MC

Approaches to process writing

What makes an effective piece of writing?
Good writers
• plan and revise,
• rearrange and delete text
• re-reading and producing multiple drafts before they produce their finished document.
This is what a process writing approach is about.
What is Process Writing?
• Process writing is an approach to incorporating writing skills from the very beginning of
the English learning process.
• In process writing, students have the chance to think about what they are going to write,
produce drafts, revise, edit, and give and receive feedback on their work before coming up with
the final version of the text
Stages of process writing:
• The creative process of writing a text is the focus of process writing. Writing is a
productive skill and the stages of a writing lesson differ from that of receptive skills, like reading.
A typical process writing lesson usually includes the following phases:
Pre-writing
In this stage, learners are asked to come up with ideas and plan what they are going to write.
This stage might include:
- Brainstorming ideas;
- Planning;
- Organising;
- Selecting ideas.
Learners can - and should - work collaboratively during this stage. They can use techniques
such as creating lists, mind maps and charts in order to brainstorm and select the ideas they'd
like to include in their texts. This can be done in or outside the classroom - using ed tech tools
such as Padlet and Edmodo might enable the teacher to set collaborative work while students
are at home.
Writing
• In this stage, learners can compose the first draft of their texts. As students will be given
the chance to revise and edit their texts later, accuracy of language, punctuation and vocabulary
is not essential at this point. Composing the text can be done individually or collaboratively -
learners can be given the chance to choose, according to their preference.
• Pre-writing
• Brainstorming
• Getting started can be difficult, so students divided into groups quickly produce words
and ideas about the writing.
• Planning
• Students make a plan of the writing before they start. These plans can be compared and
discussed in groups before writing takes place.
• Generating ideas
• Discovery tasks such as cubing (students write quickly about the subject in six different
ways - they:
• 1. describe it
• 2. compare it
• 3. associate it
• 4. analyze it
• 5. apply it
• 6. argue for or against it.
• Questioning
• In groups, the idea is to generate lots of questions about the topic. This helps students
focus upon audience as they consider what the reader needs to know. The answers to these
questions will form the basis to the composition.
• Discussion and debate
• The teacher helps students with topics, helping them develop ideas in a positive and
encouraging way.
Focusing ideas
• Fast writing
• The students write quickly on a topic for five to ten minutes without worrying about
correct language or punctuation. Writing as quickly as possible, if they cannot think of a word
they leave a space or write it in their own language. The important thing is to keep writing. Later
this text is revised.
• Group compositions
• Working together in groups, sharing ideas. This collaborative writing is especially valuable
as it involves other skills (speaking in particular.)
• Changing viewpoints
• A good writing activity to follow a role-play or storytelling activity. Different students
choose different points of view and think about /discuss what this character would write in a
diary, witness statement, etc.
• Varying form
• Similar to the activity above, but instead of different viewpoints, different text types are
selected. How would the text be different if it were written as a letter, or a newspaper article, etc.
• Evaluating, Structuring and Editing
• Ordering
• Students take the notes written in one of the pre-writing activities above and organise
them. What would come first? Why? Here it is good to tell them to start with information known
to the reader before moving onto what the reader does not know.
• Self-editing
• A good writer must learn how to evaluate their own language - to improve through
checking their own text, looking for errors, structure. This way students will become better
writers.
Peer editing and proof-reading
• Here, the texts are interchanged and the evaluation is done by other students. In the real
world, it is common for writers to ask friends and colleagues to check texts for spelling, etc. You
could also ask the students to reduce the texts, to edit them, concentrating on the most
important information.
The importance of feedback
• It takes a lot of time and effort to write, and so it is only fair that student writing is
responded to suitably. Positive comments can help build student confidence and create good
feeling for the next writing class. It also helps if the reader is more than just the teacher. Class
magazines, swapping letters with other classes, etc. can provide an easy solution to providing a
real audience.
Writing as communication
• Process writing is a move away from students writing to test their language towards the
communication of ideas, feelings and experiences. It requires that more classroom time is spent
on writing, but as the previously outlined activities show, there is more than just writing
happening during a session dedicated to process writing.
