Acronyms are a useful way to succinctly express a concept.
Technically, in Australia, acronyms belong with abbreviations, contractions, initialisms and symbols as 'shortened forms'. Although there are distinct differences between the forms in their presentation and punctuation, for this article, they will all be called acronyms.
Acronyms are frequently specific to an industry sector or an organisation. The terms (and the concepts they represent) are well understood and correctly used by the members of the group, and simplify 'in-house' communication.
However, confusion can arise when acronyms are used outside the group. The term 'TOC' for a scientist means something completely different from what a report writer understands when using the term. How many times have you nodded your head wisely while the computer salesperson chatters on using acronyms that you're vaguely familiar with but not entirely sure about the meaning? Often it's easier to nod along than ask for simple, jargon-free explanations because we don't want to appear foolish or uneducated.
We're 'outsiders'.
Business writers need to avoid excluding their readers. You have a message and a call to action to communicate to them, and you need to do that as clearly as possible. Readers who can't understand your message will not respond to your call to action.
So time to look at some of the problems associated with the use of acronyms in business and technical writing, and how to avoid them.
Lack of clarity arises when writers assume readers understand the acronyms. Your readers will not necessarily be familiar with the specialised terms and acronyms you use every day - to them, it's jargon. So you need to decide which terms need to be explained in order to let your readers gain a basic understanding of what you're telling them. It can be useful to test whether or not to include a term by asking a few people outside the group.
Consistency in the use of acronyms is extremely important. Once you've decided which acronyms you'll use, make sure you use them exactly the same way every time. Readers will be confused at inconsistencies. If you've chosen to abbreviate 'Central Veterinary Clinic' as 'CVC', then sometimes refer to it as 'Central', it could be difficult to maintain your readers' concentration. Your task is to make it as easy as possible for your readers to understand your message.
How to present acronyms can cause concerns to writers.
In documents where only a few acronyms need to be explained, the easiest way is to give the term in full, followed by the abbreviated form in brackets. This needs to happen the first time the term is used; in longer documents it can be useful to repeat the explanation early in each section or chapter. When the term needs to be written again, just the acronym can be used. Thus: '... report for Southern Minerals Exploration (SME).' followed by 'SME continues to...'
However, when the shortened form is more familiar than the longer, use the acronym first, as in DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid).
In documents containing many acronyms, consider using a table or list of abbreviations. Usually, these are presented alphabetically, generally at the beginning of the document. However, if the list is particularly long, it may be better to include it at the end so that readers won't feel overwhelmed by an apparent requirement to understand so many terms. Take care in how you present the list: keep the space between the term and its explanation relatively narrow, making it easy for the readers' eyes to follow from one column to the next.
A footnote can also be used to give the explanation of an acronym used in the text. If there are only a couple, use symbols (, ^); in other instances, use super-scripted numbers in the text.
Use acronyms wisely, and always give the readers' need for clarity your top priority.
Desolie Page is an accredited editor and owner of Perfect Pages, helping business and technical writers sharpen their writing.
I work with you to understand your audience, and use clear, precise language to get your message across.
All aspects of my work focus on the use of plain English and on ways to increase the readability of your document so that your readers will enjoy reading what you've written while clearly understanding your message.
Find out more about Perfect Pages by visiting http://perfectpages.net.au/
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Business Writing Mistakes - Learn What Not To Do by Rhonda M
In the business world, poorly written documents can create misunderstandings and cost relationships, time, and money. Good business writing, though is not just about spelling, grammar and punctuation. It's also about ensuring that your document speaks appropriately and professionally to your reader. That's why it's important to learn how to avoid certain business writing mistakes. Here's what not to do.
Make your writing unclear
Clarity is very important in business writing. Your readers are busy and don't want to figure out what you are trying to say. Make sure your vocabulary is precise and correct for the situation. Use the correct verb and tenses, and ensure that you've used uncomplicated sentence structures. For those whose second language is English, it is especially important to be attentive to clarity because it is very easy to slip into the wrong vocabulary, verb tense or an awkward or confusing sentence structure. If your reader has to struggle to decipher your words, then you haven't communicated effectively.
Write in a wordy prose
Wordiness is another business writing mistake, a bad habit many writers have. Business writing needs to be concise, economical, and not waste the reader's time. Get to the point. Watch out for certain commonplace bloated phrases such as "at this point in time" (say now), "despite the fact that" (use because), and "until such time as" (until). Also, watch out for long lead ins. For example, instead of writing "I am sending this letter to let you all know that the office will be closed Monday", why not simply say, "the office will be closed on Monday". It really is that simple.
Use stiff, starch over bearing tone
Using a stiff, overbearing tone is another business writing mistake. Many people equate business writing with an authoritative tone. Actually, the tone of a business document needs to be conversational, convey a voice of professionalism and authenticity and be written as if your reader were sitting in front of you. Watch out especially for negative passive voice writing. ("It was decided that all internet use during work is strictly prohibited"). Also watch out for "lawyer language". There's no need for phrases such as "pursuant to your request, the undersigned wishes to advise you that".
Focus on the reader's concerns
Business writing is all about the reader. Many writers overuse the word "we", and don't put enough "you" in their documents. They also neglect one of the core purposes of a business document which is promoting goodwill with the reader and retaining their relationship with him/her. Write your document with empathy to the reader's needs and concerns. There's nothing worse than a business letter that whines to the reader about your problems.
Use outdated expressions
Plain conversational writing is in, and stuffy, old-fashioned writing is out. Here are some trite phrases that you should avoid: as per your request (why not say as you requested); pursuant to your request (why not say at your request); with reference to (why not say about).
Using too many negative key words
Your document is a dialogue with your reader. If you use negative words, you'll dampen the relationship on a subtle level. Writing can communicate consciously and even unconsciously. Try to keep your document as positive as possible avoiding negative words and phrases. Instead of writing "unfortunately, we can't fill your order until after November 5", why not write "we'd be happy to fill your order after November 5".
Use Chatroom or IM lingo
Watch out for lapsing into "chat room" or IM (instant messaging) lingo when you are writing a business email. This is a relatively recent phenomenon, but it can make you appear less professional in writing. Yes, you might text everyday in your off hours, but shortened and abbreviated language doesn't belong in a business document.
Make spelling and grammar mistakes
That might seem obvious, as I mentioned early. These days, I've observed my students have also become over-reliant on spell-checkers, and more reluctant to edit their work closely. Spell-checkers, however, are fallible. Do yourself a favor, and print out your document, then give it a hard-copy edit. Many people miss mistakes when they edit on-screen or use spell-checkers.
These are only a few of the business writing mistakes you can learn to avoid. There are no quick fixes, though. Practice makes perfect.
