Ohio University College of Business Communication Standards

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Table of Contents Section 1: Business Writing Skills "POWER OF THE PRINTED WORD" .............................................................................. 3 ELEMENTS OF STYLE........................................................................................................ 6 STAGES OF EFFECTIVE BUSINESS WRITING ............................................................................ 6 READER SENSITIVITY ............................................................................................................. 6 GUIDE TO DOCUMENT REVISION ................................................................................. 7 EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION CRITERIA - 7CS........................................................................ 8 SENTENCES AND LINES PER PARAGRAPH................................................................................ 8 READABILITY ......................................................................................................................... 9 CONCISE VERBS VS. NOMINALIZED VERBS........................................................................... 11 WORDY PHRASES ................................................................................................................. 12 TRANSITION WORDS............................................................................................................. 13 PARALLELISM....................................................................................................................... 13 TITLES AND NUMBERS.......................................................................................................... 13 REGIONAL USAGE/SLANG .................................................................................................... 14 PROOFREADING GUIDELINES ................................................................................................ 14 PRODUCT EVALUATION ........................................................................................................ 14 1-2
With permission: International Paper Company "Power of the Printed Word" 1-3 How To Write A Business Letter by Malcolm Forbes Adapted from thoughts of Malcolm Forbes, Founder of Forbes Magazine A good business letter can get you a job interview, get you off the hook, or get you money. It's totally asinine to blow your chances of getting whatever you want with a business letter that turns people off instead of turning them on. The best place to learn to write is in school. If you're still there, pick your teachers' brains. If not, big deal. I learned to ride a motorcycle at 50 and fly balloons at 52. It's never too late to learn. Over 10,000 business letters come across my desk every year. They seem to fall into three categories: stultifying if not stupid, mundane (most of them), and first rate (rare). Here's the approach I've found that separates the winners from the losers--it starts before you write your letter: Know what you want: If you don't, write it down--in one sentence. "I want to get an interview within the next two weeks." Then, list the major points you want to get across--it'll keep you on course. If you're answering a letter, check the points that need answering and keep the letter in front of you while you write. This way you won't forget anything--that would cause another round of letters. For goodness' sake, answer promptly if you're going to answer at all. Don't sit on a letter--that invites the person on the other end to sit on whatever you want in return. Plunge right in: Call the reader by name--"Dear Mr. Chrisanthopoalos" not "Dear Sir, Madam, or Ms."--and be sure to spell it right. That'll get him (thus, you) off to a good start. (Usually, you can get the name just by phoning the company--or from a business directory in your nearest library.) Tell what your letter is about in the first paragraph using one or two sentences. Don't keep your readers guessing or they might discard your letter--even before they finish it. People who read business letters are as human as you and I. Reading a letter shouldn't be a chore, reward readers for the time they give you. Write so readers enjoy it: • Write the entire letter from the reader’s point of view. What's in it for the reader? Beat the reader to the draw by answering the questions and objections that might arise. • Be positive. The reader will be more receptive to what you have to say. • Be nice. Contrary to the cliche, genuinely nice guys most often finish first or very near it. I admit it's not easy when you've got a gripe. To be agreeable while disagreeing--that's an art.
Page 1 and 2: Ohio University College of Business
Page 3: Section 1: Business Writing Skills
Page 7 and 8: • Distinguish opinions from facts
Page 9 and 10: Be polite: Politeness means being c
Page 11 and 12: short, and to the point. Most impor
Page 13 and 14: Concise Verbs vs. Nominalized Verbs
Page 15 and 16: Transition Words And Consequently T
Page 17 and 18: Section 2: Business Letters and Mem
Page 19 and 20: Basic Page Formatting in MS Word Ap
Page 21 and 22: Creating Headers and Footers Header
Page 23 and 24: Guidelines for Formatting Memos To:
Page 25 and 26: Plain Paper Memo MEMORANDUM (Option
Page 27 and 28: Bad News or Negative Communication
Page 29 and 30: Reduce Resistance 1. Do not ignore
Page 31 and 32: Table of Contents Section 3: Report
Page 33 and 34: Business Report Segments Formal Inf
Page 35 and 36: Report Outlines Informational Analy
Page 37 and 38: Reports in the Impersonal Style The
Page 39 and 40: Qualities of Well-Written Reports 1
Page 41 and 42: Sample Letter of Transmittal Green
Page 43 and 44: The Executive Summary Executive Sum
Page 45 and 46: Executive Summary (Sample with Head
Page 47 and 48: Line 7 1” Formatting Guidelines 1
Page 49 and 50: Create a Table of Contents The easi
Page 51 and 52: Hardware Examples of Lead-Ins, Summ
Page 53 and 54: Appendices Ancillary Pages • Iden
Page 55 and 56:
Pagination (College of Business Sta
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Section 4: Presentations 4-1
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Effective Presentations Delivering
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Getting Organized: Factors to consi
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audience will not care about your p
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PowerPoint Tips A well-executed Pow
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• Text movement should be motivat
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Overcoming Fear of Speaking before
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Table of Contents Section 5: Employ
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Statements Action Statements, Descr
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Address (home or campus) City, Stat
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Sample: Enhanced Resume Lucinda Cre
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(Line One) (Line Two) (Line One) (L
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Ohio University College of Business Communication Standards

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