
What’s New in This Chapter
The authors made the following changes and improvements:
• Provided expanded figure reviewing the 3-x-3 writing process to emphasize its importance
for novice business writers.
• Placed informal research methods before formal research methods to move from simple to
more complex.
• Strengthened the readability of Good/Bad writing techniques by adding labels for quick
comprehension.
• Developed a new comparison of active/passive voice so that students can visualize the
difference between these always challenging voices.
Lecture Notes
I. Drafting Workplace Messages (p. 63)
Figure 3.1 The 3-x-3 Writing Process
Definition: Researching is the process of collecting information about a certain topic.
A. Informal Research Methods
• Search your company’s files.
• Talk with the boss.
B. Formal Research Methods
• Access electronic sources (digital retrieval services).
• Conduct scientific experiments (measure variables using control groups).
II. Organizing Information to Show Relationships (p. 66)
• Scratch list: a quick casual list of topics to cover
• Outline: a hierarchy of ideas
Figure 3.2 Format of an Outline
A. Direct Strategy for Receptive Audiences (also called frontloading)
• Sequence: main idea first followed by details and explanations
• Advantages: saves the reader’s time, sets a proper frame of mind, reduces
Chapter 3 Lecture Notes ● 3
• Use: when the message is routine
B. Indirect Strategy for Unreceptive Audiences
• Sequence: explanation precedes main idea
• Advantages: respects feelings of audience, encourages a fair hearing,
minimizes a negative reaction
Figure 3.3 Audience Response Determines Direct or Indirect Strategy
III. Composing the First Draft With Effective Sentences (p. 69)
A. Achieving Variety With Four Sentence Types
1. Simple sentence
• Contains one complete thought
2. Compound sentence
• Contains two complete but related thoughts that may be joined by a
conjunction such as and, but, or or; by a semicolon; or by a conjunctive
adverb such as however, consequently, or therefore
Example: Sales for October surpassed our expectations; therefore, our team
will receive bonuses next month.
3. Complex sentence
• Contains an independent clause (a complete thought) and a dependent
clause (a thought that cannot stand by itself)
4. Compound-complex sentences
• Contains at least two independent clauses and one dependent clause
• Should be used sparingly
B. Avoiding Three Common Sentence Faults
1. Sentence Fragments
• A fragment is a broken-off part of a sentence.
Example: Even though the pay was low. Many candidates applied.
2. Run-On (Fused) Sentences
• Two independent clauses must be joined by a coordinating conjunction
(and, or, nor, but) or by a semicolon.
• Avoid running two sentences together.
Example: Two candidates applied only one was hired.
3. Comma-Splice Sentences
Example: Many were qualified, Jeff was hired.
C. Favoring Short Sentences
• Strive for a balance between longer and shorter sentences.
• Sentences with 20 or fewer words are easiest to understand.
IV. Developing Business Writing Techniques (p. 71)
A. Developing Emphasis
• Mechanically
• Stylistically
B. Achieving Emphasis Through Mechanics
• Underlining
• Italics and bold
• Font changes
• All caps
C. Achieving Emphasis Through Style
Chapter 3 Lecture Notes ● 5
• Use vivid, not general, words.
D. De-emphasizing When Necessary
• Use general rather than specific words
• Place the bad news in a dependent clause connected to an independent clause
with something positive.
E. Using Active and Passive Voice Effectively
Active voice: subject is the doer of the action
Example: Dr. Lorenzo recommended Irene for the job.
Passive voice: subject is acted upon
Example: Irene was recommended for the job by Dr. Lorenzo.
• Use active voice for most business writing.
Figure 3.4 Using Active and Passive Voice Effectively
F. Developing Parallelism
Definition: Parallelism is a skillful writing technique that involves balanced
writing. It uses similar structures to express similar ideas.
• Match nouns with nouns: honesty, dedication, perseverance
G. Escaping Dangling and Misplaced Modifiers
• A modifier dangles when the word or phrase it describes is missing.
Example: By advertising extensively, all open jobs were filled quickly.
Revision: By advertising extensively, we were able to fill all open jobs quickly.
Revision: While walking through the parking lot, I saw your car.
