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Professional Writing Skills

How to write business letters, memos, e-mail, and otherbusiness documents that persuade and inorm clearly,

concisely, and proessionally

A raining Program

LEADERS GUIDE:

Extended Excerpt

www.writeitwell.comBusiness writing that gets results.

Tis extended excerpt includes

all the leader guides introduction

pages, and sample pages for

leadingProfessional Writing Skills

lessons.

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Copyright 2010 by Write It Well

Published by Write It WellPost Ofce Box 13098, Oakland, CA 94661Phone: (510) 655-6477 Fax: (510) 291-9744

[email protected]

www.writeitwell.com

All rights reserved. No part o this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, ortransmitted in any orm or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recordingor otherwise, except as expressly permitted by the applicable copyright statutes or in writingby the publisher.

Tis Leaders Guide is to be used in conjunction with the bookProfessional Writing Skills. oorder the book or additional copies o this guide, please contact Write It Well.

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ContentsIntroduction

How to Use Tis Guide 1

Preparation Equals Success 1Characteristics o a Successul Learning Program 2Facilitation Guidelines 3

The Training Program

Planning a raining Program 5Learn about Your Audience 5ReviewProfessional Writing Skills 6Choose the ype o raining 7Workshops and Other Classroom raining 7Study Groups 9

Individual Coaching Programs and utorials 10Communicate with the Participants 11Consider Pre-Work 12Review Participants Writing Samples 13Customize the Program or Your Organization and Audience 14Consider Tese In-Class Activities and Exercises 15Following up on the raining 18

Lesson-by-Lesson Guide

Sample Agendas: One-Day and wo-Day rainings 19

Lesson Outlines 20ext Color and Icons 22

Workshop

Introduction and Overview 23Lesson 1: Develop a Writing Plan in Six Steps 31Lesson 2: Write the First Dra 52Lesson 3: Use Concise Language 63Lesson 4: Use Clear Language 69Lesson 5: Use Correct Grammar 77Lesson 6: Use Correct Punctuation 82

Lesson 7: Write Eective E-Mail 94Closing 97

Appendix

Sample Introductory Letter 98Sample Questionnaire 99

Frequently Asked Questions 100Writing Worksheet 102

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Professional Writing Skills: A Write It Well Guide

LEADERS GUIDE

ivCopyright 2010 Write It Well

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LEADERS GUIDE

1Copyright 2010 Write It Well

Introduction

How to Use This Guide

Tis Leaders Guide is designed to accompanyProfessional Writing Skills,a program that explains how to write business letters, e-mails, and otherbusiness documents that persuade and inorm clearly, concisely, andproessionally.

You can use the book in workshops, or small-group study, or in individualcoaching programs. Although its helpul or a trainer to have a background

in writing or in teaching written communication skills, it is not essential orsuccess with this program. Professional Writing Skills, along with this LeadersGuide and the accompanying PowerPoint slides, provide the content andactivities you will need to conduct a successul training program.

Te guide is organized into three major units: introductory guidelines tohelp you prepare or training; step-by-step lesson modules; and an appendixcontaining sample letters, checklists, and requently asked questions.

Te seven lessons outlined in this guide are designed as modules that canbe taught as units in a program lasting two days. Each lesson in the guidehas an easy-to-ollow layout complete with color coding and icons or quick

reerence during training. Each lesson is also designed so that it can be taughtin a study group or coaching setting. For a detailed explanation o how towork with the lesson plans, see the Sample Agenda, the Lesson-by-LessonGuide, and the ext Colors and Icons guide on pp. 1922.

Preparation Equals Success

Ideally, as a trainer or coach, you should spend at least 8 hours preparing or aday o training when working with new materials. o ensure training success,

please read both the primary text or this training program, ProfessionalWriting Skills, as well as this Leaders Guide in ull. Ten, ollow the step-by-step recommendations or how to prepare or training provided in the nextsection.

At Write It Well, we are not only instructional designers, but trainers. Weresensitive to the limited time that workplace trainers have or preparation.But over 25 years o experience has taught us that the more time you spend

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LEADERS GUIDE


preparing, the more successul your training program will be. So please readon. In the ollowing pages, youll nd suggestions on how to plan, deliver,and ollow up a program to meet the needs o dierent audiences in dierentsituations.

