Written communication

Written communication is transmitted by written

words in the form of letters, memos, circulars,
bulletins, reports, manuals, magazines,
handbooks, etc.
Written communication is a creative activity that
requires a lot of imagination and efforts to arrive
at the finished product.
Poorly written message creates confusion and
misunderstanding. Thus, understanding the
purpose, the audience, the message and the
channel is essential.
Written communication guarantees that
everyone concerned has the same information.
It provides a long-lasting record of
communication for future.

Purpose of writing
There are mainly two purposes of written
communication in business situation:
To inform: when the writer seeks to give information and
offer to explain it, the writing is called informative writing.
Informative writing presents information not opinions. It is
also called expository writing because it expounds or
expresses ideas and facts

To persuade: persuasive writing aims at convincing the
reader about a matter, which is debatable. It expresses
opinion rather than facts. This is also known as
argumentative writing.
Example: Letters to editor, business/research proposals,
religious books, literatures belonging to a certain political
party etc.



Characteristics Of Written
Communication
Most formal type of communication
Used for documentation
Used for circulation of information
Conventional by nature: no too many rules
Presence of sender and receiver is not
necessary at the same time
A creative activity
It has fewer cycles: one cycle event
Advantages of written
communication
Issuing orders
Cant be distorted
Economical
Clear and specific
Response
Record can be kept
Permanent in nature
Permits substitution and revision
Suitable for distance communication
Image Building: letters from the company

Disadvantages of written
communication
Expensive
Formal
Amendments are not possible
Misunderstood
Feedback
Limited to literate world
Costly
No immediate clarifications

Clarity in writing
Clarity have a definite purpose for writing
and make sure it is clearly communicated
up front. Be bold and connect quickly.
Absolute clarity of ideas adds much to the
meaning of the message.
The first stage is clarity in the mind of the
sender.
The next stage is the transmission of the
message in a manner which makes it
simple for the receiver to comprehend.
As far as possible, simple language and
easy sentence constructions, which are
not difficult for the receiver to grasp should
be used.
Use of complicated Jargon should be
avoided if the message can be
constructed without it.
Unnecessary use of complicated
sentences & words confuses the receiver.
Principles Of Effective Writing
Effectiveness can be achieved by the
following the principles of :

Accuracy

Brevity

Clarity
Accuracy
To be accurate one should check and double
check all information for-
Facts, Figures and Words
Language and tone

Correctness of words: check for choice of
words for correct usage
For example whether the communication is a
formal or informal we should always write
Between you and me , and not Between You
and I .

BREVITY
Consists in saying only what needs to be
said and leaving out unnecessary words or
details
Brief does not mean saying less than what
the occasion demands
Brevity is neither achieved at the cost of
clarity nor is it gained by sacrificing proper
English.
CLARITY
The purpose of business writing is to achieve the understanding and
reaction needed in the quickest and most economical way.

As a writer one has to follow the principles of unity and coherence that
binds words into sentences, sentences into units or paragraphs and
paragraphs into essays

As we write we bury the message under a mountain of unnecessary
words or we adopt an unnatural style that conceals our real intentions
and robs the message of its true purpose

So it is very essential to revise the content and check if the message is
clear and stating what has to be stated in the right manner
Principles of effective writing
Place the reader first
Keep to the point
Set the right tone
Write a strong opening
Write a strong close

Approaching the writing process
systematically
Preparing and writing any business
message whether a letter, email, memo
etc., is easier when the writer or presenter
has a systematic plan to follow.
Basics of business writing
Purposeful
Economical
Reader oriented
3X3 writing process for business
communication
According to Guffey, writing process is
divided into three steps, which are broken
into three sub-steps.
Phase1(prewriting phase): analyzing,
anticipating, adapting
Phase2(writing phase): researching,
organizing, composing
Phase3(revising phase): revising,
proofreading, evaluating.
Phase 1 (Prewriting)
Analyzing :
The first thing to yourself when composing a
message is the reason youre sending the
note.
You should think what you hope to achieve with
the message .
Analyze means that you must establish a
purpose, what message do you want to send
and what will be the best channel.