Rhonda M teaches communications and job search to college students. For more information see Profrhonda's Blog
Make your writing unclear
Clarity is very important in business writing. Your readers are busy and don't want to figure out what you are trying to say. Make sure your vocabulary is precise and correct for the situation. Use the correct verb and tenses, and ensure that you've used uncomplicated sentence structures. For those whose second language is English, it is especially important to be attentive to clarity because it is very easy to slip into the wrong vocabulary, verb tense or an awkward or confusing sentence structure. If your reader has to struggle to decipher your words, then you haven't communicated effectively.
Write in a wordy prose
Wordiness is another business writing mistake, a bad habit many writers have. Business writing needs to be concise, economical, and not waste the reader's time. Get to the point. Watch out for certain commonplace bloated phrases such as "at this point in time" (say now), "despite the fact that" (use because), and "until such time as" (until). Also, watch out for long lead ins. For example, instead of writing "I am sending this letter to let you all know that the office will be closed Monday", why not simply say, "the office will be closed on Monday". It really is that simple.
Use stiff, starch over bearing tone
Using a stiff, overbearing tone is another business writing mistake. Many people equate business writing with an authoritative tone. Actually, the tone of a business document needs to be conversational, convey a voice of professionalism and authenticity and be written as if your reader were sitting in front of you. Watch out especially for negative passive voice writing. ("It was decided that all internet use during work is strictly prohibited"). Also watch out for "lawyer language". There's no need for phrases such as "pursuant to your request, the undersigned wishes to advise you that".
Focus on the reader's concerns
Business writing is all about the reader. Many writers overuse the word "we", and don't put enough "you" in their documents. They also neglect one of the core purposes of a business document which is promoting goodwill with the reader and retaining their relationship with him/her. Write your document with empathy to the reader's needs and concerns. There's nothing worse than a business letter that whines to the reader about your problems.
Use outdated expressions
Plain conversational writing is in, and stuffy, old-fashioned writing is out. Here are some trite phrases that you should avoid: as per your request (why not say as you requested); pursuant to your request (why not say at your request); with reference to (why not say about).
Using too many negative key words
Your document is a dialogue with your reader. If you use negative words, you'll dampen the relationship on a subtle level. Writing can communicate consciously and even unconsciously. Try to keep your document as positive as possible avoiding negative words and phrases. Instead of writing "unfortunately, we can't fill your order until after November 5", why not write "we'd be happy to fill your order after November 5".
Use Chatroom or IM lingo
Watch out for lapsing into "chat room" or IM (instant messaging) lingo when you are writing a business email. This is a relatively recent phenomenon, but it can make you appear less professional in writing. Yes, you might text everyday in your off hours, but shortened and abbreviated language doesn't belong in a business document.
Make spelling and grammar mistakes
That might seem obvious, as I mentioned early. These days, I've observed my students have also become over-reliant on spell-checkers, and more reluctant to edit their work closely. Spell-checkers, however, are fallible. Do yourself a favor, and print out your document, then give it a hard-copy edit. Many people miss mistakes when they edit on-screen or use spell-checkers.
These are only a few of the business writing mistakes you can learn to avoid. There are no quick fixes, though. Practice makes perfect.
Rhonda M teaches communications and job search to college students. For more information see Profrhonda's Blog
Poor Wording : Email Error Helps Land Executive in Prison
Email misjudgments can land people in jail. Just ask James A. Brown, the ex-Merrill Lynch executive who wrote in an email that Enron had "promised" that Merrill would get its money back in a suspicious deal.
The Wall Street Journal (10/23/10) reports that Mr. Brown, speaking from prison, says he wrote the email hastily and never meant to suggest an illegal guarantee.
Merrill Lynch and Enron are not alone in suffering from email errors. Goldman Sachs, Toyota, and many others have been blindsided by the reality that every email can be subpoenaed and published on the front page.
Elizabeth Danziger, author of Get to the Point! Painless Advice for Writing Letters, Emails and Memos Clients Will Understand, 2nd edition (Mesa 2010) notes that emails written quickly in the presumed privacy of one's office can cause terrible repercussions.
"As the proverb goes, 'Act in haste; repent at leisure.' People often forget that emails last forever," says Danziger.
Danziger's book offers ten tools for using email effectively. In addition to helping readers overcome the risks of email, Danziger shows how to use this vital business tool to maximum benefit. The email principles are reminders that courtesy is as important as brevity, so every email should contain a greeting and a salutation.
She also notes that readers judge writers' professionalism and intelligence by the grammar and punctuation of even a brief email. Danziger urges writers to clarify their purpose before they write and to state the main point in the subject line of every email. The author also shows how to avoid the brusque tone that often makes email recipients think the writer is angry.
Find out more about Elizabeth Danzinger at http://www.profnetconnect.com/Elizabeth.Danziger
Ghotit Releases Facebook Spell Checker For People With Dyslexia
As part of the coming up Dyslexia Awareness Week (Nov 1-7), Ghotit is releasing a new Facebook Spell Checker application. This is the first and only Facebook application directly targeting Facebook users with dyslexia.'Hidden Dyslexia' is the theme of Dyslexia Awareness Week 2010, developed to raise awareness of the challenges faced by people with a disability that presents no visible physical signs to the outside world. When a person with dyslexia communicates through Facebook, the fact that he is dyslexic is usually not known and his Facebook friends may misinterpret his bad spelling.
Social network's main means of communication is writing of posts, comments and messages. Dyslexics with writing difficulties often find it challenging to actively participate in social networks such as Facebook. They are concerned with their potentially embarrassing spelling mistakes.
Facebook does not support a spell checking service. However, any Facebook user using the Google Chrome or Firefox browsers can use the browsers' built-in spell checker. However, these spell checkers were not designed for people with writing disabilities, such as dyslexics. These spell checker address the needs of mainstream writers who occasionally misspell. The Ghotit Spell Checker was developed to address the severe spelling of dyslexics.
The Ghotit Spell Checker's algorithms are based on an analysis of the context of a sentence, and include intelligent phonetic and grammar correction algorithms. The result is accurate corrections to severely misspelled words that regular spell checkers have no clue with which words to correct.
The "Ghotit Spell Checker for People with Dyslexia" is a Facebook application that corrects the spelling of posts. The new Facebook application is very easy to use. Just type the text inside the Ghotit Spell Checker frame. Ghotit then offers corrections to both misspelled and misused (e.g the word "their" instead of "there") words, as well as grammar errors. Once corrected, the user simply shares the text with his Facebook friends.
"The new Ghotit Spell Checker Facebook application will be valuable to any Facebook user feeling awkward with his spelling. Using the Ghotit Spell Checker, dyslexic users will quickly see a dramatic improvement in their writing quality" says Ofer Chermesh, founder of Ghotit, and lifelong dyslexic. "Social networks have revolutionized how people communicate, and without a supportive environment people with dyslexia may find themselves on the sidelines of the online global discussion."
http://www.ghotit.com/
Sunday, October 24, 2010
What Kind of Tone Should You Use in Business Writing?
