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Guidelines For Effective Writing

Course Objectives Good communication is one of the keys to a successful career no matter what field you choose, and many different skills contribute to a professional's capacity to communicate well. The objective of 15.279 is to help you improve the ability to: Formulate an effective communication strategy for any message, in any medium, and in any situation. Write clearly, concisely, and convincingly. Create impressive formal presentations that are delivered with confidence and poise. Give and receive feedback that will improve yours and other's communication. Listen for understanding. Work effectively with others in small groups or teams. Understand and negotiate the difference in communication between yourself and people who are not from your culture. Improving communication is a continuous process of learning, doing, critiquing, evaluating, and doing again. It is a process that we hope will continue for you even after you complete 15.279.

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akirank1
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269 views

Guidelines For Effective Writing

Course Objectives Good communication is one of the keys to a successful career no matter what field you choose, and many different skills contribute to a professional's capacity to communicate well. The objective of 15.279 is to help you improve the ability to: Formulate an effective communication strategy for any message, in any medium, and in any situation. Write clearly, concisely, and convincingly. Create impressive formal presentations that are delivered with confidence and poise. Give and receive feedback that will improve yours and other's communication. Listen for understanding. Work effectively with others in small groups or teams. Understand and negotiate the difference in communication between yourself and people who are not from your culture. Improving communication is a continuous process of learning, doing, critiquing, evaluating, and doing again. It is a process that we hope will continue for you even after you complete 15.279.

Uploaded by

akirank1
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Guidelines for Effective Writing

• Write strategically
• Write logically and coherently
• Use formatting devices and color effectively
• Write clearly and concisely
• Use graphic material wisely
• Pay attention to style and tone
• Write without “mechanical” errors
Communication for Managers
Five Ways to Logical Writing
• “Pile” similar information together.
• Organize “piles” into a logical sequence
using a common organizational pattern.
• Check that each sentence and each
paragraph contains one and only one idea.
• Use transitions effectively to link one idea to
the next.
• Answer the “three” questions.
Communication for Managers
When Your Writing Is Logical . . .

• Ideas are in sequence


• Your writing flows from one point to the
next
• The relationships between ideas are sound
• There are no “gaps” in your story

Communication for Managers

Clear and ConciseWriting

• You should:
– Identify characters
– Use verbs to name actions

–Write with readers’ expectations in mind

• You should try to avoid:


– Nominalizations – Stacked nouns
– Passive voice – Redundancies
– Neg. Constructions – Needless words
Communication for Managers
Structure of an Organization Tree

Main Point

Major

Supporting

Points Evidence

Communication for Managers


Organizational Patterns
• Chronological
• General to specific
• Specific to general
• Cause and effect
• Comparison
• Contrast
• Spatial
Communication for Managers
“Connectors”

• Repeater Connectors • Direction Connectors


– Key words – Moving in the same
– Pronouns that replace direction
key words – Moving in the opposite
– Other words or phrases direction
that replace key words – Moving toward a
– Other words or phrases conclusion
that imply key words – Moving up or down the
ladder of abstraction

Communication for Managers

The Six Most Common

Grammatical Errors

• Lack of parallel structure


• Sentence fragments or run-on sentences
• Errors in agreement
• Misuse of case
• Misplaced or dangling modifiers
• Vague pronouns or pronouns without
antecedents
Communication for Managers
The Four Most Common

Punctuation Errors

• Misusing commas, as for example:


– creating a comma splice
– not using commas to set off non-essential
clauses
• Misuse of apostrophes
• Not using hyphens to make compound
adjectives
• Using quotation marks with other
punctuation marks incorrectly
Communication for Managers

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