• Potential problems
• Writing is a complex process and can lead to learner frustration. As with speaking, it is
necessary to provide a supportive environment for the students and be patient. This approach
needs that more time be spent on writing in class, but as you have seen, not all classroom time
is spent actually writing.
• Students may also react negatively to reworking the same material, but as long as the
activities are varied and the objectives clear, then they will usually accept doing so. In the long
term, you and your students will start to recognize the value of a process writing approach as
their written work improves.
Conversation control
• Conversation control refers to the skills of listening and talking in a positive and
meaningful way at an appropriate time.
Email etiquette
• Email etiquette refers to the principles of behavior that one should use when writing or
answering email messages. It is also known as the code of conduct for email communication.
Email etiquette depends upon to whom we are writing- Friends & Relatives, Partners,
Customers, Superior or Subordinates.
Why should we follow email etiquette?
• We must follow email etiquette in our professional communication because it is a form of
communication which is a reflection of senders and responders. Bad email etiquette reflects
badly on us, and a record of this is kept in mailboxes over which we have no control. Good email
etiquette reflects well on us, improves our public perception and persona and increases the
chance of a prompt and comprehensive response. It’s not hard to maintain good email etiquette
once we know what it is. A company needs to implement etiquette rules for the following three
reasons:
• Professionalism: by using proper email language your company will convey a professional
image.
• Efficiency: emails that get to the point are much more effective than poorly worded emails.
• Protection from liability: employee awareness of email risks will protect your company
from costly law suits.
Before Compose:
• One thing before you start, before creating or responding to an email, ask yourself this: is
email the right medium for this communication? If you are not sure, pick up the phone or walk
over to the person and have a conversation. Email only if it is the right medium.
The first step in writing e-mail message:
• Identify the purpose of the message and determining what the recipient reading the
message has to do.
• Focus your objective. Achieve the five I's: Inform, Inquire, Influence, Instruct and Incite.
• Focus your content. Don't let unnecessary ideas impose on your principal message.

 To line:
• Each individual on the To line is responsible for response or taking the action (or part of
an action) outlined on the Subject line and the message relates directly to them.
• Cc line:
• No action or response is expected of individuals on the Cc The recipient needs only to read
or file the message.
• The individuals whose work is indirectly affected by the communication should be
included on the Cc
• Bcc line:
• A feature similar to CC except that in BCC or blind courtesy copy, recipients are invisible
to the other recipients.
• Use Bcc field cautiously.
• Subject: line
• Subject line should effectively summarize the message. If the subject-line is clearly
written, each recipient on the To line will have a clear understanding of the objective that the
message relates to.
• Subject line should effectively summarize the message
• Not use more than 6 or 7words in subject line
• Never use CAPITAL letter
• When replying, change the subject line when the topic changes.
Salutations:
• We should be very careful in writing the salutation because it can be mistranslated the
reader about the sender. So the sender must ensure that his/her reader is comfortable and
happy with my salutation, otherwise rest of the communication may not bring any positive
result. Below table shows some salutations for various circumstances.
Privacy:
• Email is not and never has been private. Once you send an email, the recipient can and
will do what they want with it. If you need to share private information, pick up the phone, use a
different secure system, or use coded attachments.
• If you can help it, never email confidential information either. Once emailed, confidential
information becomes public as email is not private. Even though we hate the damn things,
confidentiality agreements do exist to theoretically enable people to email confidential stuff
around, but they rely on discretion and trust that the recipient agrees the information is
confidential. As with private information, if you do need to send confidential information, wrap it
in a locked format like PDF, password protect it and encrypt it. But be aware, there is nothing
really to prevent the recipient of unlocking the information and still sharing it publicly.
• Use your corporate email for work only. Never use it for personal stuff. Corporate email is
not private, it is archived, it is monitored, and most have policies against it. Use your private
email for personal affairs never send personal messages to a recipient’s corporate addresses.
• Use the blind copy (BCC) or mail merge function to protect the privacy of your contacts.
Attachments:
• When you are sending an attachment tell your respondent what the name of the file is,
what program it is saved in, and the version of the program.
• Compress large attachments and send attachments only when they are absolutely
necessary.
