1. Writing for Business Audiences
Chapter-2

2. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 2
Basics of business writing
 Business messages are different from
college essays, term papers, and
messages to friends.
 Conciseness and clarity count.
ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/ZSOLT NUYLASZI

3. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 3
 Audience oriented
 Purposeful
 Economical
 Persuasive
The best business writing is
Following a process can make you
a better writer or speaker.

4. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 4
The Writing Process

5. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 5
Analyzing Your Purpose
and Channel
Identify your purpose.
 Why are you writing?
 What do you hope to achieve?
JON FEINGERSH / ICONICA / GETTY IMAGES
E-mail
Fax
Letter
Memo
Report
Telephone
Voice mail
Meeting
Conversation
Web site
Types of Message Channel

6. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 6
Select the best channel.
 How important is the message?
 How fast do you need feedback?
 Is a permanent record essential?
 What is the cost of the channel?
 How much formality do you desire?
 How confidential or sensitive is the
message?

7. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 7
Profiling the Audience
Primary Audience
 Who is the primary reader?
 What are my personal and professional
relationships with that person?
 What does the person know about the
subject?
 What kind of response should I expect?

8. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 8
Profiling the Audience
Secondary Audience
 Who else might see or hear this
message?
 Are they different from the primary
audience?
 How must I reshape the message for
the secondary audience?

9. Chapter 1, Slide 9Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 2, Slide 9Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
Choose
Courteous
Language
Use
Inclusive
Language
Use Positive
Language
Sound
Conversational
Cultivate
A “You”
View
Spotlight
Audience
Benefits
Create a
Message That
Suits Your
Audience
Draw on
Familiar
Words
Adopt
Plain
Language
Adapting to the Task and Audience

10. Chapter 1, Slide 10Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 2, Slide 10Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
Spotlight Audience Benefits
Focusing on the audience.
Adapting the message to the receiver's needs.
Focusing on what the receiver is getting,
solving the receiver’s problems,
saving the receiver’s money etc.

11. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 11
Spotlight Audience Benefits
Focus your statements on the audience,
not the sender.
To enable us to update
our stockholder records
we ask that the
enclosed card be
returned.
So that you may promptly
receive dividend checks
and information related to
your shares, please
return the enclosed card.
Try this:Instead of this:

12. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 12
Develop a “You” View
Emphasizing second-person pronouns (you/your)
instead of first-person pronouns (I/we, us, our)
I have scheduled your
vacation to begin May 1
You may begin your
vacation May 1.
Try this:Instead of this:

13. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 13
Quick
Check
These are better:
You can now purchase
HP computers at
discounted prices.
We are now offering
HP computers at
discounted prices.
Revise these sentences:
We are pleased to
announce that you have
been approved to enroll
in our leadership
training program.
Congratulations! You
have been selected to
enter our leadership
training program!
Develop a “You” View

14. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 14
Conversational Language but Professional
The undersigned takes
pleasure in . . .
I’m happy to . . .
Try this:Instead of this:
All employees are herewith
instructed to return the
appropriately designated
contracts to the
undersigned.
Please return your
contract to me.
Striving for conversational expression, but also
remember to professional.

15. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 15
Conversational Language but Professional
Unprofessional Conversational Formal
wasted
nab
bad-mouth
dough, bread
stewed, plastered
I ain’t
humongous
tight
ruined
catch
criticize
money
intoxicated, drunk
I’m not
enormous
frugal
annihilated
apprehend
disparage
currency
inebriated
I am not
prodigious
penurious

16. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 16
Positive Language
We are unable to send your
shipment until we receive
proof of your payment
We look forward to sending
your shipment as soon as we
receive your payment.
Positive:Negative
If you fail to pass the exam,
you will not qualify.
You will qualify if you pass
the exam.
Positive wording tells what is and what can be done
rather than what isn’t and what can’t be done.

17. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 17
Quick
Check
These are better:
You will be paid
promptly once the job is
completed satisfactorily.
We must withhold
payment until you
complete the job
satisfactorily.
Revise these sentences:
If you fail to follow each
requirement, you will not
receive your $50 rebate.
By following each
requirement, you will
receive your $50 rebate.
State Ideas Positively

18. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 18
Inclusive Language
Every executive has his own office
 All executives have their own offices.
 Every executive has an office.
 All executives have offices.
 Every executive has his or her own office.
Sensitive communicators avoid language that excludes
people. Some words have been called sexist because
they seem to exclude females.

19. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 19
Inclusive Language
Fireman –firefighter
Mailman/Letterman-letter carrier
Salesman-Salesperson
Chairman-Department head/ Department
chair/Chairperson/ committee chair
Flight man-Flight attendant
Policeman-Police officer
Businessman-Business person
Manpower-Personnel, workers
Manmade- Manufactured

20. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 20
Plain language
Business communicators who are conscious of their
audience try to use plain language that expresses clear
meaning.
They do not use showy words and ambiguous
expressions in an effort to dazzle or confuse readers.
They write to express ideas, not to impress others.
Some business, legal an government documents are
written in an exaggerated style that is difficult to
understand the meaning.
This style of writing has been given various terms, such
as- legalese, federalese, bureaucratese, doublespeak,
and the official style.

21. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 21
Plain Language
Avoid federalese, bureaucratese, and inflated
language.
Federalese: Each person to whom the request is herein
addressed is henceforth solicited to submit, or to have his or
her department representative submit, to the Department of
Labor official described above, a comment on whether the
proposed plan, in his or her considered view, meets the
requirements of the 2003 law.
Simple Translation: You may wish to comment on whether
the proposed plan meets the requirements of the 2003 law.

22. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 22
Familiar Words
extrapolate project
encounter meet
terminate End
obligatory required
ascertain Find out
monitor Check
hypothesize guess
Avoid long, difficult, and unfamiliar words. Use short,
simple, and common words whenever possible.
Less familiar words Simple alternatives