MGT 309_Spring 2013 TOP 15 ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE YOUR WRITING Self-editing is a difficult task. Good news is usually the first work does contain WHAT you want to say. The problem is that the key points are buried or jumbled in the sea of words. The following is a set of activities that applied, significantly change your work. Directions: Choose a paragraph, and carry out each activity to that paragraph. Treat each paragraph as if was a story. Activity Because 1 Remove As, Like, To, When, If, Although, This, Once, At, (prepositions) from the beginning of each sentence. This is because the subject, your main point, your argument is in the middle of the sentence, ‘hidden’ from the eye of the reader. These sentences are not easy to read, and makes ‘navigation’ of the text difficult. Check every one of your sentences and move the middle section of the sentence to the front. 2 Break up long sentences. Make sure there is only one idea, concept, or fact per sentence. We comprehend sentences at 8 words, after that reading comprehension falls. 3 Make sure each sentence has the most important idea of key words at the front of the sentence. 4 Remove any unnecessary words. Get rid of the clutter – which, when, in case of…. 5 Be more explicit; don’t let the reader have to guess too much. State the obvious. 6 Remove sentence starts with a word ending in …ing For example, During my career…. 7 Use Active Verbs I study; I discovered. Eliminate the passive verb construction like I was taught, I have been writing 8 Walk around reading the paragraph out loud. Revise what is awkward. 9 Review the paragraph structure. Take the main idea in the last paragraph and make sure the reader knows the connection to the first sentence . 10 Walk around reading the paragraph out loud. Revise what is awkward. 11 Repeat for every paragraph. 12 Repeat for each section. 13 Repeat for the whole paper. 14 Read from back to front to spot punctuation errors. 15 Read from back to front to spot spelling errors. Dr. Mike Howard, Programme Advisor, Institute for Work Based Learning Adapted from ‘Middlesex Annual Learning and Teaching Conference, Engaging the Digital Generation in Academic Literacy, 29th June 2010. The Self-Editor: a strategy for improving reflective writing. The Three Step Writing Process One: Plan it! Two: Write it! Three: Review, Revise, and Tweak it! One: Plan It Consider this a personal note to you. ____________________________________ Dear ___fill_in_your_name__, I ask you “Do you know how to plan a message?”  My teaching experience tells me that the majority of you really don’t know how to plan.  You do, however, remember writing strategies that you were taught years ago like  – an introduction is 3 -5 sentences with the last sentence being the thesis.  (BYW – this is academic style not business style).  You can puts lots and lots of valuable information about a topic on paper, but my experience is that you just dump out ever ...

1. MGT 309_Spring 2013
TOP 15 ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE YOUR WRITING
Self-editing is a difficult task. Good news is usually the first
work does contain WHAT you want to say. The problem is that
the key points are buried or jumbled in the sea of words. The
following is a set of activities that applied, significantly change
your work.
Directions:
Choose a paragraph, and carry out each activity to that
paragraph. Treat each paragraph as if was a story.
Activity
Because
1
Remove As, Like, To, When, If, Although, This, Once, At,
(prepositions) from the beginning of each sentence.
This is because the subject, your main point, your argument is
in the middle of the sentence, ‘hidden’ from the eye of the
reader. These sentences are not easy to read, and makes
‘navigation’ of the text difficult. Check every one of your
sentences and move the middle section of the sentence to the
front.
2
Break up long sentences.
Make sure there is only one idea, concept, or fact per sentence.
We comprehend sentences at 8 words, after that reading
comprehension falls.
3
Make sure each sentence has the most important idea of key
words at the front of the sentence.
4

2. Remove any unnecessary words.
Get rid of the clutter – which, when, in case of….
5
Be more explicit; don’t let the reader have to guess too much.
State the obvious.
6
Remove sentence starts with a word ending in …ing
For example, During my career….
7
Use Active Verbs
I study; I discovered. Eliminate the passive verb construction
like I was taught, I have been writing
8
Walk around reading the paragraph out loud. Revise what is
awkward.
9
Review the paragraph structure.
Take the main idea in the last paragraph and make sure the
reader knows the connection to the first sentence .
10
Walk around reading the paragraph out loud. Revise what is
awkward.
11
Repeat for every paragraph.
12
Repeat for each section.
13
Repeat for the whole paper.
14
Read from back to front to spot punctuation errors.

3. 15
Read from back to front to spot spelling errors.
Dr. Mike Howard, Programme Advisor, Institute for Work
Based Learning
Adapted from ‘Middlesex Annual Learning and Teaching
Conference, Engaging the Digital Generation in Academic
Literacy, 29th June 2010. The Self-Editor: a strategy for
improving reflective writing.
The Three Step Writing Process
One: Plan it!
Two: Write it!
Three: Review, Revise, and Tweak it!
One: Plan It
Consider this a personal note to you.
____________________________________
Dear ___fill_in_your_name__,
I ask you “Do you know how to plan a message?” My teaching
experience tells me that the majority of you really don’t know
how to plan. You do, however, remember writing strategies that
you were taught years ago like – an introduction is 3 -5
sentences with the last sentence being the thesis. (BYW – this
is academic style not business style). You can puts lots and lots
of valuable information about a topic on paper, but my
experience is that you just dump out everything you know in the
way an authority person told you to. Now, at this level in your
college experience, you need to be making the decisions, such
as what the document looks like (which includes organization),

