To introduce readers to effective business writing elements, in order to enhance their business writing skills. Introductory business management concepts @ OxfordCambridge.Org all for free and free for all. The information gathered here are under the format of KeyPoints for readers to develop in their own time.

1. Welcome!
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2. KeyPoints to develop in your
own time!
Effective Business Writing
Introductory concepts in Assertive Communication @ OxfordCambridge.Org all for free and free for all.
The information gathered here are under the format of KeyPoints for the reader to develop in his or her
own time. Some tips on how to proceed, perhaps:
- Identify all the Keypoints on which you feel a need to expand your knowledge.
- Choose a good book or two or the Internet info and then work towards gaining the needed knowledge.
Please Enjoy!
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3. The Seeds Of Learning
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The Seats of Learning
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4. Aim of
publication
To introduce readers to effective
business writing in order to enhance
their business writing skills
Effective Business Writing - An Introduction Contact Email OxfordCambridge.Org Design Copyright 1994-2010 © OxfordCambridge.Org

5. Overall Learning Objectives
After going through the KeyPoints outlined in this publication,
the reader should be able to:
☺ describe how to plan a communication and set the right context
☺ explain how to identify the subject, the audience, and the purpose of a
document
☺ outline how to gather the relevant material
☺ identify the differences between descriptive and persuasive documents
☺ explain the importance of structure, the use of headings, and the value of
an executive summary
☺ understand the value of accurate spelling and grammar
☺ explain the significance of writing style
☺ outline how to write conversationally
☺ point out the importance of avoiding excessive jargon, clichés, archaic
language, and negatives
☺ describe the effectiveness of using the active voice
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6. Sections list
1. Planning the communication
2. Devising an effective structure
3. Developing an effective style
4. Effective Writing
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7. Planning the communication
To show how to plan a business document.
Effective Business Writing - An Introduction Contact Email OxfordCambridge.Org Design Copyright 1994-2010 © OxfordCambridge.Org