By Mary Simmers
We hear it all the time. Your business messages should carry an air of formality. Just saying something should be formal, though, still leaves plenty of room to commit mistakes. In the case of professional correspondence, your writing should strive to achieve several other qualities.
Confidence. Does your writing make you come across confident or does it betray your apprehensions? People want to conduct business with other individuals who are sure of themselves. If your writing says otherwise, you can end up leaving potential partners and prospects worried.
Courtesy. Being courteous can go a long way in the business, especially when you extend it to people that you can consider subordinates. Not only does it help avoid any misunderstandings, it can inspire loyalty and trust.
Appropriate emphasis and subordination. Put emphasis on important items of your messages, while delegating less vital information at areas of less focus. Short sentences, found either at the start or end of paragraphs and sections tend to attract the most attention.
Gender-neutral language. Unlike several decades ago, various industries now have participants from both genders in high positions. As such, it is always in your best interest to keep all language gender-neutral, avoiding any potential backlash from the half of the population you excluded. A message checking software should be able to catch deviations and bring them to your attention.
Benefits-focused. Let's face it. Many business correspondences are designed to compel the reader for something - sign a contract, set up meeting or close a deal. That's why it's important to always make a point of showing the reader how taking that action is in their best interest by putting a focus on the value they stand to gain.
Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Message Checking Software in action! Read more.
We hear it all the time. Your business messages should carry an air of formality. Just saying something should be formal, though, still leaves plenty of room to commit mistakes. In the case of professional correspondence, your writing should strive to achieve several other qualities.
Confidence. Does your writing make you come across confident or does it betray your apprehensions? People want to conduct business with other individuals who are sure of themselves. If your writing says otherwise, you can end up leaving potential partners and prospects worried.
Courtesy. Being courteous can go a long way in the business, especially when you extend it to people that you can consider subordinates. Not only does it help avoid any misunderstandings, it can inspire loyalty and trust.
Appropriate emphasis and subordination. Put emphasis on important items of your messages, while delegating less vital information at areas of less focus. Short sentences, found either at the start or end of paragraphs and sections tend to attract the most attention.
Gender-neutral language. Unlike several decades ago, various industries now have participants from both genders in high positions. As such, it is always in your best interest to keep all language gender-neutral, avoiding any potential backlash from the half of the population you excluded. A message checking software should be able to catch deviations and bring them to your attention.
Benefits-focused. Let's face it. Many business correspondences are designed to compel the reader for something - sign a contract, set up meeting or close a deal. That's why it's important to always make a point of showing the reader how taking that action is in their best interest by putting a focus on the value they stand to gain.
Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Message Checking Software in action! Read more.
Good Business Writing - 5 Reasons to Pay Close Attention to Everything You Write at Work
By Ryan Q. Porter
If you let a grammatical mistake or two slip through on your resume, your likelihood of landing a job decreases immediately. In a poll of 150 senior executives, 30% of them said they would throw a resume in the trash after noticing two mistakes, and 40% of them will disqualify a resume after spotting just a single typo, according to a 2009 article in The Washington Post. Harsh as this state of affairs may seem, the use of correct written English is vital during a job search, whether you're looking for a full-time position or seeking freelance gigs.
Once you're securely in a job, you can probably relax a little about making mistakes in your writing--but only a little. If you want to thrive in your career, you should still aspire to use correct capitalization, punctuation, and spelling in whatever you write on the job. This includes everything from internal memos to public marketing pieces. Even when you're sending a email to your colleagues about where to go to lunch, a casual tone shouldn't mean sloppy, incorrect English. You should still spell check and proofread.
Here's why it's important to pay attention to the quality of your writing at work:
1. Good writing is professional.
The business world depends upon certain standards of etiquette, and good writing forms part of those standards. When you write clearly, you're showing others that you're professional. On the other hand, when your writing is filled with mistakes, people may naturally come to the conclusion that you're careless and don't care about details. Even worse, they might think you're not all that smart.
2. Your ideas will be better understood.
The reason you put pen to paper (or fingertips to keyboard) is because you're writing to communicate. Your readers will be able to grasp easily what you're trying to express when your writing conforms to accepted rules of writing. On the other hand, sloppy writing will distract them from your intended meaning. In addition, when you pay careful attention to the language you use, you will be forced to pay careful attention to the ideas you're expressing. The two go hand in hand.
3. You should make life easy for your readers.
Often when surfing the Internet, you'll come across a blog post or a comment in which the writing is so haphazard and riddled with errors that you eventually give up trying to figure out what the writer is trying to say. Sloppy writing frustrates readers. Even if your business writing doesn't reach the extremes of an incoherent Internet rant, every error your readers encounter makes them work harder. They have to figure out what you meant to write and then rewrite the words in their own minds.
4. Good writing is polite.
When you go to work, you don't show up unshowered and in a ratty T-shirt. If you're having guests come to your home for a special occasion, you'll want to clean up first. When you give someone a wedding gift, you wrap it in nice wrapping paper. Basically, it's polite to make yourself, your home, and your gifts presentable. Likewise, clear and careful writing is polite. You're showing others that you respect them enough to make your ideas presentable.
5. Good writing still matters.
Your old English teacher doesn't work with you, and the writing skills of some of your colleagues and associates might not be all that great. You might think careless mistakes in your writing won't matter in the end. Granted, not everyone will be as sensitive to written errors as old Mrs. Grumpfine was, and most people will overlook typos here and there. Still, you may be surprised how many people still take the rules of English to heart. What's more, even if colleagues can't articulate why they were confused or annoyed by something you wrote, they'll still be confused and annoyed. So good writing still matters.
If you need to brush up on your writing skills, it's not hard to find plenty of books, blogs, and podcasts to help you out.
This article is courtesy of Action Copy. Action Copy provides freelance writing in New Orleans, Louisiana, and for businesses nationwide. Writing services include copywriting, article writing, and market research writing. Visit http://action-copy.com/.
If you let a grammatical mistake or two slip through on your resume, your likelihood of landing a job decreases immediately. In a poll of 150 senior executives, 30% of them said they would throw a resume in the trash after noticing two mistakes, and 40% of them will disqualify a resume after spotting just a single typo, according to a 2009 article in The Washington Post. Harsh as this state of affairs may seem, the use of correct written English is vital during a job search, whether you're looking for a full-time position or seeking freelance gigs.
Once you're securely in a job, you can probably relax a little about making mistakes in your writing--but only a little. If you want to thrive in your career, you should still aspire to use correct capitalization, punctuation, and spelling in whatever you write on the job. This includes everything from internal memos to public marketing pieces. Even when you're sending a email to your colleagues about where to go to lunch, a casual tone shouldn't mean sloppy, incorrect English. You should still spell check and proofread.
