GE Elect 3 / BPOT: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

MODULE 1: THE ART OF GOOD WRITING

Know Your Readers

LESSON 1:

Objectives:

After finishing the lesson, you should be able to:

1. Explain the important methods of writing.

2. Cite examples on how to enhance writing skills
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Writing is one of the oldest and one of the most important methods of
communication. It is a means of presenting our thoughts, ideas, and information “of the
moment,” as well as our primary system of recording and preserving our thoughts for the
future.

Know Your Readers

Have a clear picture of the people you are writing for – age, sex, education, income,
occupation, level of language spoken.

Your writing success depends upon how well your readers accept that you tell them.
To create reader acceptance, you must be aware of their interests, likes and dislikes, capacity
for understanding, limitations, misapprehensions, and prejudices.

The reader fails to understand the writer when the writer fails to understand the
reader. You can hold your readers’ attention more easily if they feel that you are interested in
them and their problems and that you convey this interest in your writing.

Few people can resist good sale techniques. Good writers are good salespersons.
They:

 Arouse the readers’ interest.

 Stir the readers’ imagination.
 Make readers feel the copy is aimed directly at them.
 Present believable claims.
 Give good reasons for action.
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Plan

No substitute replaces planning, and a plan starts with a well-defined goal. You are
not ready to write until you are able to state your purpose in one sentence. Then every word
you write should bring you one step closer to this goal.

Good writing starts with an outline of the material you are going to present. Writing
without an outline to guide you, you can avoid repetition and be certain you have included
important points in spite of interruptions.

With your readers in mind, make a list of the main topics you will cover, and arrange
them in order in which you will write about them. Choose the order that seems most logical
for your material. For example:

 Chronological – spring planting through harvest.

 Step-by-step – procedure for baking a cake.
 Different categories – chemical, mechanical and biological weed control methods.

Under each main heading, list the related points.

Write for Easy Reading

Your readers are free to ignore your efforts any time they want to. And they will if
what you write is not easy to read.

Here are some essentials for easy-to-read writing.

1. Be conversational. When you write as people talk, you have a style that readers are
familiar with. (They don’t mind if you end a sentence with a preposition.) Using
common, ordinary words in a familiar way helps to convey the message. Don’t
become a slave to style. Be concerned first with getting your thoughts across to your
readers. Use contractions when that’s the natural way to say something but not when
you want emphasis. Read your writing aloud. How does it sound? Smooth over the
rough places and correct the grammar. Always remember you’re writing to express
your thoughts – not to impress your reader.
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2. Use short, easy-to-understand words. When necessary you can use longer words if
they carry your precise meaning. But don’t forget that short, familiar words make the
story easy to understand and hence east to read. Rudolph Flesch has worked out a way
to measure reading ease. It’s based on the idea that the more syllables in a 100-word
sample, the more difficult it is to understand. Here’s a rough guide to measure your
writing by: Easy reading – from 100 to 130 syllables per 100 words; standard reading
– from 131 to 160 syllables; difficult reading – above 160 syllables per 100 words.
3. Use personal words. Words about people make writing more interesting. You’ll find a
gold mine in personal pronouns like I, you, he, she, we, and they. People feel you’re
really talking to them. Syllable counting may make your writing easy to read, but you
defeat your purpose it it’s also dull and impersonal. Use discretion, though, in putting
personal pronouns in a straight news story.
4. Use short, varied sentence. In general, the shorter the sentence, the easier the reading.
An average sentence length of 17 words is about right – but that’s the average. Don’t
be afraid of stringing out some sentences if you can maintain a clear meaning
throughout. And don’t be afraid to bring the reader up short with a three- or four-
worder. When sentence after sentence dutifully continues at 17 words, rigor mortis
soon sets in.
5. Use short paragraphs. Block out one thought at a time so readers can catch their
breath before going on to your next point. Good clear writing usually comes in neat
little paragraphs of, say, three to five sentences each (with a one-sentence paragraph
occasionally for emphasis or variety). Then the readers don’t have to absorb a
mishmash of thoughts.

