Explicit Business Writing : Best Practices for the Twenty-First Century

by Hogan, R. Craig, Ph.D.

• ISBN13: 9780977069200
• ISBN10: 0977069206
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-09-01
• Publisher: Business Writing Center

Summary

Explicit Business Writing: Best Practices for the Twenty-First Century contains best practices The Business Writing Center has isolated over decades of training business people to write effectively. With the explanations and models in this book, anyone can become a competent, successful business writer. The book also contains clear, complete standards and guidelines to help businesses train employees to develop writing competence. Links to The Business Writing Center Web resources are included to provide additional training resources for business people and trainers.

Author Biography

R. Craig Hogan, Ph.D., is an accomplished writing trainer with 35 years of experience. He is currently the director of The Business Writing Center, a professional school that trains business writers through workshops and online courses. He has been a professor of business communications at Illinois State University, professor of writing at the University of Pittsburgh, and professor of writing at Allegheny County College. He spent much of his early career in business, writing and managing writers. He founded a company that wrote computer documentation for software developers, was general partner in a firm writing manuals for government agencies, and was manager of communications in a company. He has consulted with dozens of companies to help them improve the quality of employee writing. Dr. Hogan has published articles about teaching writing in College Composition and Communication, English Education, OUPID Newsletter, Proceedings of the National Conference on College Composition and Communication, Proceedings of the Midwest Regional Conference on English in the Two-Year College, and Research in the Teaching of English. He has written three books and dozens of courses and workshop materials that train writers and the trainers of writers.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(3)
Style Notes	4	(3)
PART 1 Explicit Business Writing Best Practices	7	(36)
Models of explicit business documents	9	(24)
Explicit e-mail	9	(6)
Explicit letter	15	(6)
Explicit memo	21	(4)
Explicit short report	25	(8)
Best practices for explicit business writing	33	(6)
What you must do to learn to write explicitly	39	(4)
PART 2 Training in the Best Practices for Explicit Business Writing	43	(224)
Explicit business writing provides readers with everything they need to achieve the writer's objectives.	45	(32)
Have clear objectives	46	(2)
Provide information that suits the reader's knowledge of the subject, educational background, technical expertise, need for concrete explanations, and need for depth of knowledge	48	(6)
Include everything every intended reader needs to achieve your objectives	54	(7)
Respond to requests by providing precisely what the person asked for, under the conditions specified	61	(6)
Give readers the information they need at the specific points where they need it for maximum understanding	67	(2)
When readers have differing needs or abilities, write different versions of the document or sections within the document to match the readers' needs and abilities	69	(3)
Present topics in the same order throughout and link all the contents in each part	72	(5)
Explicit business writing that achieves objectives fosters a climate of cooperation and an expectation for quality in written communication	77	(14)
In e-mails, letters, and memos, write thanks, commendations, and genuine statements of good will that build teams and partnerships with clients.	78	(1)
Present the information with consideration for the reader's possible reaction to the subject and you	79	(2)
Use the tone and level of formality that fit the objectives and the reader	81	(7)
Ask for and give feedback on the clarity and relevance of documents and writing	88	(3)
Explicit business writing begins by preparing readers to read with purpose and understanding	91	(20)
Write e-mail subject lines using words that alert the reader to the contents, required action, or critical information in the e-mail	92	(2)
In the introduction, explain everything readers need to know to understand fully why they are receiving the document	94	(6)
In the introduction, describe all actions the reader is expected to perform and any critical information the reader must know	100	(1)
Write a summary of the conclusions and recommendations at the beginning	101	(4)
Write a clear statement of the contents at the end of the introduction so readers know what to expect and can prepare for reading	105	(6)
Explicit business writing has a clear framework that guides readers through the information	111	(54)
Write the information in clearly defined information blocks that the reader can read, understand, and remember, one block at a time	112	(6)
For each information block, write an explicit opening statement the reader can use to begin putting the block's details into a framework	118	(5)
For lists with items that are each several paragraphs or pages long, open the lists with statements of the contents and open each list item with a description of the item's contents	123	(6)
For lists with items that are a few lines long, break out the lists with numbers and bullets	129	(14)
Present information in a clear visual blueprint so readers can see the organization as they read	143	(11)
Use tables to organize the information so readers can place the details into a clear framework	154	(3)
End documents with a conclusion that helps readers achieve your objectives	157	(2)
Include feedback loops that reflect the importance of the content and your assessment of the likelihood this reader will understand or act as expected	159	(6)
Explicit business writing has explanations that are so clear they cannot be misunderstood	165	(42)
Write concrete, precise, detailed descriptions of problems and issues	166	(3)
Write requests that state directly, unambiguously, and completely what you are requesting	169	(2)
Use key terms consistently	171	(3)
Fully explain the concept behind every new key term as the reader encounters it	174	(4)
Have a clear focus for the entire document and for each block in the document	178	(5)
Communicate technical subjects clearly to non-technical readers	183	(9)
Write instructions and procedures that are complete and concrete	192	(7)
Provide sufficient, relevant evidence for statements.	199	(8)
Explicit business writing has clear, concise paragraphs, sentences, and words	207	(50)
Write concisely.	208	(8)
Write clear, focused, organized paragraphs that help readers identify, understand, and remember concepts	216	(5)
Write sentences that are complete, simple, clear, and straightforward	221	(8)
Use only simple punctuation	229	(8)
Use words every intended reader will understand	237	(20)
Explicit business writing has correct usage (grammar, punctuation, and spelling) and uses clear formatting	257	(10)
Polish and proofread all documents	257	(5)
Use formatting that makes the text easy to read	262	(5)
PART 3 Aids for Making Explicit Business Writing Part of the Company's or Agency's Infrastructure	267	(12)
Advice for managers who want employees to write explicit business documents	269	(6)
Explicit business writing job aid	275	(4)
PART 4 Standards for Explicit Business Writing	279	(14)
Standards for creating a cooperative atmosphere and fostering an organization climate that values writing	281	(2)
A summary set of standards for explicit business writing	283	(2)
Detailed standards for explicit business writing	285	(4)
Standards for explicit business e-mail	289	(4)
Index	293