Here's why it's important to pay attention to the quality of your writing at work:
1. Good writing is professional.
The business world depends upon certain standards of etiquette, and good writing forms part of those standards. When you write clearly, you're showing others that you're professional. On the other hand, when your writing is filled with mistakes, people may naturally come to the conclusion that you're careless and don't care about details. Even worse, they might think you're not all that smart.
2. Your ideas will be better understood.
The reason you put pen to paper (or fingertips to keyboard) is because you're writing to communicate. Your readers will be able to grasp easily what you're trying to express when your writing conforms to accepted rules of writing. On the other hand, sloppy writing will distract them from your intended meaning. In addition, when you pay careful attention to the language you use, you will be forced to pay careful attention to the ideas you're expressing. The two go hand in hand.
3. You should make life easy for your readers.
Often when surfing the Internet, you'll come across a blog post or a comment in which the writing is so haphazard and riddled with errors that you eventually give up trying to figure out what the writer is trying to say. Sloppy writing frustrates readers. Even if your business writing doesn't reach the extremes of an incoherent Internet rant, every error your readers encounter makes them work harder. They have to figure out what you meant to write and then rewrite the words in their own minds.
4. Good writing is polite.
When you go to work, you don't show up unshowered and in a ratty T-shirt. If you're having guests come to your home for a special occasion, you'll want to clean up first. When you give someone a wedding gift, you wrap it in nice wrapping paper. Basically, it's polite to make yourself, your home, and your gifts presentable. Likewise, clear and careful writing is polite. You're showing others that you respect them enough to make your ideas presentable.
5. Good writing still matters.
Your old English teacher doesn't work with you, and the writing skills of some of your colleagues and associates might not be all that great. You might think careless mistakes in your writing won't matter in the end. Granted, not everyone will be as sensitive to written errors as old Mrs. Grumpfine was, and most people will overlook typos here and there. Still, you may be surprised how many people still take the rules of English to heart. What's more, even if colleagues can't articulate why they were confused or annoyed by something you wrote, they'll still be confused and annoyed. So good writing still matters.
If you need to brush up on your writing skills, it's not hard to find plenty of books, blogs, and podcasts to help you out.
This article is courtesy of Action Copy. Action Copy provides freelance writing in New Orleans, Louisiana, and for businesses nationwide. Writing services include copywriting, article writing, and market research writing. Visit http://action-copy.com/.
Business Writing - Importance and Common Mistakes by Prasad Josh
Business writing is one of the most important aspects of any business. Even now, writing remains the number one method of communication in the world. Written communication demands a lot of attention and care. Effective communication carried out between humans depends upon 90% body language, 8% tone of voice and 2% of what is being said. In written communication, the first 98% is completely eliminated. However, writing also provides the advantage of reviewing and editing your work before you finalize anything.
Written documents convey a great deal about the nature of your business. Thus, it is vital to incorporate excellent writing skills in to any business writing plan. Your writing tells your readers more about your business expertise. A company with access to an efficient team of talented writers definitely has an added advantage over others who may be untrained or without professional writing skills.
It is vital to keep your writing free of spelling and grammatical errors. Even though most computers come with a spell and grammar check, it is necessary to not let your skills in writing lapse.
Each writer needs to understand that today's readers demand clear and concise information. Documents written in bureaucratic language may intimidate and confuse the reader. Good business writing should use a plain English style of writing. It is a flexible and efficient writing practice that enables readers to understand everything in one reading. This style blends in clear expressions, efficient structures and good document designs.
Overly formal writing has become a little out of fashion. Use of such writing may portray an outdated image about yourself or your company to the document reader. For this reason it is important to stay abreast of contemporary writing skills. Some of the standard business phrases have been substituted by a more direct approach. For instance, "As per your request" has been replaced by "As you requested". Likewise, "I am enclosing" is being used instead of "Enclosed please find". Overall, the previous impersonal style of writing has been altered to accommodate a limited amount of "I" to add directness and warmth.
Slipping into abbreviated dialogue is comparatively easier than expressing complete thoughts in a sentence. Often, the writer will tend to type something that he or she wants to say rather than typing what needs to be written. Perhaps the telephone-oriented society in which we live is to blame for this. This sort of writing may lead readers to believe that your logic, like your business writing, is incomplete.
Being able to put down words onto paper (or onto a screen) that not only communicate but also motivate, is a valuable business skill. Writing is essential at all levels of business, and in almost every role imaginable.
Business Training Group is a niche business specializing in writing training for the workplace. We began as Business Writing Australia in 1995 and BTG has evolved as demand for our courses has grown.
To know more about us, please visit: http://businesstraininggroup.com.au
Written documents convey a great deal about the nature of your business. Thus, it is vital to incorporate excellent writing skills in to any business writing plan. Your writing tells your readers more about your business expertise. A company with access to an efficient team of talented writers definitely has an added advantage over others who may be untrained or without professional writing skills.
It is vital to keep your writing free of spelling and grammatical errors. Even though most computers come with a spell and grammar check, it is necessary to not let your skills in writing lapse.
Each writer needs to understand that today's readers demand clear and concise information. Documents written in bureaucratic language may intimidate and confuse the reader. Good business writing should use a plain English style of writing. It is a flexible and efficient writing practice that enables readers to understand everything in one reading. This style blends in clear expressions, efficient structures and good document designs.
Overly formal writing has become a little out of fashion. Use of such writing may portray an outdated image about yourself or your company to the document reader. For this reason it is important to stay abreast of contemporary writing skills. Some of the standard business phrases have been substituted by a more direct approach. For instance, "As per your request" has been replaced by "As you requested". Likewise, "I am enclosing" is being used instead of "Enclosed please find". Overall, the previous impersonal style of writing has been altered to accommodate a limited amount of "I" to add directness and warmth.
Slipping into abbreviated dialogue is comparatively easier than expressing complete thoughts in a sentence. Often, the writer will tend to type something that he or she wants to say rather than typing what needs to be written. Perhaps the telephone-oriented society in which we live is to blame for this. This sort of writing may lead readers to believe that your logic, like your business writing, is incomplete.
Being able to put down words onto paper (or onto a screen) that not only communicate but also motivate, is a valuable business skill. Writing is essential at all levels of business, and in almost every role imaginable.
Business Training Group is a niche business specializing in writing training for the workplace. We began as Business Writing Australia in 1995 and BTG has evolved as demand for our courses has grown.
To know more about us, please visit: http://businesstraininggroup.com.au
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Report Writing - How to Format a Business Report by Tony Atherton
Introduction
Report writing is a time consuming business so it is a great shame if, having devoted all that time to writing your report, the quality is such that hardly anyone can be bothered to read it. Quite frankly, most report readers do not actually read all the report; they are too short of time. You might as well know it and accept it -- that is normal. They only read the parts that interest them. Frequently these are the summary, the conclusions and recommendations.
Of course, some readers do need all the details you so carefully included, they are specialists, but most do not. Most readers just need two things: that the information they want is where they expect it to be so they can find it, and that it is written clearly so that they can understand it.