6. Put down your thoughts in logical order. Good writing comes from clear thinking.
You’re asking too much of your readers if they have to unscramble your thoughts.
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Here’s a system that will fit many of your stories: (a) State the main point in one
sentence. (b) Tell why that point is important. (c) List all other facts and figures the
readers should have on this particular subject.
7. Check these points.
Mixed tenses: “The farmer seeded oats in 3 fields and has plowed the back 40.”
(Delete “has.”)
“He is writing for farmers and slanted his information to meet their needs.”
(Rewrite: “He writes for farmers and slants his information to meet their needs.”)
Dangling modifiers: “Born in Alaska, her writing experiences began on the local
newspaper.” (Rewrite: “Born in Alaska, she began her writing experiences on. . . . . “)
“To get the most out of a long film, the seats must be comfortable.” (Rewrite: “. . .
film, you must have a comfortable seat.”)
Nonagreement: “The use of radio, television, and news releases insure the success
of the program: (Rewrite: “The use of . . . insures . . .”)
“These kind of activities train young people for citizenship tomorrow.” (Rewrite:
“This kind . . . trains . . .” or “These kinds . . . train . . .”)
Careless repetition (repeat words for emphasis): “Market gardeners gradually
produce tons of fresh garden produce.” (Rewrite: “Market gardeners produce tons of
fresh fruits and vegetables each year.”)
Redundancy: “The consumer evaluated the value of the purchase.” (Delete “the
value of.”)
“The beautiful lakes and streams contributed to the beauty of the state.” (Delete
“beautiful.”)
Abstract nouns: “The school personnel failed to agree on the disciplinary action
needed.” (Rewrite: “The teachers disagreed on the discipline needed.”)
Empty nouns: “The poor quality of the soil was the main cause of repeated crop
failures.” (Rewrite: “The poor soil caused repeated crop failures.”)
“Attacks by the insect may be cyclical in nature.” (Rewrite: “Attacks by the insect
may be cyclical,” or “The insect may attack in cycles.”)
Hedging: “Apparently the tests seemed to indicate that the cattle disease evidently
had been spread from farm to farm on the farmers’ shoes.” (Rewrite: “The tests
showed the farmers has spread the cattle disease from farm to farm on their shoes.”)
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Circling (useless “thing is thing”): “The project all of the members selected was
the home beautification project.” (Rewrite: “All the members selected the home
beautification project.”)
Mixed construction or faulty parallelism: “The couple walked slowly, caterpillars
falling on their heads and clung to their shoulders.” (Rewrite: “. . . and clinging to
their shoulders.”)

Use Writing Tools

Words are your tools. Toss out those that are shopworn, but avoid the unfamiliar and
complicated.

Words will not think for you; they will only express what is on your mind. If an idea
is hazy in your mind, words can’t clear it up.

When you find yourself having trouble putting something into words, stop trying to
write and start trying to think. Once you really know what you want to say, you won’t have
any trouble finding the right words.

People prefer to read material that is less complex than they are capable of
understanding. Your readers are more likely to quit reading than to reach for dictionary.

Though most words are workers, some just take up space. The many forms of “there
is” often are among the useless words. For example:

“There has been an increase in the amount of milk consumed by teenagers.”

Let’s eliminate the non-working words:

“More milk is being consumed by teenagers.”

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 Write simply, clearly, briefly.

 Know your readers. Keep your readers’ image before you as you write.
 Have a plan. Make an outline and follow it so your readers can follow you.
 Make a rough draft. Get your ideas down; leave the polishing for later.
 Choose words carefully. Use simple, familiar, personal words.
 Say it simply. It’s not enough to write so that you may be understood; you must use
language that can’t be misunderstood. Don’t allow anything irrelevant to intrude.
 Don’t present unfamiliar ideas without adequate explanation.
 Don’t waste your readers ‘time; they are busy too. Don’t elaborate the obvious.

This is an improvement, but let’s get some act into it:

“Teenagers are drinking more milk.”

This is short, simple, easy to read, every word in it is a worker.

