What is something an excellent business writer would do?
Considering the Message in Business Communications Show Unlike academic papers, which are almost always persuasive pieces of writing, the purpose of much business communication is to deliver a message, whether good or bad. As a result, you may find yourself writing positive messages, negative messages, or persuasive messages. Each of these requires a slightly different approach, all of which are detailed below. Positive Writing Positive messages are often the easiest to write because the audience is expected to be fairly receptive of the presented information, thus they tend to follow the direct pattern by stating the idea at the very beginning following with the explanation. In the explanation, writers will once again want to consider using various highlighting tools to improve readability. Writers will conclude the message courteously and with a request for action by a given date, if necessary. While all positive writing messages follow a similar format, there are different types of positive messages: Requests for Information/Action
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Negative Writing Negative messages are usually difficult to write because the audience is being told exactly what they don't want to hear. Negative messages most often include refusing requests and delivering bad news to a customer or to those within an organization. Certain techniques that help soften the blow of bad news are applicable to all negative messages. Remember, when writing a negative message, the audience is likely to be unreceptive so be sure to use the indirect approach. (Guffey, 278- 282) Buffer the Opening
Cushion the Bad News
Be Empathetic
Provide Reasons
Avoid Negative Words
Close Pleasantly
Persuasive Writing Persuasion is a critical tool one should master to achieve professional success in the business world, but it is also one of the more challenging. Whether writers are aiming to persuade customers, potential donors, or those working within the same corporation, they will want to focus their attention on four main things: Grabbing the Reader's Attention
Building and Maintaining Reader Interest
Reducing Reader Resistance
Motivating the Reader to Act
Midge Gillies, author of Business Writing: The Essential Guide To Thinking And Working Smarter, offers additional helpful advice that briefly summarizes the aforementioned points:
Also, note that the conventions of persuasive business writing are more flexible than the others. Don't be afraid to get creative! Works Cited Gillies, Midge. Business Writing: The Essential Guide to Thinking and Working Smarter. New York: Marshall Editions Developments Ltd., 2000. Print. Guffey, Mary Ellen. Business Communication: Process & Product. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning, 2008. Print. Other Disciplines | Writer's Web | Writing Center |
Make an Appointment | Library | Robins School of Business Which of the following is most likely to be true about excellent business writers?Which of the following is most likely to be true about excellent business writers? They spend a significant amount of time in reviewing their work.
Which technique is most likely to make a business message more positive?Which technique is most likely to make business messages more positive? not to set unrealistic expectations. In the context of writing business messages, which statement is true? Emphasizing what products and services are, rather than what they are not, makes business messages more positive.
What are the common characteristics of excellent business thinkers?1) They clearly and precisely identify and articulate key questions and problems. 2) They gather information from a variety of sources. 3) They make well-reasoned conclusions and solutions. 4) They remain open to alternatives to approaching and reasoning about the business problem - that is they are mentally flexible.
What is the most important stage of creating effective business messages?The most important stage of creating effective business messages is planning. Entry-level professionals usually have very high professional credibility. Excellent business thinkers explore issues deeply by gathering information from a variety of sources.
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