It is similar to reading a newspaper. You expect the news headlines to be on the front page; the sports coverage to be at the back; the TV listings on page whatever and the editorial comment in the middle. If what you want is not in its usual place then you have to hunt for it and you may get irritated. So it is with a report.
There is a convention as to what goes where. Stick with the convention and please your readers. Break the convention and people may get slightly irritated - and bin your report.
So what is that convention, the standard format?
Standard Sections
Introduction. This is the first part of the report proper. Use it to paint the background to 'the problem' and to show the reader why the report is important to them. Give your terms of reference (if not in the Title Section) and explain how the details that follow are arranged. Write it in plain English.
Main Body. This is the heart of your report, the facts. It will probably have several sections or sub-sections each with its own subtitle. It is unique to your report and will describe what you discovered about 'the problem'.
These sections are most likely to be read by experts so you can use some appropriate jargon but explain it as you introduce it. Arrange the information logically, normally putting things in order of priority -- most important first. In fact, follow that advice in every section of your report.
You may choose to include a Discussion in which you explain the significance of your findings.
Conclusions. Present the logical conclusions of your investigation of 'the problem'. Bring it all together and maybe offer options for the way forward. Many people will read this section. Write it in plain English. If you have included a discussion then this section may be quite short.
Recommendations. What do you suggest should be done? Don't be shy; you did the work so state your recommendations in order of priority, and in plain English.
Appendices. Put the heavy details here, the information that only specialists are likely to want to see. As a guide, if some detail is essential to your argument then include it in the main body, if it merely supports the argument then it could go in an appendix.
Conclusions and Recommendations
In conclusion, remember that readers expect certain information to be in certain places. They do not expect to hunt for what they want and the harder you make it for them the more likely they are to toss you report to one side and ignore it. So what should you do?
1. Follow the generally accepted format for a report: Summary, Introduction, Main Body, Conclusions, Recommendations and Appendices.
2. Organise your information in each section in a logical fashion with the reader in mind, usually putting things in order of priority - most important first.
Good luck with your report writing!
Author: Tony Atherton
© Tony Atherton 2005)
About the author: Tony Atherton is a freelance trainer and writer based in England. He has had four books published and about 90 of his articles have appeared in various magazines and journals. After an earlier career in industry he now runs in-company training courses in business writing, report writing (including technical reports) and taking minutes, as well as negotiation skills and time management. Over 6000 delegates have attended his courses. See http://www.tony-atherton.co.uk/reportwriting.htm for details of report writing courses, or see http://www.tony-atherton.co.uk for general information.
- Title Section. In a short report this may simply be the front cover. In a long one it could also include Terms of Reference, Table of Contents and so on.
- Summary. Give a clear and very concise account of the main points, main conclusions and main recommendations. Keep it very short, a few percent of the total length. Some people, especially senior managers, may not read anything else so write as if it were a stand-alone document. It isn't but for some people it might as well be. Keep it brief and free from jargon so that anyone can understand it and get the main points. Write it last, but do not copy and paste from the report itself; that rarely works well.
2. Organise your information in each section in a logical fashion with the reader in mind, usually putting things in order of priority - most important first.
© Tony Atherton 2005)
Writing Business Book Reviews by Gogo Erekosima
A business book review is a great way for any consultant, sales professional or thought leader in the business arena to demonstrate expertise and pre-sell products and services. This is particularly true when your business book review is syndicated online and gives the readers of your reviews an easy way to connect to a targeted landing page or business presence online.
If you are an independent consultant, salesperson or consultative entrepreneur, you can use business book reviews as a promotional vehicle by offering them to targeted local community publications or even trade specialty publications.
5 Simple Steps to a Great Business Book Review
If you've never written a book review, here's a template for writing useful business book reviews even if you flunked (or stumbled through) all your high school writing classes.
1. Attention-grabbing Introduction section
One of the realities of using book reviews in the ways that I describe above is that they must be at least slightly entertaining or engaging by themselves. As a matter of fact, they must be engaging first before they inform. That's how you will get your book reviews consistently read.
2. Background (or context)
A book review is incomplete if you don't help your reader understand the context surrounding the book. For instance, the author of the book might also be the head of an organization that sells services related to the theme of the book, or may be an outcast in the community of his expertise (which may give the reader critical "extra information" that helps them judge what they read).
One excellent reviewer I came across even differentiates between the "background" and the "deep background" of the books in this excellent business book reviews.
3. The Book
In this section you break down the main components of the book. These break downs could be according to the parts or the chapters of the book. You may also ignore the structure of the content and just deliver the main points of the book in your own words and sequences.
A great way to do this is to identify the author's stated goals for the book and share your opinion as to whether the author fell short, met, or exceeded their goal and why you think so. Don't be afraid to use this area to illustrate some of the key concepts communicated by the author.
4. What You Liked
Immediately following your summary of the book's key concepts, you can share what you liked or were impressed by (if anything). You'll generally have a broad selection of areas to choose from:
5. Dislikes or Holes in the book
For both personal and promotional reasons, I like to find something I dislike, or at least find a deficiency within every business book I read. Even with books that I am overwhelmingly impressed by, I look for "holes" in the scope of the book...if only as an exercise in intellectual acuity and critical thinking.
Always make sure you are being fair to the author and displaying intellectual honesty when you use this tactic. It's not okay to just throw up anything for the purpose of having a "bone to pick" with the author.
This last step is also a critical skill to master if you write book and product reviews for online affiliate marketing purposes.
Gogo Erekosima, The Small Business Digital Coach is the CEO and Lead strategist at Idea Age Consulting - Expert Denver Marketing Consultants who help business grow fast through partnership-centered marketing and business model innovation.
He recommends the resources at www.TurnAttentionIntoDollars.com for small businesses (and professionals) seeking to leverage the internet to attract clients, build profitable email lists, generate internet traffic, win influential partners and grow sales in record time.
- Author tone, authority or approach
- Key concepts
- Communication format of those concepts
- Use of examples, quotes, case studies
- Sequencing of ideas
- Assessments, tools and extras
- Any one of these areas can give you all the substance you need to engagingly communicate your impressions while giving your reader a strong sense of what the book is about and how it tries to accomplish its purpose.
Effective Business Writing by Christine Nowik
Effective business writing is an essential skill for employees. Managers report that many employees are unable to communicate clearly in writing, and employees report that lackluster writing skills have hindered their careers. Some simple adjustments can improve employees' business writing skills.
1. Eliminate "there are." This expression does not advance or clarify the meaning of a sentence; in fact, it simply adds unnecessary bulk and weight to the message. Instead, begin with the action of the sentence so that "there are many ways to improve one's writing" becomes "the keys to improving one's writing are planning, practice, and editing."
2. Be concise. Eliminate vague or trite expressions like "think outside the box." If you want your audience to be creative, say it: "This project requires your ingenuity, flexibility, and creative problem solving."