 Use the short word: “is” – not “exists.”

 Use the simple word: “ate” – not “consumed.”
 Use the personal word: “you” – not “one.”
 Use the active word: “It bit me” – not “I was bitten by it.”
 Use the colorful word: “big as a basketball” – not “very large.”
 Use the specific word: “1 10ºF.” – not “quite hot.”
 Use the familiar word: “beekeeping” – not “apiculture.”
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Avoid Foggy Writing

Wordy sentences, too many prepositional phrases and passive verbs produce hard-to-
read, ineffective writing.

Look at this 20-word sentence: “The discussions become quite heated at times, which
is an indication that the members themselves direct the policies of their organization.”

You can cut the length in half by saying: “Occasional heated discussions show that
the members direct their organization’s policies.”

Often the word “there” is not needed. For example: “There are more than 20 cultural
projects from which one can choose to satisfy his/her interests, needs, and home conditions.”
(22 words)

Why not say: “A member can choose from more than 20 cultural projects to satisfy
his/her interests, needs, and home conditions.” (19 words)

Wordy: “There are many weaknesses in writing which can be detected if it is carefully
reread.”

Rewrite: “You can detect many writing weaknesses if you carefully reread your
copy.”

Eliminate Prepositional Phrases

Prepositions are useful, but your writing will be more effective if you use them
sparingly.

Excessive prepositional phrases: “This contest is sponsored locally by the Central

County Service Company in cooperation with the County Extension Office.”

(18 words, 3 prepositional phrases)

No prepositional phrases: “The Central County Service Company and the County
Extension Office sponsor the contest.” (13 words, no prepositions)

Use Active Verbs

Passive verbs have a place in our language, but most writers use them more than is
necessary.
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A verb is active when it shows that the subject acts. A verb is passive when the
subject of the verb is acted upon.

Active verbs put an action into your writing. For example, “The chairperson
called for a motion to adjourn” is stronger than “A motion to adjourn was called for by the
chairperson.

In the following examples, active verbs strengthen the sentences:

Weak: “A wide range of learning experiences is provided under the guidance of a

volunteer 4-H leader.”

Stronger: “Volunteer 4-H leaders guide members through a wide range of learning
experiences.”

Weak: “The farm of William Portage was also approved as a farm plan.

Stronger: “The board also approved William Portage’s farm plan.”

You can spot passive voice simply by watching for “am,” “is,” “are,” “was,”
“were,” and “been.” If they occupy space as auxiliary verbs (“are featured,” “was liked”) in
a sentence, you are looking at passive voice. (Sometimes you must use forms of “be” as
principal or linking verbs. Example: “Live verbs are in the active voice.”)

Weed Out Redundant Words

Instead of . . . . . . . Say . . . . . . . . .
very latest latest
absolutely complete complete
necessary requirements requirements
basic fundamentals fundamentals
cooperate together cooperate
the consensus of opinion is the consensus is
ask the question ask
for a period of two weeks for two weeks
factual information facts
refer back refer
check up on check
end up end
inside of inside
all of all
fold up fold
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paid out paid

later on later
over with over
the necessary funds the money
destroyed by fire burned
during the time while
completely destroyed destroyed
as a general rule as a rule

Cut out compound prepositions and conjunctions such as “in so much as,” “due to the
fact that,” “to such a degree as,” and “in view of the fact that.” “Because” or “since” says the
same thing.

Use Short, Simple Verbs

Instead of . . . . . . . Say . . . . . . . .
excavate dig
contribute give
interrogate question
purchase buy
was the recipient of received
assist help
obtain get
hold a conference meet
take action act
terminate end
inquire ask
conceal hide
attempt try
possess own

Say It Simply

If you want to get your message off the printed page and into your readers’ minds, say
it simply so that they will remember it easily. Do you recognize these famous words?

“In this case I have undertaken the journey here for the purpose of interring of the
deceased. From this point of view I do not, however, propose putting anything on record in so
far as praise is concerned.”
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No? Then, surely you remember the edited version:

“I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.”