• Have a good virus scanner in place. People will not be very happy with mails full of viruses
Reply or Reply to all:
• Answer swiftly: Each e-mail should be replied to within at least 24 hours and preferably
within the same working day.
• If the email is complicated, send an email saying that you have received it and that you
will get back to them. This will put the people’s mind at rest and usually they will then be very
patient!
• Respond only to messages that require one. When replying make sure that you are adding
value to the conversation, truly moving it forward.
• While replying to an e-mail message with an attachment, which is to accompany your
reply, you must forward the message instead of using the "Reply" or "Reply All" button.
Otherwise, the attachment is not included with the message.
• Be conscious of responding to the sender or Reply to all Do not overuse Reply to all.
• Don’t reply to spam
The Closing:
• In the business world, ending an email professionally is just as important as perfecting
the rest of the message. If you do it sloppily, you might lose some precious business
opportunities.
• Courtesy is always important, no matter how short the email is.
• Before you end your email you can add some sentence as follows:
• Thank you for your patience and cooperation.
• Thank you for your consideration.
• Include an accurate follow-up statement:
• I will send you additional information.
• I look forward to receiving your input.
• If you have questions or concerns, do let me know.
• I look forward to hearing from you.
• Please let me know if you need further assistance on this.
• If a response is required, specify what, when
Signatures:
• Signatures: A professional signature makes it easy to contact you. Your email account can
automatically add these data to the bottom of the email:
• Full professional name
• Job title
• Business phone/fax numbers
• Business street address
• Business website (if any)
• A legal disclaimer (if required by your company).

Complementary Closings
• Complementary Closings: Below table shows some complementary closings for various
circumstances.
Nonverbal Communication
• Non-verbal communication occurs without using any oral or written word.
• Instead of written or Oral word , it relies on various non-verbal cues like physical
movements, tasks, colors, signs, symbols, signals charts, etc. to express feelings, attitudes or
information.
• Although no word is used in non-verbal communication, it can effectively communicate
many human feelings more accurately than verbal methods of communication.
• Common types of nonverbal communication are; eye contact, facial expressions, gestures,
posture and body orientation, body language, touch, para-linguistic, silence
Types of Nonverbal Communication
• Eye contact, an important channel of interpersonal communication, helps regulate the
flow of communication. And it signals interest in others.
Furthermore,
• Eye contact with audiences increases the speaker’s credibility. Teachers who make eye
contact open the flow of communication and convey interest, concern, warmth, and credibility.
Facial expressions
• The face is an important communicator. It is commonly said that the face is the index of
the mind.
• It expresses the type of emotions or feelings such as joy, love, interest, sorrow, anger,
annoyance, confusion, enthusiasm, fear, hatred surprise, and uncertainty.
• Facial expressions are indicated through the mouth (open, wide or closed), eyelids (raised
or lowered), nose (wrinkled or relaxed), cheeks (drawn up or back) and the forehead (lowered or
raised).
• Within the facial area, eyes are especially effective for indicating attention and interest.
However, interpretations of facial expressions differ from culture to culture.
• Smiling is a powerful cue that transmits:
• Happiness.
• Friendliness.
• Warmth.
• Liking.
• Affiliation.
• Thus, if you smile frequently you will be perceived as more likable, friendly, warm and
approachable.
• Smiling is often contagious and students will react favorably and learn more
Gestures
• If you fail to gesture while speaking, you may be perceived as boring, stiff and un-
animated.
• A lively and animated teaching style captures students’ attention, makes the material
more interesting, facilitates learning and provides a bit of entertainment.
• Head nods, a form of gestures, communicate positive reinforcement to students and
indicate that you are listening.
• Gestures are movements of the arms, legs, hands, and head. Some authors opine that
gesture is the deliberate body movement because they express specific and intentional meaning.
• For example;
• a wave of the hand has a specific meaning-“hello” or “good-bye”; a forefinger and a thumb
touching to form a circle have the meaning -“ok”.
• Alike facial expressions, interpretations of some gestures also differ across cultures.
• For example, in Europe, raising thumb is used to convey that someone has done
something excellent while in Bangladesh the same gesture means something idiotic.
Posture and body orientation
• You communicate numerous messages by the way you walk, talk, stand and sit.