V. Drafting Well-Organized, Effective Paragraphs (p. 75)
A. Crafting Topic Sentences
• States main idea of the paragraph
• Helps readers understand the paragraph’s central thought
B. Developing Support Sentences
• Illustrate, explain, or strengthen the topic sentence
• Must relate to the topic sentence
C. Building Paragraph Coherence
• Repeat key ideas or key words.
D. Controlling Paragraph Length
Figure 3.4 Transitional Expressions to Build Coherence
Supplementary Lecture
Overcoming Writer’s Block
Some of the greatest writers in literature—including Ernest Hemingway, Leo Tolstoy,
Virginia Woolf, Joseph Conrad, and Katherine Mansfield—agonized over temporary lapses in
their ability to produce text.
To facilitate their writing and overcome writer’s block, writers throughout the ages have used
an assortment of crutches and devices. Ernest Hemingway’s first rule for writers was to apply
the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair. Other writers used more elaborate motivators,
including regulating the time of output. The French philosopher Emile Zola pulled the shades
Chapter 3 Lecture Notes ● 7
Business writers, of course, do not experience the same challenges as writers of fiction, plays,
and history. Still, some business writers have trouble getting started. Tips for overcoming
writer’s block, shown below and in the Lecture Notes section, come from Literacy Education
Online (http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/block.html).
Tips for Overcoming Writer’s Block
• Experiment. Try to write in different places, at different times, and with different writing
instruments.
• Freewrite. Choose one sentence in a paragraph and write a paragraph about it. Then
choose one sentence from that paragraph and do it again.
• Cluster. Choose key words and ideas; then write associated ideas and words in clusters
around them. This process often forms new ideas.
Critical Thinking Discussion Guide
11. What trends in business and developments in technology are forcing workers to write
more than ever before? (Obj. 1)
Many businesses have downsized and have fewer levels of management, thus requiring
that all employees be able to make decisions and communicate them in meaningful
12. Molly, a twenty-three-year-old college graduate with a 3.5 GPA, was hired as an
administrative assistant. She was a fast learner on all the software, but her supervisor
had to help her with punctuation. On the ninth day of her job, she resigned, saying:
“I just don’t think this job is a good fit. Commas, semicolons, spelling, typos—those
kinds of things just aren’t all that important to me. They just don’t matter.” For
what kind of job is Molly qualified? (Objs. 1–5)
By refusing to develop fundamental language skills or to recognize their importance,
13. Why is audience analysis so important in the selection of the direct or indirect
organization strategy for a business message? (Obj. 2)
Audience analysis is important because it helps the writer decide whether the receiver will
14. How are speakers different from writers in the way they emphasize ideas? (Obj. 4)
Speakers have an array of nonverbal cues that they can use to express many more
emotions and nuances of meaning than are possible in writing. A speaker can raise an
Chapter 3 Lecture Notes ● 9
15. Now that you have studied the active and passive voice, what do you think when
someone in government or business says, “Mistakes were made”? Is it unethical to
use the passive voice to avoid specifics?
By using the passive voice in the familiar statement Mistakes were made, the speaker or
Activities
Note: The solution for Radical Rewrite 3.1 is located in the Solutions to Activities section of
the Instructor’s Manual.
Communication Workshop (p. 88)
Guidelines for Safe Social Networking
• Establish boundaries.
• Be cautious in clicking links.
• Remember that Big Data is watching you.
• Distrust privacy settings.
Career Application: Students should be able to generate from their own experience many tips
for using social media safely. By conducting online research, they will find additional wise
advice. If you need to prime the pump for your students, ask questions such as the following:
How easy is it for identity thieves to obtain personal information about you through social
media? What is phishing? Can you name phishing attempts that you have experienced and
resisted? Do you know anyone who has been scammed? Do you receive a lot of spam? What
does it mean to overshare? Students will find amazingly entertaining examples of oversharing
online.
Workplace in Focus
Page 65
The objective when brainstorming is to generate a high quantity of ideas. The purpose of the
“Yes, and?” method is to accept the ideas of others uncritically and then build upon them. In a
group setting, a “Yes, and?” response to the suggestions of others promotes free thought and
active participation by all members. The quality of ideas gets sorted out later in the process,
after many possible solutions have been proposed.
Page 68
A denial of claims, especially after a disaster, constitutes bad news in a highly sensitive
situation. As a result, claims rejections should be organized using the indirect pattern. By