Anticipate:
Anticipating the audience is a very important
step to insure that you reach your
communication goals.
It is important to imagine some of your
audiences characteristics.
By profiling your audience and changing your
message to suit your profile, your message
will most likely turn out more efficient in
displaying your intentions.
After identifying your purpose for writing a
message, you have to select a best
communication channel.
Adapting:
Once you know your audience, adapt your
language so that it speaks to them in the right
tone and using the right vocabulary that they
easily understand and relate to.
Use reader benefits
Cultivate you attitude
Use sensitive language
Avoid negative expressions

Phase 2 (writing)
Research:
You have to know what you are writing about.
Research your topic and gather all data you
need in order to make a truthful post or article
with substance.
Formal research methods
Informal research methods
Brainstorming
Organize:
Make a quick outline of your entry or article.
List and outlines
Organize ideas into patterns
Compose:
At this time the writer is ready to write the first
draft of the text.


Phase 3 (Revising)
Revising
Go over what you just wrote and improve on sentences
until you have made sure that you are expressing
yourself clearly and that your tone is right for your
audience.
Proofreading
Here is when you get into the details. Use a
spellchecker to start with. Read the text again and
look for inconsistencies and errors. If you have
someone that can read the article before you post it,
that is even better.
Evaluating
Did the text meet your goals and fulfill the
purpose? Evaluate that and learn from time to
time to get even better at getting your
message across.
how successful will this communication will
be?
Does the message say what you want it to?
Did you obtain the intended feedback?
Specific writing features
Effective writing is achieved when it has
certain features. Writing will be effective if
it is organized, has appropriate tone and is
reliable.
Organization
Coherence
Appropriate tone
readability
Organization: organization can mean
direct versus indirect order. A second form
of organization has to do with the flow of
words within and between sentences.
Coherence: coherence in a sentence
implies how various parts are sticking to
each other with no words superfluous, no
word inappropriate.
Also the parts are sticking tightly to each
other in a logical order.
Coherence grows when sender and
receiver perceive the transmitted thought in
the same way.
Appropriate tone : the next major feature
of effective writing is appropriate tone.
Three main ways of effective tone are:
Writing with the you attitude
Using positive phrasing
Avoiding tactless wording
Readability: The next major component in writing
process is making the writing readable.
Readable writing builds on some of the concepts
discussed above but adds additional dimensions,
clarity, conciseness, parallel structure, and activity.
Eg of parallel structure:
We can collect information, store it, and later it can be
updated.

A number of Use many
At your earliest possible
convenience
Use soon
Fullest possible extent Use fully or completely
Electronic writing process
Writing has two components: composition
and transcription.
Historically managers composed and
secretaries transcribed.
Managers may have started the process
with dictation and asked for the rough
draft.

The personal computer has changed the
process in several ways:
Those doing the keyboarding save time in
inserting changes into an electronic file,
which avoids retyping copy which is
correct.
PCs have facilitated the transcription of
many messages by their authors rather
than by secretaries or administrative staff.
Computers can help you identify, search,
record, organize and modify relevant text.
Your use of electronic writing process will be
dictated by the facilities, hardware and
software available.
Electronic mail or e-mail is a system
correspondence by which users send and
receive messages over a network of
computer.
It provides store and forward service.
Email is much quicker to deliver and cheaper
to send.
Guidelines for writing E Mail Messages:

o Email messages are not private like conversations. It can be checked
by others. Therefore be careful about e mail messages
o All the principles of good writing like accuracy, brevity, clarity, you
attitude and the characteristics of communication all apply to e mail
messages
o Use spell check for spellings and ensure that the message is
grammatically correct
o Reread and proofread the message before sending
o Use full caps only to emphasize a single word or two. Putting the
whole message in caps is considered as rude as shouting
o Find out how your recipients system works and adapt your message
to it
o Do not write when your in excitement or anger. First cool down and
then draft the message