3. Embrace variety. Be sure to use a variety of sentence styles to convey your message. Too often, business writers rely on the same sentence patterns; for variety, include compound and complex sentences, employing the correct punctuation to tailor your message to its intended purpose and audience.
4. Be active. Often used to convey bad news, the passive voice connotes an abdication of responsibility: "Your account was accidentally terminated." Sometimes the passive voice is effective (bad news), but for most business writing, the active voice is preferable: "We must increase the scope of the project" is better than "The project's scope must be increased."
5. Weed. Remove unnecessary words from your message: "Very," for example means nothing, and "hopefully" is woefully misused. Instead of writing, "Hopefully, you will be very satisfied with the results," try "I hope you will be satisfied with the results." Same message, better writing.
Writing is an essential communication skill in nearly every industry and can help employees advance their careers. Like any skill, writing requires practice and attention to detail, and employees are wise to include the adjustments noted above in their plans for developing their writing capabilities.
Christine Nowik owns Lehigh Valley Tour Group, which currently offers ghost tours in downtown Bethlehem, PA. Visit our website at http://www.lvtourgroup.com.
1. Eliminate "there are." This expression does not advance or clarify the meaning of a sentence; in fact, it simply adds unnecessary bulk and weight to the message. Instead, begin with the action of the sentence so that "there are many ways to improve one's writing" becomes "the keys to improving one's writing are planning, practice, and editing."
2. Be concise. Eliminate vague or trite expressions like "think outside the box." If you want your audience to be creative, say it: "This project requires your ingenuity, flexibility, and creative problem solving."
3. Embrace variety. Be sure to use a variety of sentence styles to convey your message. Too often, business writers rely on the same sentence patterns; for variety, include compound and complex sentences, employing the correct punctuation to tailor your message to its intended purpose and audience.
4. Be active. Often used to convey bad news, the passive voice connotes an abdication of responsibility: "Your account was accidentally terminated." Sometimes the passive voice is effective (bad news), but for most business writing, the active voice is preferable: "We must increase the scope of the project" is better than "The project's scope must be increased."
5. Weed. Remove unnecessary words from your message: "Very," for example means nothing, and "hopefully" is woefully misused. Instead of writing, "Hopefully, you will be very satisfied with the results," try "I hope you will be satisfied with the results." Same message, better writing.
Writing is an essential communication skill in nearly every industry and can help employees advance their careers. Like any skill, writing requires practice and attention to detail, and employees are wise to include the adjustments noted above in their plans for developing their writing capabilities.
Christine Nowik owns Lehigh Valley Tour Group, which currently offers ghost tours in downtown Bethlehem, PA. Visit our website at http://www.lvtourgroup.com.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
The Importance of Writing Clearly for Business by Gloria Pincu
Creating written documents reveals so much about you and your business skills. Your writing tells the reader about your educational background, pride in your work and business expertise. The emergence of the paperless office, e-mail, the internet and web pages only increases the power of the written word. Any company with employees who can write clearly and concisely has a competitive edge over others who are still struggling to communicate.
Is your correspondence free of any errors? In this day of computers with spell and grammar check, it is so easy to let your writing skills lapse. The computer scans the correct spelling of a word, but it is a homonym with the wrong meaning for your sentence. This error shows the reader that either you don't know the difference or you're too lazy to check and edit.
Is your writing full of words that people don't understand? Many times, you are so rushed to compose a business document that you use easy methods to get it done. The result is business documents are often filled with buzzwords, cryptic dialogue and outdated phrases. Readers won't say that they don't understand what you are writing, but will note not to use your business services. Keep your writing simple and current. Writing styles are like fashion and have indeed changed over the years. You must keep up with today's business practices and expectations, but beware of certain crutches such as buzzwords, industry jargon and cliches. Buzzwords are trendy terms and expressions that sometimes mean nothing, but seem impressive. "Like fertilizer, buzzwords are spread generously over documents in hope that brilliant ideas will miraculously take root. Unfortunately, ideas don't grow in manure," describes Will Stockdell, a professional Internet writer. You want to make sure that everyone understands your written ideas.
The last thing you want to do is to give the impression that your writing is too formal or outdated. A more direct way of writing has replaced some standard business phrases. Examples of this are "As per your request" now becomes "As you requested" or "Enclosed please find " now becomes "I am enclosing." Also, the previous impersonal style of business writing that avoided the use of "I" has been changed to use a limited amount of "I" to give directness and warmth.
How often have you typed away what you wanted to say, rather than what you needed to write? Slipping into abbreviated dialogue is so easy to do instead of expressing complete thoughts in a sentence. Perhaps, because we are a telephone-oriented society, the keyboard simply becomes an extension of our phone voice and frequently incomplete phrases dominate a message. Readers may think that this writing also indicates your incomplete logic and business services.
Do you use correct English? As far as incorrect punctuation, awkward sentences and bad grammar, you need to examine your writing skills and take these steps to improve them:
1. Audit your business writing yourself and try to learn from your mistakes. Use your computer grammar tools, but double-check with a dictionary or grammar book.
2. Find someone who can edit your material.
3. Hire employees for writing skills. In this way, you will have someone around to edit or write material for you.
4. Read. Reading will improve your writing skills. Keep on hand business documents that you admire.
5. Practice. Don't just pick up the phone to communicate; get in the habit of expressing your ideas in letters or e-mail.
6. Seek professional resources. Consult books like Gloria Pincu's Bull's Eye Business Writing: 10 Easy Guides for Getting to Your Writing Target. Search the Internet. Seek training courses.
See my web site for information about my online courses at: www.basic-learning.com)
Gloria Pincu is founder of Basic Learning Systems, Inc., a management training and consulting organization. As a consultant/trainer, Ms. Pincu has drawn heavily on her own business experience as well as from the academic world. She has been an entrepreneur, a sales manager, a computer salesperson, a teacher of writing, communication skills and English, and a consultant /training specialist to corporations, hospitals, government, and educational organizations.
Is your correspondence free of any errors? In this day of computers with spell and grammar check, it is so easy to let your writing skills lapse. The computer scans the correct spelling of a word, but it is a homonym with the wrong meaning for your sentence. This error shows the reader that either you don't know the difference or you're too lazy to check and edit.
Is your writing full of words that people don't understand? Many times, you are so rushed to compose a business document that you use easy methods to get it done. The result is business documents are often filled with buzzwords, cryptic dialogue and outdated phrases. Readers won't say that they don't understand what you are writing, but will note not to use your business services. Keep your writing simple and current. Writing styles are like fashion and have indeed changed over the years. You must keep up with today's business practices and expectations, but beware of certain crutches such as buzzwords, industry jargon and cliches. Buzzwords are trendy terms and expressions that sometimes mean nothing, but seem impressive. "Like fertilizer, buzzwords are spread generously over documents in hope that brilliant ideas will miraculously take root. Unfortunately, ideas don't grow in manure," describes Will Stockdell, a professional Internet writer. You want to make sure that everyone understands your written ideas.