• Standing erect, but not rigid, and leaning slightly forward communicates to students that
you are approachable, receptive and friendly.
• Furthermore,
• Interpersonal closeness results when you and your students face each other.
• Speaking with your back turned or looking at the floor or ceiling should be avoided; it
communicates disinterest to your class.
Body Language
• Body language is another widely recognized form of non-verbal communication. Body
movements can convey meanings and messages. Body language may take two forms of
unconscious movements and consciously controlled movements.
For example;
• When a person is bored, he may gaze around the room rather than look at the speaker or
he may shift positions frequently. When a person is nervous, he may bite his nails or mash hair.
These are usually made unconsciously. On the other hand, leaning forward toward the speaker
to express interest is the case of conscious body movements.
Space and Distance
• A spacious and well-decorated room indicates a person’s position in the organization
hierarchy and external people get a message about his importance and authority only by visiting
his room.
• Distance is another communication tool, which expresses the degree of intimacy and
individual acceptance.
Proximity
• Cultural norms dictate a comfortable distance for interaction with students.
• You should look for signals of discomfort caused by invading students’ space.
• Typically, in large college classes space invasion is not a problem. There is usually too
much distance.
• To counteract this, move around the classroom to increase interaction with your students.
• Increasing proximity enables you to make better eye contact and increases the
opportunities for students to speak.
Para-linguistic
• This facet of nonverbal communication includes such vocal elements as:
• Tone
• Pitch
• Rhythm
• Timbre
• Loudness
• Inflection
• For maximum teaching effectiveness, learn to vary these six elements of your voice.
• One of the major criticisms is of instructors who speak in a monotone. Listeners perceive
these instructors as boring and dull.
• Students report that they learn less and lose interest more quickly when listening to
teachers who have not learned to modulate their voices.
Humor
• Humor is often overlooked as a teaching tool, and it is too often not encouraged in college
classrooms. Laughter releases stress and tension for both instructor and student.
• You should develop the ability to laugh at yourself and encourage students to do the
same. It fosters a friendly environment that facilitates learning.
• Adequate knowledge of the subject matter is crucial to your success; however, it’s not the
only crucial element.
• Creating a climate that facilitates learning and retention demands good nonverbal and
verbal skills.
Verbal
• Simply means, "having to do with words.“
• Verbal communication is about language, both written and spoken. In general, verbal
communication refers to our use of words
Nonverbal communication
• Nonverbal communication (NVC) is the transmission of messages or signals through a
nonverbal platform such as eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, posture, and the distance
between two individuals. It includes the use of visual cues such as body language (kinesics),
distance (proxemics) and physical environments/appearance, of voice (paralanguage) and of
touch (haptics).

• Supports your message. When having a conversation, participating in a meeting or

engaging in conversation, nonverbal cues can emphasize and underscore the content of your
message. For example, using hand gestures to indicate the importance of an idea may tell your
listeners to pay attention to and remember a key point.
• Communicates messages. You may also use nonverbal communication completely to
communicate with others. For example, if someone is explaining a sentiment you admire and
agree with, you might nod your head up and down to express solidarity.
• Communicates intention. Your body language may also intentionally or unintentionally
express your current condition. For example, people may pick up nonverbal cues that you are
being dishonest, unengaged, excited or aggressive.
• Conveys feelings. You can also use nonverbal communication to show your feelings, such
as disappointment, relief, happiness, contentment and more.
• Offers support. Nonverbal cues are also a great way to show support. Whether it's a
simple smile or pat on the back, action may speak louder than words in many cases.
• Showcases your personality. Nonverbal communication is a great way to show who you
are. For example, a kind and optimistic person might frequently smile with open body language
and offer friendly touches.
• Indicates a desired action. This might include inching toward a door to indicate your
desire to leave the room, raising your hand to offer an idea or putting your hand out to meet
someone new.
• Deescalates tension. Using a calm tone of voice, open body language, and directive
gestures may help to resolve a difficult situation.
Oral communication
• "Oral communication implies communication through mouth. Oral communication refers
to the speaking and listening skills needed to participate verbally in discussions, exchange
thoughts and information, make clear and convincing presentations, and interact with a variety
of audiences.