4. the content (not too much or too little), and the appropriate tone
for the audience and purpose as you are no longer just writing
to a professor to prove you know something.
So, the purpose here is to get you to slow down and THINK.
THINK BEFORE you write. That is what the Communication
Strategy Document is for: Communication Strategy Worksheet
Updated Sept 2012. I encourage you (and require you) to use
this document to help you make planning easier for you and
subsequently, through practice, a habit.
Here is my approach:
1. Explore – What is the ‘real’ question of your assignment.
What is the core? Make SURE you understand the question you
are answering. Don’t write until you can say your purpose in
one or two sentences (at the most.) When you are sure you
understand the topic….
2. Review – Do you know all that you need to know to convey
your message (information). If you cannot answer the question,
it’s time to research. Gather. (Remember, this is Step Three of
Critical Thinking.) Be sure that you keep good records as you
collect information.
3. Narrow the focus in story format. As you collect
information and then compare it to the question, a story, a focus
will start to emerge. When you write you need to create a flow
– a beginning, a middle and an end – just like a story. It is in
fact a story. Think that way. When you narrow the focus and
feel good about your approach, then start your writing.
________
First – Write the introduction. Write it over and over till it’s
clean enough to frame in the rest of the message. Then frame in
the document
Introduction – with scope 1, 2 & 3.
Topic 1
List here the ‘things’ that relate to this topic. These items, once
organized into a flow, become a story – the natural order of
your paragraph topics.
Topic 2

5. List here the ‘things’ that relate to this topic. These items, once
organized into a flow, become a story – the natural order of
your paragraph topics.
Topic 3
List here the ‘things’ that relate to this topic. These items, once
organized into a flow, become a story – the natural order of
your paragraph topics.
Two: Write it
Stage Two: Write it.
Start with the template you created and fill in the content.
Don’t forget to take breaks as they help your brain work
well.Three: Review, Revise & Tweak It
Step Three in the Writing Process is the polishing. And done
thoroughly, takes considerable time. You need to check
1. to ensure you have written to the topic.
2. for fluidity. Did you walk-the-little-girl-across-the-street?
3. for transitions.
4. for completeness. Did you say all that needed to be said and
nothing more?
5. to ensure that you stated the obvious where necessary.
6. to ensure you wrote in the tone that you deemed was fitting.
In other words, did you use the best words for emotional
expression?
7. for proper grammar use?
Do your best to clean up the document – your credibility is at
stake.
MGT 309
The Differences in Academic Writing to Business Writing
Academic writing in its purity is to create knowledge and depart
new knowledge. Therefore there is a need for critical
examination and some conformity. Academic writing leaves
lots of room for the examination of differing possibilities,
although ending with a recommendation. Business writing has a
completely different reason for being.
Business is about action; therefore we start where academia

6. leaves off. We take the recommendations and do something
with the information.
Review this document for the differences. Most often they are
complete mirror images of one another.
Academic Writing
(values: distance, process and content, consistency in essay
style)
VS
Business Writing
(Values: relationship, purpose, presentation, content)
ITEM
TOPIC
ITEM
Distant and objective
tone
Personal to audience and author
Formal and big words
Tone
Conversational (not casual)
Neutral and distant
Tone
emotional
Hidden/Do not express opinion
Tone/Words
Express opinion
Wordy
Words
Concise
Consistent sentence lengths
Words
Vary sentence lengths
Longer Consistent sized paragraphs
Words
Shorter length-varied paragraph lengths
Lengthy
Words

7. Complete – say only what need to be said, no more no less
Passive voice
Words
Active Voice
Essay style
Organization
Audience-centered
Indirect Approach
Organization
Most often Direct Approach
Recommendations at the end
Organization
Most often starts with Recommendations/solution
Essay style – to the content
Organization
Organized to the reader/situation
Hook – story- definition
Thesis (last in paragraph)
Introduction
First sentence = purpose/thesis/hook with scope and why
Content full using more words/filler words
Body
Content rich using fewer words
Summary – reflection of introduction
Conclusion
Goodwill, often offer of connection
Essay style
Format
Multi-formatting
Disregard time considerations

8. Format
Quick to read
Essay style
Presentation
Intended to be attractive
Essay style with supportive diagrams/charts
Presentation
Visuals are welcome – pictures, charts, audio, video, etc.
good butler-it works smoothly in the service of the reader
without calling attention to itself. Second, organization is
critical. Whatever particular analysis you make or actions
you advocate, how compelling readers will find your report
or memo depends largely on how logically you order and
present information and ideas.
The Best Memo You'll Ever Write
Every memo-or report or e-mail-is important in today's business
environment. If you keep in mind
that readers are content driven, time pressed, and decision
focused, you can write right-every time.
THERE IS A LOT OF ADVICE out there about what
definesgood business writing, much of it conflicting. Busi-
ness readers like writing that is clear, but writers are often
encouraged to make their information "sound good."
Readers want their information served up simply and
directly, but writers are pushed to make their copy "stand
out." Readers want to get to the bottom line fast, but writ-
ers are criticized if they leave out background detail that
someone might look for.
Conflicting advice is hard to follow, and clarity can be