Characteristics of a Successful Learning Program

Learning programs dier in terms o the number o participants, the lengtho time available or training, and the needs o both the organization andparticipants. But all successul learning programs share these characteristics:

Successfullearningprogramsengageparticipantsinthelearningprocess.

Few people learn new skills simply by reading or listening to a lecture.Tey learn by thinking about the concepts and inormation in terms otheir own situations and by trying out the new techniques. For writing,that means providing plenty o opportunities or participants to discussthe issues, practice new techniques, and apply the learning to writingprojects o their own.

Successfullearningprogramsarebasedonclear,relevantbehavioralobjectives.

Objectives should speciy what people will be able to do when the

training is complete. Ten the objectives serve as a road map ordesigning the learning program and or measuring its eects. Teobjectives or a given program depend on the needs o the audience andthe organization, and on what you can reasonably accomplish in thetime available. I possible, ask participants to begin thinking about theirobjectives beore the workshop begins and then share those objectives(i participants are willing) as part o your opening activities.

Successfullearningprogramsbuildonwhatpeoplealreadyknow,and recognize their experiences.

Everyone in your organization writes already. What they need are tools

and techniques that help them write them more easily and eectively.You can encourage participants to draw on their own experience sothey can identiy what they are doing well and develop the skills theyneed to improve.

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Successfullearningprogramsuserelevantexamplesandhelppeopleapplywhattheylearntotheirreal-worldchallenges.

People need to see how what they are learning relates to the kind o

writing they do at work. In addition to the examples in ProfessionalWriting Skills, consider providing additional examples. Also provideopportunities or participants to apply what they learn.

Facilitation Guidelines

A successul learning program is one that engages participants and helpsthem apply what they learn. Below are some suggestions or ways to help theparticipants get the most out o training and keep the class running smoothly.

Encouragequestionsanddiscussion.

People learn by asking questions and discussing the way the techniquestheyre learning apply to specic situations. Encourage discussions,but manage them so they do not go on too long or veer o track. Bringthem to a close when the points have been made, when people begin torepeat themselves or go o on tangents, or when the time is up or thattopic.

Be prepared to respond to issues and questions that are not addressedin Professional Writing Skills. Tere are answers to some requently

asked questions in the Appendix. You might also want to do someadditional reading and research on your own so that you eelcomortable with questions. (See the Bibliography at the back o thebook itsel.)

I someone asks a question you cant answer, you might turn thequestion back to the classsomeone else might have an idea. And youshould always eel ree to say, Sorry, but I dont have an answer to thatquestion. Ill do some research and get back to you.

Explainwhatisnotcoveredintheworkshop.

People may come expecting to learn how to ll out specic ormsor how to dissect a sentence. When you review the objectives at thebeginning o the workshop, explain that the ocus o this workshop isnot how to enter data into a specic online program, but on how towrite clearly and concisely in all applications.

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Varythewaythatparticipantsdotheexercises.

Instead o asking participants to do all the exercises individually,suggest that they work with a partner or in groups o 3 to 5 to complete

some o the activities. Rotate the pairs and groups so people have anopportunity to work with others.

Watchthetime.

Te times indicated in this Leaders Guide are approximations. Teactual time it takes to run a training session depends on such actors aswhether you cover all the material and do all the practice exercises, thesize o your group, and how inclined the group is to ask questions.

Be sure to leave extra time so that you do not have to rush throughanything, leave out the interaction that is crucial to the success o

training, or skip over any important content. I you nish a sectionearly, you can always add an activity.

Practice.

Beore running a training program or the rst time, go through eachsection careully. Decide which exercises you will ask the group to do inclass, which you will use as pre-work or between-session assignments,and which you will leave or people to do on their own. Practicedelivering the introductions and explanations, and time yoursel. Seehow long it takes you to do the exercises yoursel.

Rememberthatpeopleworkatdierentspeeds.

Some participants will nish the practice exercises quickly. Others liketo take lots o time and are usually still working when the time runsout.

