SM299 Management As A System

How to contact Prof. Nancy Lee Nelson

Email: nlnelson@bu.edu

Office: SMG Writing Center (Room 343A)

Business Writing

SM299 Management As A System

This is a business class why are we studying writing?

Professor Nancy Lee Nelson September 8, 2011

SM299 Management As A System

Agenda
1. 2.

What is good business writing?

How does business writing differ from academic writing? What are common forms of business documents? What are document standards? What will we be doing in SM299 to develop business writing skills? How can I succeed on the first graded assignment?
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3.

4. 5. 6.

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1. What is good business writing?

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BIG BOX GAME

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1. What is the proposed solution

to the problem?

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2. What two facts can you use to

support the proposed solution,

given what you know about

your competitors?

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3. What do you, Tony, need to do next to implement the solution?

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Which memo is better?

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What did we learn?

As readers, users of business documents, we prefer documents that are

Visually appealing not overwhelming or daunting

Brief includes only the necessary information

Easily understood Positive and pleasant in tone Solution and action oriented
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What do business leaders say about good writing?

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National Commission on Writing Report

Surveyed HR directors of the Business

Roundtable, an organization of 120

leading U.S. businesses

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What does good business writing look like?

Extremely Important 95.2%
74.6% 58.7% 41.3%

Important
1.6% 22.2% 36.5% 50.8%

Accuracy Clarity Mechanics

Conciseness

Total top two ratings 96.8%

96.8% 95.2% 92.1%

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1. What is good business writing?

Context Clear Concise Compelling Cordial

specific

Correct

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1. What is good business writing?

Context specific addresses specific reader(s) in a specific time and place with reference to the writers specific goal for the document Clear easily understood

Concise brief in content and wording (what is said and how it is stated)
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1. What is good business writing?

Compelling persuasively argued, visually appealing, solution and action oriented

Cordial positive and pleasant tone

Correct accurate information and content, follows rules of language mechanics, meets formatting specifications
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2. How does business writing differ from academic writing?

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Academic

vs

Business Writing
1. Reader makes choices about passages to read carefully, passages to skim, and passages to skip

1. Reader progresses from beginning to middle to end of the document

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Academic

vs

Business Writing
2. Conclusion usually
appears at the

2. Builds towards a
conclusion found at

the end of the

document

beginning of the
document

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Academic
3. In many cases,

vs

Business Writing
3. In most cases,
business people write

academics write to

provoke thought.

to create action.

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Academic

vs

Business Writing
4. Short, concise sentence (average 20 words or fewer) Short, concise paragraphs (average 6-8 lines)

4. Sentence and paragraph length vary greatly depending on audience, the subject matter, and the writers purpose

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Academic

vs

Business Writing
5. May include bulleted lists; ample white space to help direct the reader to key passages and points

5. Mostly prose formatted in full sentences and paragraphs

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Academic

vs

Business Writing
6. Headlines capture the main idea of a paragraph or section and tell a story that helps the reader make informed choices about where to focus his/her attention

6. Headlines act as section

dividers

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3. What are common forms of business documents?

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What are common forms of business documents?

Memos Email Letters Executive summaries Business plans Reports Proposals Performance evaluations

Agendas Meeting minutes Announcements Requests (for information, for proposals, for funding, etc) Procedures (SOPs) Presentations

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Three primary forms of business documents used in day-to-day communications: Email least private; used in a range of situations very informal to very formal; used both within a business organization and externally Memo more formal than email; used only within a business organization Letter most formal form; used when communicating outside a business organization or to signal significance of message

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4. What are document standards

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Sample document standards guidelines http://www.smead.com/images/library/smead_g uidelines.pdf http://www.diebold.com/brandmanual.pdf

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5. What will we be doing in SM299 to develop business writing skills?

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5. What will we be doing in SM299 to develop business writing skills?

1. 3 Graded In-class writing assignments Written in 50-minute in-class setting Based on a Business Writing Case, for your section A. Friday, Sept. 23 Summary Memo B. Friday, Oct. 21 Argument Email C. Friday, Dec. 2 Resistant Reader Letter
Evaluated by Writing Associates

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Writing Associates
B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 Eric Maxson Lisa Becker Eric Maxson Lauren Terry Cathy McNally B6 B7 B8 B9 C1 C2 Cheryl Clark Lauren Terry Lisa Toft Lisa Becker Lenore Myka Cheryl Clark

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5. What will we be doing in SM299 to develop business writing skills?

2. 2 Flash assignments Written in a specified time frame outside class Evaluated by discussion section professors

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5. What will we be doing in SM299 to develop business writing skills?

3. Industry Project documents 4. PowerPoint presentations 5. Daily email communications with professors, classmates, teammates

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5. What will we be doing in SM299 to develop business writing skills?

Lectures and Labs
Lecture: Before each graded writing assignment Labs: Before the first and third writing assignments

Readings and Practice Assignments

Textbook: Write to the Top by Deborah Dumaine Optional Practice Assignments posted in VWC

Graded Assignments and Feedback

You will receive written feedback for each graded assignment and have an opportunity to seek clarification in office hours
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6. How can I succeed on the first graded assignment?

WA1: Summary memo

Written to a specific reader identified in the assignment prompt and related to the writing case for the course

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6. How can I succeed on the first graded assignment?

1.

2. 3. 4.

5.
6.

Clear and accurate context-specific and readercentered synthesis of information presented in the case stated in the writers own words Well-defined paragraphs presented in a sequence that is easy to follow Substantive headlines that capture the main idea of each paragraph Cordial, business-like tone Format in keeping with SM299 document standards Correct grammar, punctuation, and word usage
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6. How can I succeed on the first graded assignment?

Note: The Big Box Memo is not a summary. It is an argument in support of a recommendation.

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6. How can I succeed on the first graded assignment?

1.

2.

3.

Summary memos do not include suggested next steps. They do not include an analysis or recommendations unless the material being summarized includes them. In general, a writers purpose when creating a summary is to inform. (Note contrast to Dumaine, pp 13 14)

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But I have only 50 minutes!!!!!!!

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I apologize for writing such a long letter; I didnt have time to write a short one.

Mark Twain

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SM299 Writing Program is Process Oriented

Plan

Draft

Edit

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Analyze Audience; Define Purpose

Brainstorm Plan Organize

Sequence

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This is a business class. Why are we studying writing?

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Preparation for lab Friday, Sept. 16

1.

See Assignment hyperlink in course calendar WTTT reading

2.

3.

Case reading

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Please bring to lab on Sept. 16

1.

Write to the Top textbook Copy of your sections Business Writing case

2.

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