9. the first standard to fall. Not because the writer's thinking
is fuzzy-a frequent disparagement-or because the
writer is intellectually dishonest and trying to hide the
truth behind smudgy language, but because the writer is
trying to juggle contradictory ideas about style, presenta-
tion, and level of detail.
The truth is that there is a better way to approach busi-
ness writing, and that is to start from these three realities:
business readers are content driven, time pressed, and in
search of solutions.
What does that mean to writers? First, they should get
out of the impressive-language business. To content-driven
readers, language simply carries information, ideas, and the
relationships among them. Good language is rather like a
by HollyWeeks
The starting point
From your introduction the content-driven reader judges
whether the rest of your memo is worth his time. Yet the
beginning is where many writers ease in and build slowly.
This is a mistake. Your opening must answer the
reader's question "Why am I reading this?" To do so, it
needs to establish the relevance and the utility of the doc-
ument as a whole. Here is where the classic business writ-
ing text The Minto Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing,
Thinking and Problem Solving, by Barbara Minto (Minto
International, 1996) is particularly helpful. An effective
introduction, Minto says, briskly tells a story built around
four elements:
1. The situation: A quick, factual sketch of the
current business situation that serves to anchor

10. the reader.
READER·FRIENDLY STYLE
Writing clear, content-driven sentences can be tough on
people who want their writing to "flow." Think of it: the
reason lullabies flow is that you are trying to get a child to
fall asleep. Flowing sentences tend to be long, dense, and
rhythmic. Choppy sentences are not better-too many
of them can be distracting. Readers want the middle
ground-brisk, hardworking sentences that carry good
content. Brevity is not a virtue in business writing, con-
ciseness is.
Reader-oriented business writing is also tough on
people who think complex phrasing makes them look
smarter. When a content-driven reader gets bogged
down in your phrasing, you don't look elegant or smart.
You look pompous and self-absorbed.
Surprisingly, jargon-the specialized language of a
particular field-is not inimical to good business writ-
ing, if it's suitable to your primary audience. Using jar-
gon, like using acronyms, is a tight and efficient way to
communicate among experts. But there are three situa-
tions in which you shouldn't use jargon: when it's mean-
ingless, when you don't understand it, or when your
readers aren't familiar with it. If you have multiple audi-
ences and you want to use professional terminology
because your primary audience uses it, define your term
the first time you use it. For a long report, consider
adding a glossary.
Copyright © 2005 by Harvard Business School Publishing
Corporation. All rights reserved. 3

11. ORGANIZING IDEAS
INA PYRAMID
Better Memos and Reports (continued)
2. The complication: A problem that unsettles the
situation in the story you're telling. It's why you're
writing the memo or report.
3. The question: This might be "What should we do?"
"How can we do it?" or "What's wrong with what we
tried?" The question does not necessarily have to be
spelled out; it may be implied.
4. The answer: Your response to
the question and your solution
to the complication.
The order in which the elements appear
can vary. Here are two examples:
Situation-Complication-
Solution
(the question "What should we do?"
is implicit)
Mediation's popularity has increased

12. over the last quarter-century as people
have sought alternative methods of dis-
pute resolution that do not entail litiga-
tion's high cost and adversarial approach. But concern is
growing that because mediators possess varying levels of
training, the quality of mediation is unpredictable. I suggest
that we use our organization's stature to spearhead a move-
ment to professionalize the standards of practice for media-
tion so that mediators can get consistent, high-quality
preparation in every state, and individuals or communities
submitting to mediation will have confidence in their media-
tors' qualifications.
from sentences initially and diagram your arguments and
data as small, digestible chunks of information. Second,
working from the top down, cluster and hang those
chunks in a pyramid shape, with the information below
developing and supporting the points above (see "Orga-
nizing Ideas in a Pyramid"). An argument can travel hori-
zontally across the chunks on its own
level, but always in support of the
chunk from which it hangs on the level
above. Your thinking may have pro-

13. gressed from bottom up in the pyra-
mid, but your writing is going to
progress from top down.
Say you have just joined a midsize
processed-food company. As the new
vice president of business develop-
ment, you are charged with identifying
new markets and leading the creation
of products for them.
Sales growth in the company's main
product line, frozen dinners, has been stagnant for three
years running. But you have identified a promising new
target market: working parents between the ages of 35 and
55 who have sophisticated tastes and avoid preservatives
and artificial ingredients. You want to convince your com-
pany's executive committee to create an upmarket line of
organic frozen dinners with a Continental flair.
Here is how you would arrange the chunks in one sec-
tion of your pyramid:
D

14. From The Minto Pyramid Principle: Logic in Wriljng, Thinking
and
Problem Solving by Barbara Minto. © 1996 by Barbara Minto.
Question-Situation-Complication-