Te best you can do is to try or the middle. Provide additionalactivities or those who nish early and explain that those whodont have a chance to nish will have an opportunity to completethe assignments on their own (one o the advantages o a sel-studyprogram). Explain that its not always important to nish an exercise toget the ull advantage.

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The Training Program

Planning a Training Program

Planning a successul training program requires some time and attention. Inthe ollowing section, youll nd suggestions and guidelines that will get youstarted. Here is an overview o the steps:

Learn about your audience

ReviewProfessional Writing Skills

Choose the type o training

Communicate with participants

Consider pre-work

Review participants writing samples

Follow-up or the training

Learn About Your Audience

Everyone can learn to write more eectively. Experienced managers andsupervisors need strategies and techniques that will help them work moreefciently and get their readers attention. New supervisors might need tolearn to write more proessionally. All participants can build on what they arealready doing well, and clear guidelines so that they can develop their skillsand increase their condence.

Begin planning your learning program by nding out as much as you can

about what participants already know, and what they need to know. Here aresome steps to take:

alk with key people in the organization to identiy the issues thatcome up when people write internally and externally.

Interview stakeholders and/or participants to gather inormation aboutparticipants objectives or training. (See more on p. 14 in the sectionCustomizetheCourseforYourOrganizationandAudience.)

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Review representative samples o the kind o documents people writeto identiy the kinds o problems that need to be addressed. (See morein the CustomizetheCourseforYourOrganizationandAudience section on p. 14.)

Review Professional Writing Skills

Even i you are an experienced writing skills teacher, begin by going throughProfessional Writing Skills: A Write It Well Guide as i you were a workshopparticipant. Do the exercises and assignments so you will know rsthandwhat you are asking the participants to do. Keep track o the time it takes you

to complete each exercise. Although this guide includes approximate timesor the lessons, you may want to reer to your own times as you plan yourprogram.

Aer you are amiliar with Professional Writing Skills, study the SampleAgenda, the Lesson-by-Lesson Guide, and the ext Colors and Icons guide onpp. 1922.

Keep the ollowing in mind:

Te workbook icons like the one on the le indicate the pages oProfessional Writing Skills that your participants will need to turn to

during the workshop.When this Leaders Guide asks you to READALOUD a portion o theworkbook text, you can ask or volunteers to read. You can also summarizethe text in your own words as long as you convey the message accurately.

Te practice exercises in each lesson are indicated by practice iconslike the one on the le. Be sure that you are amiliar enough withthe practices to give participants clear instructions and answer theirquestions.

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Choose the Type of Training

You can use Professional Writing Skills in dierent types o learning programs,

including: Workshopsandotherclassroomtraining

Small-grouptraining,suchasstudygroups

Individualcoachingprogramsortutorials

Te type and duration o the program will depend on your audiences needsand learning preerences, and on the time that participants have available.

Workshops and other classroom training

Professional Writing Skills: A Write It Well Guide can be used as theprimary text in a course on business writing, but it can also be used as asupplementary text in any management training program. A classroomsetting gives you the opportunity to explain and expand on the material, andallows students to learn rom one another through discussion and grouppractice. When planning your classroom program, consider these issues:

Scheduletheworkshop:

Be realistic about time. It takes at least two ull days to cover allseven lesson modules outlined in this guide while giving participantssucient opportunities or discussion and practice. I you have lesstime, ocus on the topics that are most important or the group. I youtry to cover too much in too little time, youll spend most o your timetalking, and people will learn very little.

Workshop or class sessions should be at least hal a day long, andthe entire programnot including ollow-up activitiesshould becompleted within 4 weeks.

You can conduct an eective learning program or groups as largeas 2025 people. But the larger the group, the more difcult it is tomanage discussions and give people individual attention while theywork on their own writing projects. I possible, keep class sizes to amaximum o 15 to 16 people.

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Preparetheworkshopenvironment:

o acilitate discussion and learning, avoid the traditional classroomsetting, where everyone aces the instructor. I possible, seat people

inormally at tables in groups o 3 to 5 (the tables create naturaldiscussion groups). Arrange the tables so that participants can easilysee each other, you, and the visual aids.