The last thing you want to do is to give the impression that your writing is too formal or outdated. A more direct way of writing has replaced some standard business phrases. Examples of this are "As per your request" now becomes "As you requested" or "Enclosed please find " now becomes "I am enclosing." Also, the previous impersonal style of business writing that avoided the use of "I" has been changed to use a limited amount of "I" to give directness and warmth.
How often have you typed away what you wanted to say, rather than what you needed to write? Slipping into abbreviated dialogue is so easy to do instead of expressing complete thoughts in a sentence. Perhaps, because we are a telephone-oriented society, the keyboard simply becomes an extension of our phone voice and frequently incomplete phrases dominate a message. Readers may think that this writing also indicates your incomplete logic and business services.
Do you use correct English? As far as incorrect punctuation, awkward sentences and bad grammar, you need to examine your writing skills and take these steps to improve them:
1. Audit your business writing yourself and try to learn from your mistakes. Use your computer grammar tools, but double-check with a dictionary or grammar book.
2. Find someone who can edit your material.
3. Hire employees for writing skills. In this way, you will have someone around to edit or write material for you.
4. Read. Reading will improve your writing skills. Keep on hand business documents that you admire.
5. Practice. Don't just pick up the phone to communicate; get in the habit of expressing your ideas in letters or e-mail.
6. Seek professional resources. Consult books like Gloria Pincu's Bull's Eye Business Writing: 10 Easy Guides for Getting to Your Writing Target. Search the Internet. Seek training courses.
See my web site for information about my online courses at: www.basic-learning.com)
Gloria Pincu is founder of Basic Learning Systems, Inc., a management training and consulting organization. As a consultant/trainer, Ms. Pincu has drawn heavily on her own business experience as well as from the academic world. She has been an entrepreneur, a sales manager, a computer salesperson, a teacher of writing, communication skills and English, and a consultant /training specialist to corporations, hospitals, government, and educational organizations.
Common English Usage Errors in Business Writing by Anuja Aggarwal
What will you do, if you find yourself sitting in a toilet in Japan with the following warning in front of you?
"When you sit on the seat the cold water automatically flow. Wait for the 'off' lamp to wash. When you get on the seat 'standby' lamp starts flashing. If you press button upon seating you may have cold water spray."
Panic for sure!
Amazing how some of us do not pay even minuscule attention to what we write, and leave it on the intelligence of the reader to make sense out of it. No matter how refined in other respects the person may be, if he uses words wrongly and expresses himself in language not in accordance with the proper construction he has to take a back seat, while some one with much less ability gets the opportunity to come to the front because he can clothe his ideas in ready words and talk effectively.
In order to speak and write any language correctly, it is important that the fundamental principles of the grammar be mastered, for no matter how much we may read of the best authors, no matter how much we may associate with and imitate the best speakers, if we do not know the underlying principles of the correct formation of sentences, we will be to a great extent like the parrot, that simply repeats what it hears without understanding the import of what is said.
It is important that we write in a way that creates a favorable impression of our company. This means writing in a friendly tone and avoiding impersonal, bureaucratic language that might alienate the readers.
The problem with most of us is that we are not open to criticism. Do not resent it but rather invite it and look upon those as friends who point out your defects in order to remedy them.
As a content writer I spend days correcting all the commonest of errors. Through this article I wish to list the major English usage errors committed by us. I hope that the readers will try to keep these in mind and try not to commit them in their day-to-day communication activities.
Company name usage
The company name should always be quoted in full on any external literature. It should not be abbreviated. While quoting names of other firms, be careful about the name usage.
Always use it when you refer to a company and not they.
For example: XYZ is among the fastest growing IT companies in the world. It offers its services ...
Shortened words
Thanks to SMS, chat, and e-mail; language has got corrupted. Of course, programmers are used to writing in short forms. Some of the common short forms are: thru, condn, mgmt, ref, lib among others. Please write the full words instead of such short forms in all official communication.
Use the word 'very' sparingly. If you write about a very fast printer, what do you mean by the word 'very?' It shows lack of accuracy. Instead, be specific and say -- this printer prints 30 pages in a minute! What is fast in India may be considered slow in Japan. While writing customer benefits in your case studies give actual numbers, for e.g., client's cost was reduced by 70% through our solution.
Repetition of words
Repetition of the same word in one sentence or adjacent sentence irritates the reader. Example: file the file in the file folder.
Use of ampersand (&)
We should not indiscriminately use "&" for "and". Avoid use of ampersands unless they are part of a name (e.g., AT&T) or accepted abbreviations (R&D). Do not provide white space between the letters.
Use of bold
Bold text is like shouting. You do this only when it is absolutely essential. Do not needlessly emphasize words by making them bold, try to italicize them instead. There are legitimate stylistic uses for bold. Use bold correctly.
Use of Title Case
Do not go on capitalizing all the technical terms; use title case only for proper nouns such as-names of products, technical processes, abbreviations, etc. Do not capitalize common nouns even if they seem very important to you.
Punctuation
We all have our own style of punctuation but the general rule is to use just enough for clarity. The most straightforward approach is to read a sentence aloud to yourself and add punctuation to explain the pauses you would make if you were speaking. Some rules are:
Punctuation of lists and tables
When you have a bulleted or numbered list, the grammar is a little different. If there are short phrases, a period would not be required. The worst mistake is when you make up a list with seven items - three with periods and four without periods. If you have long sentences in your list in which you have used other punctuation marks too, then it is advisable to put a period at the end of each sentence.
Hyphen and dash usage
Remember a hyphen is used to connect two words (web-enabled) while a dash is used to separate two words (Linda Simpson - the president's most trusted economic advisor - will resign her office during today's press conference.)
Confusion between its and it's
It's a well-known fact that this error is common. Its (the error's) origin is due to the fact that people think that this possessive needs an apostrophe, whereas, it does not require one. So remember: "it's" stands for "it is", and "its" stands for possession.
Use of apostrophe
Do not leave out the apostrophe ('). It becomes extremely difficult for readers to comprehend the writer's meaning. Use of apostrophe in ours, yours, and theirs is wrong. There is no need to put an apostrophe while writing the plural form of an abbreviation or a year, for e.g., COOs, IITs, 1990s. Use apostrophe only when it denotes possession, for e.g., the CEO's office or the CEOs' offices. Use apostrophes in the following situations:
Numbers
Dates
Articles
The use of articles "a", "an", and "the" was taught to everybody in school! However, very few people pay attention to it. Use of "an" is not all that simple because the sound of the vowel comes into play. Should you say "a Unix machine" or "an Unix machine?" Should you say "a unique idea" or "an unique idea?" A unique idea would be to write about a Unix machine!
