August 16, 2011 at 10:55 am (Effective Communication)
Tags: analytical, audience, brainstorm, business, client, conference, content, conversational, error, formal, format, grammar, industry, informal, information, informational, jargon, number, phrase, primary, problem, promote, proof, purpose, relationship, report, review, revise, secondary, spell, standard, supervisor, tone, topic, trite, write
The following is an article written by Robin Fritz for eHow.com’s Money feature:
In the business world, good writing can get you noticed, hired and promoted. And, much like a Super Bowl commercial, a well written report is an opportunity to highlight your skills. But as a busy manager, how do you write a business report? The following tips will help you tackle a variety of reports:
Know your purpose. What have you been asked to do? Are you providing information only? Then, you’re writing an informational report. Are you analyzing a problem and making recommendations to solve it? If so, you’re writing an analytical report. Are you describing a conference, meeting, or monthly progress on a project? Then, you’re writing a standard report. Knowing your purpose keeps you on target. It gives you focus.
Identify your audience. Who are you writing to – a client? Your supervisor? That individual is your primary audience. But what if your supervisor shows it to her supervisor? Then, you have a secondary audience. Knowing potential audiences will help you identify the proper tone, whether formal or informal.
Analyze your audiences. What do your audiences know about this topic? Do you need to educate them? Can you use industry jargon? Analyzing your audience helps you avoid leaving out key information. It saves you – and your audience – time.
Research your topic. Brainstorm ideas. What information already exists and what’s missing? What sources are trusted by your audience? Asking key questions gives you a research plan for your business report and gets you moving in the right direction.
Organize your research. Look for relationships. Ignore irrelevant information. Identify your strongest ideas and start your business report with them. Good organization builds an outline and – most importantly – helps avoid writer’s block.
Compose your report. Adopt a conversational tone. Avoid trite business phrases like “per your request.” Use vivid, precise language. Focus on being clear and concise. Use transitional expressions.
Revise and proofread your work. Edit with “fresh eyes” only. Review your content – are you satisfied? If not, re-write. Proofread for spelling, grammar and formatting. Use your spell checker, but DON’T rely on it. Verify noun/verb/pronoun agreement. Check for page numbers. Error free work is an advertisement for your skills. Take the time to proofread carefully.
Evaluate the final product. Did you achieve your purpose? Does your tone match your audience? Did you do justice to the topic? Is it free from errors? If you can say yes, congratulations! You have a business report of which you can be proud.
http://www.ehow.com/how_6107127_write-different-business-reports.html
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August 10, 2011 at 9:18 am (Effective Communication)
Tags: accepted, announce, benefit, block, bulk, business, challenge, client, company, content, controversial, corporate, difficult, document, downsizing, eHow, email, employee, external, industry, information, initial, internal, key, layoff, letter, letterhead, litigation, manager, memo, money, policies, purpose, regulator, required, routine, sensitive, sign, signature, small, supplier, task, time, tip, topic, transition, validity, value, warning, write
The following is an article written by X204 Business Communication Adjunct Lecturer Robin Fritz for eHow.com’s Money section:
To sign or not to sign? That is the question that often arises when busy managers set out to write a memo. Unlike business letters – which clearly require a signature – memos are a different animal altogether, and whether or not to sign them isn’t clear to many young managers just starting out in the business world. The following tips, however, will help shed some light on whether to sign or not to sign.
Know the difference between a memo and a letter. Letters written on company letterhead are external documents – they tend to go to smaller outside audiences, such as clients, suppliers, industry regulators, etc. – making a signature a required element. Memos, however, are internal and usually go to a company’s employees – which may include hundreds of people. In practice, memos DON’T include a signature. But sometimes managers are wise to include their initials next to their name in the header. The real trick is knowing when and if to do so.
Know the purpose of a memo. Second to email, memos are a primary tool used by managers to share information with employees, whether it be simple announcements or key information regarding changes in policies. In short, some memos tend to be more sensitive in nature than others.
How sensitive is the information? Routine memos – those that deal with non-controversial topics – make up the bulk of memos sent by managers. These types of memos rarely require follow up and tend to be taken at face value. Other topics, such as corporate downsizing measures, reduced health benefits, etc., can be difficult for employees to hear and, as a result, their validity may be challenged. When the topic is sensitive, the memo writer may initial the memo to add validity to the contents. But even then, initials are NOT required.
How many people will receive the memo? Again, memos sometimes go to hundreds of people and even initialing them may be a time consuming task. In the business world, time is money – and adding even initials may be a large undertaking. When deciding whether or not to initial a memo, ask, what value is being added with this task? If none, skip it.
Tip: Signature blocks signal to readers that they’ve reached the end of a letter. With memos, however, telegraph the ending by using transitional expressions highlighting the conclusion, such as “In closing” or “Lastly.”
Warning: Remember, whether you’re writing a memo or a letter, with or without a signature, the content can be a legally binding document. Never dash off any correspondence in haste – you could get yourself, and your company, in hot water.
http://www.ehow.com/how_6110660_sign-business-memo.html
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