Arrange or the room and the equipment youll need well ahead otime: i.e., a laptop and/or slide projector, two flip chart easels with padsand marking pens, a whiteboard, pens, masking tape, writing tablets,reerence books, and name tents. I possible, provide rereshments,especially or classes that begin early in the morning.

Prepare visuals aidsa PowerPoint presentation or flip chart pagesto illustrate the key concepts youll be teaching. Tis Leaders Guide

includes a PowerPoint presentation that you can use as slides or printout. Add any others that you think might be helpul.

Arrive at class early enough to set out the materials, and make sure theequipment is working and the room is set up properly.

Managetheworkshopcurriculum:

I your organization has a style guide and/or writing guidelines, includea review and discussion o those documents and process in yourlearning program. Ten show your participants how what they are

learning in the book is related to the process. I there are any signicantdierences between the lessons in the book and your organizationsprocess, be prepared to discuss them.

I you break up the training into multiple sessions, ask participants todo their reading between class sessions so you can use class time orsuch activities as discussions, practice, and explaining and reinorcingkey points.

Expect participants to raise issues and ask questions that are notcovered in the book. Beore the class begins, you might want to dosome additional reading and research on your own. And always eelcomortable saying, I dont know the answer to that question, but Illnd out and get back to you.

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Study Groups

Study groups are small groups (usually 37 people) who meet or 1 to 2hours at a time to work together on a learning program. Study groups

acilitate the learning process by providing a structure, mutual support, andencouragement. Tey are excellent ways or team or department members toexplore the issues involved in using e-mail eectively and efciently.

Here are some points to consider about study groups:

Study groups work best i one persona group member, a manager,or a training representativetakes on the responsibility o schedulingmeetings, reserving meeting space, etc. When possible, study groupsshould have a private place to meet.

Group members should do most o the reading and application

exercises on their own, using the meeting time to discuss theirexperiences and observations.

Study group meetings should be held at least twice a week, ora minimum o 1 hour, and attendance should be required (withexceptions made only or real emergencies). At the end o eachmeeting, members should agree on specic assignments to becompleted by the next meeting. Te entire program should becompleted within 4 weeks.

Te group should use the rst meeting to establish objectives and setup a schedule, both o which should be written down and distributed

to all participants. Te group can also use this meeting to discuss therelationship o the learning program to their day-to-day work andcareer goals.

One or two ollow-up meetings 46 weeks aer the end o the learningprogram can help reinorce what people learned, and give themopportunities to share ideas or continuing to improve.

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Individualcoachingprogramsandtutorials:

Individual coaching programs, or tutorials, are a more structured versiono a sel-study program. Tey can be supervised by a manager, a training

specialist, or even a colleague who has gone through the book and has a goodgrasp o the material. Coaching programs work best when they are completedwithin a 46 week period and then ollowed up periodically.

Te person who is supervising the coaching program usually does theollowing:

Works with the participant to clariy the objectives, agree onassignments, and establish a schedule

Remains available to answer questions while the participant completesthe assignments

Checks in periodically to discuss progress, review the participantswork, etc.

Follows up in 4 to 6 weeks to help reinorce the learning and discussremaining issues

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Communicate with Participants

Its a good idea to make contact with the workshop participants beore the

workshop. You should introduce yoursel to the group, ask participants tosend you a sample o their writing (or to bring a sample to class), and oer anagenda or the workshop youll lead.

Its helpul to ask participants to have a sample o their own writing to reerto during the workshop. Ask them to choose samples that have not beenedited by anyone else. Explain that the samples will remain condentialparticipants will use them rom time to time to check their own writing orconcepts covered in class.

Engaging people in advance helps participants do the ollowing:

ell you what they hope to accomplish in the workshop Get buy in to the training

Tink about their own writingwhat they have trouble with and/orwould like to improve

Have a sample to work on during class which makes the workshop evenmore relevant.

You can also use the rst point o contact as an opportunity to assignpre-work (see p. 12 or the ConsiderPre-Work section) or to get moreinormation rom the group that will help you customize the workshop (see

p. 14 or the CustomizetheCourseforYourOrganizationandAudiencesection).