8. Planning the communication: Learning Objectives
☺ After completing this section you should be
able to:
• describe how to plan a business
document
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9. Planning the communication: Summary
☺ When you are planning a business document,
you need to consider its subject, its
intended audience, and its purpose.
☺ You can gather information about a subject
by researching it or by using techniques
such as brainstorming to come up with
ideas.
☺ You should consider the people who will be
reading your document and decide which of
their characteristics are most important to
your subject matter. For example, if you
are writing a business report, you need to
take your audience’s business experience
into account but you don’t need to consider
their hobbies.
☺ Most business documents fall into one of
two categories
• they can be descriptive and intended
to convey information
• or they can be persuasive and used to
convince the reader to take some
course of action.
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10. Planning the communication
☺ Good communication is essential in the business environment
because it ensures that you put your point across in the
workplace and in dealing with other businesses.
☺ Writing memos, reports, and letters are all part of working
environment in businesses.
☺ Personal Computers (PCs) can make the process friendlier and
easier.
☺ Still it is important to know how to write in an effective
manner.
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11. Planning the communication
☺ Professional business writing is affected by
its context - for instance, when using a
different style for an e-mail sent to a small
group of colleagues than for a letter sent
to a bank manager.
☺ Therefore when planning our document,
there is a need to consider the following:
• the subject of the writing
• the audience for which it is intended
• the purpose we want it to fulfil
☺ On one hand the subject on which we are
writing may already have been set - we may
need to write a letter to a prospective
employer, for example.
☺ On the other hand, we may have to decide
the subject for ourselves.
☺ In either case we need to gather relevant
material.
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12. Planning the communication
☺ One way to collect material for a document
is by searching for relevant terms on the
Web.
☺ We can also excellent ideas by
brainstorming or free-writing - typing as
many ideas and words about our subject as
possible in a short period of time.
☺ If we use a word-processing program to do
this, you can even paste some of these
ideas and phrases into the initial draft of
your document.
☺ If the subject we are dealing with is quite
general, we can clarify it by asking
ourselves few questions about it.
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13. ☺ Shall we say we are writing a memo about
how productivity can be increased in our
organisation.
☺ We may narrow this subject down to more
specific issues with questions such as what
follows:
☺ why is productivity that important?
☺ is our situation similar to that in other
organisation, and if that is the case, how
have they handled productivity?
☺ what part of the organisation is most
affected by a low productivity?
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14. ☺ For instance, if we are writing a work-
related memo to our colleagues, we don’t
usually need to consider their social
backgrounds or pastimes.
☺ As our audience is very important, when
possible, we should talk to the people who
are going to read and use our document.
☺ This will help us to get an idea of their
requirements, so that we include solely the
information that is important to them.
☺ We can make our writing easier to
understand for readers by creating links
between our subject and facts these
readers already know.
☺ Also we can use statistics and examples to
illustrate our points.
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15. ☺ Determining who our document should
be written for is an important part of
the planning.
☺ That means we should consider who our
readers are and what information we
can expect them to know before
reading our document.
☺ For example a group of specialists
requires more complex and technical
information than a non-technical group.
☺ We should decide which characteristics
of our target audience are relevant to
our subject matter.
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16. ☺ The purpose of a document, like the
audience to which it is directed, should
affect the way we write it.
☺ It can be said that business documents fall
into two general categories, each with its
own purpose:
• descriptive documents: they inform
readers or make suggestions
• persuasive documents: which try to
convince readers to take some course
of action
☺ After having decided which category the
document we are creating belongs to, we
can determine how to achieve its purpose.
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17. ☺ As an example, we have decided to create a short memo to
tell our work colleagues about new developments in
computer technology.
☺ This type of descriptive memo should be straight forward
while including the relevant facts and maybe our opinions
and comments.
☺ If we want our document to persuade the audience to
carry out a task, we need to explain why they should go on
with that task.
☺ We should include convincing arguments that support our
position.
☺ Also we should accentuate how the course of action will
benefit that audience instead of underlining possible
disadvantages.
☺ It is essential we find the accurate tone to use when trying
to persuade readers.
☺ Appealing to our readers’ emotions is valid if we want them
to make a charitable donation, but it would seem
patronising or even offensive in most business situations.
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18. Devising an effective structure
To show how to devise an effective structure for your document.
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19. Devising an effective structure: Objectives
☺ After completing this section you should be
able to:
• discuss ways of structuring and
drafting business documents
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20. Devising an effective structure: Summary
☺ Word-processing programs are particularly
useful when you are structuring a
document, because they let you change it
easily and save several versions of that
document.
☺ There are a number of ways in which you
can organise your document. If it is
relatively short, a simple list of your main
points can work well. A chronological
structure may be useful for a descriptive
document, while a deductive structure may
be better for a persuasive one.
☺ Whichever structure you decide to use, you
should always place the most important
facts at the start of your document.
☺ You can improve the quality of your writing
by using a number of drafts to refine your
documents. After creating a draft, you
should set it aside for a while before you
review it or you should have someone else
review that draft for you.
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21. Developing an effective style
To show how to use an effective writing style.
Effective Business Writing - An Introduction Contact Email OxfordCambridge.Org Design Copyright 1994-2010 © OxfordCambridge.Org

22. Developing an effective style: Objectives
☺ After completing this section you should be
able to:
• discuss how to develop an effective
writing style
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23. Developing an effective style: Summary
☺ If possible, you should try to make your
writing style conversational. To do this, you
should where possible use smaller, more
familiar words instead of obscure, complex
ones. You should also try to avoid using very
long sentences, jargon, clichés, or outdated
language.
☺ Because people respond better to positive
facts, you should emphasize positive rather
than negative facts in your writing. It is
also important to avoid using language that
demeans anyone’s race, religion, or gender.
☺ Language structure and grammar are
important elements of style. For example,
you can make your writing easier to
understand by breaking it into coherent
paragraphs and varying the length of the
sentences you use.
☺ Because it emphasizes the do-er of an
action, using the active voice also makes
your writing more accessible.
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24. Writing effectively
To show how to write effective memos and letters.
Effective Business Writing - An Introduction Contact Email OxfordCambridge.Org Design Copyright 1994-2010 © OxfordCambridge.Org

25. Writing effectively: Objectives
☺ After completing this section you should be
able to
• discuss how to create effective memos
and letters
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26. Writing effectively: Summary
☺ There are specific rules and formats that ☺ Your letter should begin with a formal
you should apply to documents such as greeting and end with a closing statement.
business memos and letters. You should type your name at the bottom of
the letter and also include your signature.
☺ Memos consist of a number of sections -
the header, the body, a conclusion, and any
relevant attachments.
☺ In the header section you should include
your own name, the full names of the people
to whom you’re sending the memo, the date,
and a description of the memo’s subject.
☺ In the body of your memo you first
establish why you’re writing, then make
your points, and finally state your
conclusion.
☺ Because they are usually sent to people
outside your own company, business letters
are more formal than memos.
☺ You should include your own address as well
as that of the person to whom you’re
sending the letter.
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28. Thank you for your interest!
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