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Business Communication: Building Critical Skills
Kitty O. Locker, Ohio State University
Steven Kyo Kaczmarek, Columbus State Community College
Kathryn Braun, Sheridan College
Editing Sentences and Paragraphs

E-Learning Session

  1. What is "good" style? It's both businesslike and friendly.
    1. Good business and administrative writing sounds like a person talking to another person.
    2. The style of writing that traditionally has earned high marks in college essays and term papers is arguably more formal than good business and administrative writing.
      • CONCEPT CHECK True or False: You should use the same style for business writing that you did for the term papers you wrote in your composition class. CONCEPT CHECK
    3. Keep the following points in mind as you choose a level of formality for a specific document:
      • Use a friendly, informal style to fit someone you've talked to.
      • Avoid contractions, slang, and even minor grammatical lapses in paper messages to people you don't know.
      • Pay particular attention to your style when you have to write uncomfortable messages: when you write to people you fear or when you must give bad news.
    4. Good business writing still allows for individual style.
  2. Are there rules I should follow? Most "rules" are really guidelines.
    1. Some rules are grammatical conventions.
    2. Other rules may be conventions adopted by an organization so that is documents will be consistent.
    3. Still other "rules" are attempts to codify "what sounds good."
    4. Use six strategies to improve your style.
  3. What should I look for when I revise sentences? Try these six techniques.
    1. Use active verbs most of the time.
      • A verb is active if the grammatical subject of the sentence does the action the verb describes.
      • A verb is passive if the subject is acted upon.
        1. CONCEPT CHECK True or False: The following is an example of a passive voice sentence: The annual report was written by the communication department staff. CONCEPT CHECK
    2. Use strong verbs.
    3. Tighten your writing.
    4. Vary sentence length and structure.
    5. Use parallel structure.
    6. Put your readers in your sentences.
  4. What should I look for when I revise paragraphs? Check for topic sentences and transitions.
    1. Paragraphs are visual and logical units.
    2. Follow two strategies to write good paragraphs. TRANSPARENCY MASTER
  5. How does corporate culture affect style? Different cultures may prefer different styles.
    1. Different organizations and bosses may legitimately have different ideas about what constitutes good writing.
    2. If the style a company prefers seems reasonable, use it.
    3. If the style does not seem reasonable, consider
      • Going ahead and using the techniques in this module.
      • Helping your boss learn about writing.
      • Recognizing that style may serve purposes other than communication.
      • Asking if the boss is actually satisfied with the style.
        1. CONCEPT CHECK True or False: The boss is always right. Therefore, you should never question his or her decisions about such issues as style. In fact, don't even think about bringing the subject up. CONCEPT CHECK
  6. Go to the Self-Quizzes section if you would like to test your understanding of this module.




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