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Consider Pre-Work

Depending on the amount o training time you have available and the

nature o your group, you might ask participants to complete some pre-workassignments. Asking people to think in advance about the what and why otraining creates a positive and productive ramework or the workshop.

Here are two ideas or pre-work:

1. Pre-work might include reading selected material or completing selectedexercises in Professional Writing Skills: A Write It Well Guide.

2. Another pre-work assignment might be asking people to write a briereport on the status o a project, a request or something they need, ora recommendation or improving a procedure. Another idea might be

to simply ask them to spend some time thinking o something that theyneed to write and will spend classroom time working on.

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Review Participants Writing Samples

A review o participants writing when you are planning the learning program

helps you determine how to ocus the program on their needs. Reviewingtheir writing during and aer the program allows you to evaluate theirprogress and give them useul eedback.

When you review printed copies o participants writing, make yourcomments in pencil, not penand certainly not in a red pen. Also, be sure towrite legibly. I you review the writing online, you can use Microso Wordsrack Changes eature to insert your comments.

Keep the ollowing in mind:

Resist the impulse to edit the writing. Instead, explain what works and

what doesnt, and ask the participant to make the revisions. Keep all writing samples condential. Never show any participants

writing to their colleagues as either a good or bad example without thepersons express permission.

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Customize the Course for Your Organization and

Audience

Every organization, every department, and every person is dierent. While

this program was designed to suit the needs o more than one organization,department, and person, you can customize the program to address theparticular needs o your audience.

Tere are a number o ways to customize this course to meet your audiencesparticular needs. Consider one or more o the ollowing ways:

1. Use the inormation in the e-mail and survey that you send out (seethe CommunicatewiththeParticipants section on p. 11) to see ithere are trends in participants responses, and i what they say in thesurvey matches what you see in the samples (see more in the ReviewParticipantsWritingSamples section on p. 13). Use your ndings tocreate new or revised PowerPoint slides o your own in advance o theworkshop.

2. Identiy the documents that your organization or department writesmost oen and incorporate them into the workshop. Insert slides, createhandouts, and develop exercises or the sample documents.

3. Conduct a ew internal interviews with stakeholders to nd out moreabout what the participants should learn. Use that inormation to ocusyour attention during the workshop.

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Consider These In-Class Activities and Exercises

Every training group is dierent. You might know that your group will workwell individually or you might know in advance that in order to make your

workshop a success, youll need to incorporate more group activities.

Tere are a number o dierent kinds o activities and exercises that youcan add to this workshop. Weve oered a ew o them that you can consideradding.

1. At the end o the workshop, ask people to write down a list o ten pointsthat everyone in the organization should ollow when they write to others.Give them 510 minutes to write the list. When the time is up, go aroundthe room collectingand flipchartingone unique guideline romeach participant, until everyone has added at least three guidelines, orparticipants dont have anything new to add. Ask people to use a marker

to vote or the top ten guidelines. ally the vote, type up the list, andsend it out to participants when the training is over.

2. Collect samples o your organizations requently used orms ordocuments, distribute them, and talk about how to complete them.

3. Give participants a ew minutes during the opening to talk about theirobjectives with a partner or in small groups. When the time is up, askeach group to share two or three o their objectives.

4. As a group, complete Steps 13 on a flip chart page. As a group,brainstorm the acts and ideas to include. Divide participants into small

groups and ask each group to complete steps 5 and 6. Ask each group towrite its key sentence and summary sentences on a flip chart page. Reviewthem as a group, clariying as needed. Select a situation. Participants mayhave a subject in which they all have an interest. I not, you could use oneo the ollowing:

Ask the company to give a three-month sabbatical to all permanentemployees with at least ve years o service

Ask the company to subsidize employees health club or child careexpenses

5. Ask participants to work with a partner or in groups o 35 to develop alist on a topic they choose. Post the lists and discuss whether they meetthe guidelines.

6. Hand out a poor writing sample (not identiable as any individualswork) and ask participants to identiy passive, vague, or pompouslanguage and jargon that readers might not understand.

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7. Hand out a writing sample (not identiable as any individuals work)containing clutter, and ask participants to revise it so it is more concise.

8. Ask participants to edit something they have written and hand it in to

you. Review their assignments to see whether they caught and xed allthe problems, and return them to the participants with your comments.