Informal oral communication
• Face-to-face conversations
• Telephone conversations
• Discussions that take place at business meetings
Formal types of oral communication include
• Presentations at business meetings
• Classroom lectures
• Commencement speeches given at a graduation ceremony
Principles of effective oral communication
• Well-Planned
• Before presenting something, there should be proper planning regarding the audience,
topics to be delivered, timing, and other factors: So, a person must be well-prepared to deliver
his speech.
Clear pronunciation
• To make oral messages meaningful to receivers, words should be clearly and correctly
pronounced. There should not be any lack of clarity, otherwise, the communication would be a
confusing one.
Brevity
• Effective oral communication desires that a message should be brief. If the sender took a
long time for talking, his message may not get the attention of the receiver.
Precision
• Precision is needed to make oral communication effective. There should not be any
confusing words rather message to be delivered should be specific so that there is no
misunderstanding.
Natural voice
• Any sort of unnatural voice may distort the message. A natural voice can do a lot to make
oral communication effective.
Logical sequence
• Ideas should be organized in a sequential way to make the message communicative and
attractive. Unorganized ideas do not provide clear sense while a logical sequence of ideas gives a
clear sense.
Suitable words
• Words have different meanings to different people in different situations in oral
communication, a speaker should use the common, simple, and familiar words so that the
receiver can react to the message without any problem.
Courteous
• Courtesy costs nothing but can earn many things. So, a speaker should be courteous
while addressing listeners. It helps create a good impression in the mind of listeners regarding
the speaker
Attractive presentation
• It is another principle to make oral communication effective. A speaker should deliver his
speech in a very nice and sweet language so that the receiver is attracted to take part in the
communication.
Avoiding Emotions
• Speaker must control his emotions to make oral communication effective. Too much
emotion will take the speaker away from the main subject.
Emphasis
• The speaker must be knowledgeable regarding the portion of the speech where he should
give emphasis. Giving emphasis on respective points will help draw the attention of the audience.
Controlling Gesticulation
• Speaker at many occasions, consciously or unconsciously, gesticulates for expressing his
ideas or thoughts. This is a habit and should be avoided. Otherwise, the application of such a
habit may lead to % disinterest of the audience. Besides, objective information, the capacity of
the listener, interesting language, proper fluency should be considered also as the principles of
oral communication.
Specific writing features
• Coherence in writing is the logical bridge between words, sentences, and paragraphs.
Coherent writing uses devices to connect ideas within each sentence and paragraph. Main ideas
and meaning can be difficult for the reader to follow if the writing lacks coherence. In this lesson,
you will see some examples and learn some tips for making your writing coherent between
words, sentences, and paragraphs.
Coherence Between Words
• Between each word, coherence can be created by parallelism. Parallel structure means
using similar grammatical constructions between words in sentences. Parallelism is particularly
important for words in lists. If you're writing a list of things someone likes to do, then each
activity in the list should take the same grammatical form. For instance, if one verb in the list
takes on the '-ing' gerund form, like 'running,' then the other verbs in the list should also be in
the gerund form. An incoherent structure would be to say:
• Sarah likes to jump, running, and skate.
• Instead, the list should be parallel like this:
• Sarah likes jumping, running, and skating.
Coherence Between Sentences
• Coherence can be created between sentences through repetition and transitional devices.
Repetition of words across sentences helps to reiterate the same ideas between sentences. One
way to use repetition to create coherence is to repeat the same word or phrase at the end of one
sentence and the beginning of the next sentence to show how the ideas connect. Here is an
example of sentences that create coherence through repetition:
• In this example, the repetition of the phrase 'thesis statement' helps to unify the three
sentences. It is a phrase that ends the first sentence and transitions into the next sentence by
starting with that same phrase.
• Another way to create coherence between sentences is through transitional devices. There
are many types of transitional devices that show time and help ideas flow smoothly. Transitional
words, such as 'first', 'later', and 'then', are a few examples of transitional devices that show time
to help ideas flow more smoothly. Transitional devices are like signposts that tell the reader what
is coming up ahead and where the discussion is going.