9. Hand out copies o the WritingEvaluationForm in the Appendix. Askparticipants to use the orm to evaluate something they wrote during theclass. When they are done, ask volunteers to share what they learned romthe process.

10. Ask participants to complete a writing worksheet or a memo on theclassto influence others to take it, to inorm others o what the class waslike, to inorm their manager what they learned, etc.and then dra thememo.

11. Hand out a typical company memo, such as an announcement o a newhealth plan or meeting, and ask the group to write it in a dierent voicesuch as that o a newscaster, attorney, cheerleader, etc.

12. Remind participants that being an observant reader is one way to improvetheir own writing. Ask them to look or examples o well-written andpoorly written e-mail, letters, and other documents and share theirobservations o what works and what doesnt with the group.

13. Ask participants to exchange something they have written with a partner.Give the teams time to read their partners writing. Encourage each

person to ask or specic eedback, such as, Is my main point clear?Are there any terms that are unclear? Did the opening catch yourattention? and so on. Te rule is that people can only give eedback thattheir partner asks or.

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Follow-up for the Training

Continuing the ocus aer the program increases the likelihood that

participants will change their approach to writing, and that these changeswill become permanent. When possible, extend the benets o training bybuilding in ollow-up assignments and activities. Here are some ways toreinorce what people learn:

Give participants an assignment to complete within a week o the lastsession. Te assignment should include developing a writing plan,using it to write a rst dra, and editing the dra. Ask them to sendyou the nal product, and return it with your comments.

At the end o the last session, ask participants to send you somethingthey write 4 weeks and/or 8 weeks later. Return the document with

your comments.

Tree months aer the workshop, meet with participants to review keylearning points and give them a chance to ask questions.

Periodically check in with participants by e-mail or in person to seehow things are going and answer any questions they might have.

Give participants an assignment to complete within 2 weeks o the lastscheduled program activity.

wo or three weeks later, send out a list o the top 5 things to considerwhen writing an important document or some other list o tips ortools that will jog participants memory about how to write eectively.

Ask people to send you a sample o a review they wrote and return thedocument with your comments.

Consider holding ofce hours with participants to review key learningpoints, discuss issues, and let them ask questions.

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Sample Agendas

ONE-DAY TRAINING

DAY ONE:

Opening: Introduction and Overview

Lesson 1: Develop a Writing Plan in Six Steps

Lesson 2: Write the First Dra

Lesson 3: Use Concise Language

Lesson 4: Use Clear Language

Lesson 7: Write Eective E-Mail

Closing

TWO-DAY TRAINING

DAY ONE:

Opening: Introduction and Overview


Lesson 2: Write the First Dra

DAY TWO:


Lesson 4: Use Clear Language

Lesson 5: Use Correct Grammar

Lesson 6: Use Correct Punctuation

Lesson 7: Write Eective E-Mail

Closing

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Lesson-by-Lesson Guide

Lesson Outlines

Tis section provides 7 lesson modules that can be taught either individuallyor together as a ull course. Including the opening and closing (but notincluding any additional activities and exercises), the entire course requires 2days o instruction or approximately 13 hours.

Introduction and Overview


Lesson 1 provides the oundation or the course and or each lesson thatollows. Tereore, we recommend that you always begin with Lesson 1. Keepin mind that these lesson plans are suggestions or teaching the curriculum;we recommend that you adapt them to your own teaching style and to meetthe needs o the group or individual you are training.

Toughtul preparation makes any document more eective. Your writingbenets when you put yoursel in your readers shoes, and when you organizethe inormation you present. Tis lesson outlines a six-step method todevelop a writing plan or e-mails, reports, proposals, marketing materials,and more.

Lesson 2: Write the First Draft

Te six-step planning method will propel you orward through the rst drao any written communication. In this lesson, youll learn to present thisinormation, transition rom one topic to another, and ormat your messageor the reader.


Long-winded writing can be conusing, and it implies that you do not valueyour readers time. Tis lesson helps you identiy and avoid sentence clutter,avoid repetition, and eliminate unnecessary words in your writing.

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Introduction and Overview

Purpose of Business Writing

What do you think the dierence is between business writing and otherorms o writing, such as ction, essays, and letters to riends?

Elicit a ew responses. Ten point out the excerpts rom a short story and anessay on p. 5.

READALOUD the denition o business writing on pp. 67.

Te purpose o proessional writing is to help people conduct businessby providing them with inormation they need.

o accomplish its purpose, business writing mustbe easy to understand.

In act, the best way to determine whether a business document is wellwritten is to take the readers point o view. ry that now.

pp. 67

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Lesson 1: Develop a Writing Plan in

Six Steps

Purpose of Planning

READALOUD the two paragraphs aer the bullet points on p. 14 to explainthe purpose o planning.

In the Overview you learned that successul business writing meetsspecic criteria. In this lesson, youll learn a step-by-step process toguarantee that your writing meets those criteria. By ollowing thisprocess, you develop a plan or an e-mail, a report, or another documentthat communicates eectively.

You would never build a house without blueprints. You also need a planwhen you write. A writing blueprint makes it possible to get startedeasily, decide what inormation to include, and end up with a useulproduct: a piece o writing your readers can understand easily and

quickly.

Tats why the ocus o this workshop is on what you do beore you beginwriting.

WRIE Who, Why, and What on a flip chart page.

Give participants these instructions:

1. Choose one o the writing topics that you decided to use or practice.Make sure it is a situation that is real or you, even i it is something

you will not actually send.2. Write the ollowing on a sheet o paper:

Te name or description o your reader or readers

Your purpose or writingeither to influence your readers todo something or to inorm your readers about something

A sentence or two that communicates your most importantmessage. Tat is what youd tell readers i you had only 15seconds to get your message across.

Give participants 23 minutes to answer the three questions.

p. 14

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Lesson 3:

Use Concise Language

SLIDE 31


Purpose:Help participants understand theways in which clutter intereres with clearcommunication and learn techniques or makingtheir writing more concise.

Estimatedtime:4560 minutes

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Lesson 3:

Use Concise Language

Examples of Clutter

READALOUD the rst paragraph on p. 101 and the rst paragraph on p.102 to explain the importance o eliminating clutter.

Unnecessary words are obstacles to good business writing. Tey clutterup your sentences and slow your readers down. Tey can also make yourdocuments boring. By eliminating unnecessary words, you can keepyour readers interest and make your writing easier to ollow.

In this lesson, youll look at several ways to get rid o unnecessary wordsand youll practice revising wordy sentences. Ten youll review yourown writing to see i you can make it more concise.

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Show the cluttered sentence on the slide.

Ten show the next slide with the samesentence, revised or concision. Point out that itsunnecessary to speciy that trains leave stations,or that its the rapid-transit industry whosestandards apply when you discuss how muchnoise trains make.

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Tere are lots o ways to make your writingmore concise. Youve already learned one othemplan your writing so that you knowwhat inormation to include and what toleave out. Planning also helps you writemore concise sentences because you havealready thought through what you want tosay.

In this part o the workshop we will look at three more methodsor reducing clutter: Using one word or a one-word idea, avoiding

repetitions, and eliminating unnecessary clauses.

pp. 1012

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Closing Exercises

Ask participants i they have any remainingquestions.

Tere are two closing exercises. First, askparticipants to do the ollowing:

Look back at the objectives that they identied at the beginning o theworkshop

Tink about what they have learned that is most useul to them

Write down three actions they will take every time they write or the nextsix weeks.

Share their actions with a partnernot discuss them, but just tell theirpartner what they wrote down.

Go around the room and ask or volunteers to share one o the actions theywrote.

Write the actions on a flip chart page.

And nally, ask people to make a list o the top ten things people shoulddo when they write or work. Write the responses on a new flip chart page.Collect ideas until there is a long list. Ask people to vote or their top ve.ype up this list and send it to people aer the training is over.

Tank you or your attention during this workshop. Now its up to youto use what youve learned about writing or work. I you do, I have nodoubt that you will write more clearly, easily, and with more condence.

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I you are using a workshop evaluation orm,hand it out now.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

DoIhavetousethisentiresix-stepprocessforeverythingIwrite?