Coherence Between Paragraphs
• Transitional words can also be used between paragraphs. Words such as:
• Therefore
• However
• Yet
• Thus
• First
• Later
• Then
• can not only be used between sentences, but between paragraphs to connect them. Other
ways to create coherence between paragraphs include having a consistent paragraph structure
and point of view.
• The structure of a coherent paragraph includes a topic sentence, which focuses on the
main idea. The topic sentence usually comes first in a paragraph. The topic sentence is followed
by supporting sentences that develop the idea, and finally, a concluding sentence to tie it all
together. Transitional words then bridge the gap between paragraphs, and the structure starts
anew with another topic sentence for the next paragraph.
1 Use Appropriate Sentence Length
• Have you ever read a sentence that was so long that when you got to the end you’d
forgotten what it was about? The longer a sentence grows, the more difficult it is for the reader to
track what’s being said. You may be writing longer sentences to fit in more ideas, but this can
result in your true message getting lost.
• Make sure your sentences flow well, and express complete thoughts that are easy to
understand. (While you’re at it, avoid sentence fragments and run-ons.)
• Resist the urge to jam too many ideas or details into the same sentence. If your sentence
is so long that its meaning isn’t clear or you’ve switched topics partway through, consider
breaking it into two new sentences.
• Example: For a writer, it’s important to find that special spot where you can be your most
creative, whether that’s a coffee shop, library, park bench, or cozy chair, because this allows you
to unlock your imagination and do the work you’ve dreamed of.
• Solution: For a writer, it’s important to find that special spot where you can be your most
creative, whether that’s a coffee shop, library, park bench, or cozy chair. This allows you to
unlock your imagination and do the work you’ve dreamed of.
2 Avoid Filler Words
• Cutting out filler words can make your sentences shorter and easier to understand. Filler
words and phrases are unnecessary words that clutter our sentences and don’t add meaning.
For example:
• Basically
• Rather
• Just
• As a matter of fact
• At all times
• We use these words to pad our writing, but when we use them too much they start to bog
down our sentences and blow up our word count. They can even become a writing tic with
overuse. I actually have to stop myself from using the words “actually”and “just” in just about
every other sentence.
• Here’s a tip: “‘Actually’ is a word that’s not actually necessary for most sentences.”
• “If your sentence works without it, you just don’t need this word.”
3 Be Precise with Your Words
• Is your writing specific, descriptive, and direct? Or do you get feedback that it’s too vague
or wordy? To get precise with your writing, you may need to use more words (to be descriptive),
or fewer words (to simplify).
• Vague: My mom’s aunt has some stuff for sale.
• Precise: My great-aunt has a bookshelf and a writing desk for sale.
• Wordy: The pigs from the fairytale lived in a house made of bricks
• Concise: The Three Little Pigs lived in a brick house.
• Make your writing strong and vivid by using specific phrases, instead of ambiguous words
like:
• thing
• stuff
• good
• bad
• pretty
• ugly
• If there’s a simpler way to say something complex, the simpler phrase is often clearer. For
example: “airline staff” vs. “people who work for the airline.”
• Avoiding redundancy is also key to precision in writing. Have you ever had an
“unexpected surprise” or met a “very unique” person? Phrases that say the same thing twice are
called tautologies. We may think we’re getting more specific, but in reality we’re using redundant
filler words.
4 Use the Best Voice For the Situation (Active vs. Passive)
• You may have heard that it’s always better to use the active voice, but the passive voice is
also a great tool. The key is to use whichever voice will do the best job at communicating the
meaning of your sentence.
• The active voice can help your writing feel more direct and energetic. It’s a great way to
quickly make your point. Say you’re writing a blog post about the actress Viola Davis. The active
voice clearly showcases her accomplishments.
• Active: Viola Davis won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
• But what if you’re writing a recap of the 2017 Oscars? For that same piece of information,
it could be more direct to use the passive voice because your primary focus is on the award—
rather than the actress who won it.
• Passive: The Oscar for Best Supporting Actress was won by Viola Davis.
• In general, using the active voice will infuse your writing with greater energy and clarity,
but sometimes the passive voice will be your best choice, depending on which part of the
sentence you want to emphasize.
• Still not sure when to use the active vs. passive voice?