For much o your routine writing, three or our steps o the process willbe enough. For example, i youre writing a brie e-mail message to ask acolleague to change the date or a meeting, you probably need only Steps 14.But i you are writing a new procedure or a request or a large expenditure,you will probably need all six steps.

Rememberthe purpose o the planning process is to help you decide whatinormation to include and to organize it logically so that it answers readersquestions and gets the results you want. Use as many o the steps as you needto achieve those objectives.

ImverybusyHowcanItakesomuchtimetousethisprocesseverytimeIwrite?

It can seem as i the planning process is taking more time than i you justbegan with a rst dra. But it always takes time to write. What the planningprocess helps you do is use that time as efciently as possible.

Also, consider how much time it takes to answer questions or solve problemswhen a written communication is not clear. A ew minutes spent planningcan actually save you and your readers lots o time.

HowcanIdecidewhetherImwritingtoinformortoinuence?

Te easiest way to decide is to ask yoursel, I I had only 15 seconds to getmy most important message across, what would it be? I the point is to getyour reader to do something, such as Give me a raise, Change the XYZprocedure, or Extend the deadline or the Acme project, you are writingprimarily to influence. Te inormation you include will answer the readersquestion, Why should I do what you want me to do?

When your primary purpose is to inorm, you can think o your key sentenceas answering the readers most important question. Tat question mightbe, How do I register or the writing workshop? When and where is theannual retreat being held? What steps can we take to reduce the number o

distressed products? or What inormation does this document contain?Dont worry too much i you cant decide. Te important thing is to stop andthink about why youre writing and what you want to achieve.

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WhatifImwritingtoinformbutIreallywanttoinuence?

Even when we write primarily to inorm, we are nearly always trying to sellsomethingan idea, a recommendation, a point o view, some inormation.

Te primary purpose o a marketing packet might be to give readersinormation about a new product, but a hidden agenda purpose is to getthem to buy the product. Te primary purpose o a proposed change inprocedure would be to describe the new procedure and explain why it needsto be changed; thats writing to inorm, but the hidden agenda is to convincethe reader to adopt the new procedures.

Again, keep in mind that or planning purposes, when your primary purposeis to influence, your key sentence will state what you want the reader to doand all the inormation in the document will directly support your request.When you are writing to inorm, you oen influence by providing sufcient

detail to convince a reader to take a certain course o actionbut yourprimary purpose is still to inorm.

Heres another thing to consider: When you write a complex document suchas a report or proposal, some sections will be primarily to inorm, and others,such as a recommendation, will be primarily to influence.

Tus, you might need to plan each section separately.

WhatifIhavemorethanonereader?Morethanonegroupofreaders?

We oen write or more than one reader, and our readers oen have dierentneeds, interests, concerns, and levels o knowledge about our topic.

Focus on your primary readers. Tose are the people who need theinormation to make a decision or take some action. Even though you mightsend copies to other people, such as those who need to know whats going onin a given situation, your primary readers are the most important.

See whether you can answer the questions about readers in Step 1 o theplanning process essentially the same way or all your primary readers.I you nd that they have very dierent needs, interests, concerns,levels o knowledge, and so on, you might need to write two dierentcommunications.

More questions?

E-mail us at [email protected]

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WRITING WORKSHEET (Professional Writing Skills pp. 9193)

SUBJECT:

1. LOOK A WHA YOURE GOING O WRIE FROM YOUR READERS POIN OFVIEW.

Name or describe reader(s):

Tink about your readers needs, interests, and concerns. Ten check the appropriateboxes:

ISYOURREADER

expecting to hear rom you?

amiliar with the subject?

already interested in what you have to say?

likely to consider you an authority on the subject?

likely to nd what you have to say useul?

amiliar with your views on the subject?

already committed to a point o view?

likely to agree with your point o view?

likely to nd your message uncomortable?

(other needs, interests, and concerns)

2. DECIDE ON YOUR PRIMARY PURPOSE:

oINFLUENCE oINFORM

3. COMPOSE A KEY SENENCE HA EXPRESSES YOUR MOS IMPORANMESSAGE:

I want my reader(s) to do or to know:

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