Avoid complex and unusual words
There is absolutely no need to use words of "learned length and thundering sound." Short, simple words are understood by all and remove doubts. If you have to use a technical term that your reader may not understand, explain it briefly in non-technical language.
Abbreviations and acronyms
Do not abbreviate company names, unless they are well known and used regularly. The first time you write an abbreviation or an acronym, you should always write the name in full with the abbreviation or acronym in parentheses afterwards. After that, you can abbreviate it. This includes abbreviations that may be very familiar to you, but not necessarily to your readers; e.g., enterprise application integration (EAI); straight through processing (STP), and technical application request (TAR).
Use active voice
Most verbs can be used in the active or the passive. By using active verbs, you will keep the word order simple and avoid using extra words. Try to use verbs in place of nouns. Many nouns are formed from verbs, such as completion and provision. Using the verb is often more direct than using the noun. Cut out nouns where a single verb will do.
Do not switch tenses very often
I have often come across content in which every third sentence has a different tense. If you start writing a document in past tense, then stick to it. It creates confusion if tenses are not followed correctly.
Proofread for accuracy
After you finish writing the first draft, let the article rest for some time. Print a hard copy and go over it with a fine toothcomb for simple errors such as the ones listed above.
"When you sit on the seat the cold water automatically flow. Wait for the 'off' lamp to wash. When you get on the seat 'standby' lamp starts flashing. If you press button upon seating you may have cold water spray."
Panic for sure!
Amazing how some of us do not pay even minuscule attention to what we write, and leave it on the intelligence of the reader to make sense out of it. No matter how refined in other respects the person may be, if he uses words wrongly and expresses himself in language not in accordance with the proper construction he has to take a back seat, while some one with much less ability gets the opportunity to come to the front because he can clothe his ideas in ready words and talk effectively.
In order to speak and write any language correctly, it is important that the fundamental principles of the grammar be mastered, for no matter how much we may read of the best authors, no matter how much we may associate with and imitate the best speakers, if we do not know the underlying principles of the correct formation of sentences, we will be to a great extent like the parrot, that simply repeats what it hears without understanding the import of what is said.
It is important that we write in a way that creates a favorable impression of our company. This means writing in a friendly tone and avoiding impersonal, bureaucratic language that might alienate the readers.
The problem with most of us is that we are not open to criticism. Do not resent it but rather invite it and look upon those as friends who point out your defects in order to remedy them.
As a content writer I spend days correcting all the commonest of errors. Through this article I wish to list the major English usage errors committed by us. I hope that the readers will try to keep these in mind and try not to commit them in their day-to-day communication activities.
Company name usage
The company name should always be quoted in full on any external literature. It should not be abbreviated. While quoting names of other firms, be careful about the name usage.
Always use it when you refer to a company and not they.
For example: XYZ is among the fastest growing IT companies in the world. It offers its services ...
Shortened words
Thanks to SMS, chat, and e-mail; language has got corrupted. Of course, programmers are used to writing in short forms. Some of the common short forms are: thru, condn, mgmt, ref, lib among others. Please write the full words instead of such short forms in all official communication.
Use the word 'very' sparingly. If you write about a very fast printer, what do you mean by the word 'very?' It shows lack of accuracy. Instead, be specific and say -- this printer prints 30 pages in a minute! What is fast in India may be considered slow in Japan. While writing customer benefits in your case studies give actual numbers, for e.g., client's cost was reduced by 70% through our solution.
Repetition of words
Repetition of the same word in one sentence or adjacent sentence irritates the reader. Example: file the file in the file folder.
Use of ampersand (&)
We should not indiscriminately use "&" for "and". Avoid use of ampersands unless they are part of a name (e.g., AT&T) or accepted abbreviations (R&D). Do not provide white space between the letters.
Use of bold
Bold text is like shouting. You do this only when it is absolutely essential. Do not needlessly emphasize words by making them bold, try to italicize them instead. There are legitimate stylistic uses for bold. Use bold correctly.
Use of Title Case
Do not go on capitalizing all the technical terms; use title case only for proper nouns such as-names of products, technical processes, abbreviations, etc. Do not capitalize common nouns even if they seem very important to you.
Punctuation
We all have our own style of punctuation but the general rule is to use just enough for clarity. The most straightforward approach is to read a sentence aloud to yourself and add punctuation to explain the pauses you would make if you were speaking. Some rules are:
- Use commas and periods inside quotations.
- Use commas to separate elements in a series, and to separate ideas or clauses.
- Use correct punctuation in abbreviations;
e.g., for example
i.e., that is
etc., et cetera - Do not use multiple punctuation marks, for example: !!! ... ???, etc.
Punctuation of lists and tables
When you have a bulleted or numbered list, the grammar is a little different. If there are short phrases, a period would not be required. The worst mistake is when you make up a list with seven items - three with periods and four without periods. If you have long sentences in your list in which you have used other punctuation marks too, then it is advisable to put a period at the end of each sentence.
Hyphen and dash usage
Remember a hyphen is used to connect two words (web-enabled) while a dash is used to separate two words (Linda Simpson - the president's most trusted economic advisor - will resign her office during today's press conference.)
Confusion between its and it's
It's a well-known fact that this error is common. Its (the error's) origin is due to the fact that people think that this possessive needs an apostrophe, whereas, it does not require one. So remember: "it's" stands for "it is", and "its" stands for possession.
Use of apostrophe
Do not leave out the apostrophe ('). It becomes extremely difficult for readers to comprehend the writer's meaning. Use of apostrophe in ours, yours, and theirs is wrong. There is no need to put an apostrophe while writing the plural form of an abbreviation or a year, for e.g., COOs, IITs, 1990s. Use apostrophe only when it denotes possession, for e.g., the CEO's office or the CEOs' offices. Use apostrophes in the following situations:
- Indicate a possessive in a singular noun
The boy's hat. - But when the possessor is plural, then the apostrophe follows the 's'
The companies' CEOs - Indicate omission of figure or words
The summer of '69
We can't go to B'lore
Numbers
- Spell out single numbers in full, from one to nine; use figures for 10 upwards.
- Always use figures with commas and decimal points. (Format: Use 1,000 separators - x,xxx,xxx.xx). It is preferable to use M or K for millions or thousands instead of many zeroes.
Spell out large numbers if necessary; e.g., one million instead of 1,000,000. Try to use either all numerals or all spelled numbers for a list of numbers. - Spell out ordinal numbers: first, second, third. Do not add ly to them. For example, firstly, secondly, etc.
- Spell out and hyphenate common fractions; e.g., three-fourth share.
Dates
- Write dates with the number only and not with 'th' 'nd' or 'rd'; e.g., February 28 rather than February 28th.
- Use MM-DD-YYYY format wherever you need to document a full date - May 8, 2003.
- Use month and year for documents that change frequently; e.g., collateral material - May 2003.
Articles
The use of articles "a", "an", and "the" was taught to everybody in school! However, very few people pay attention to it. Use of "an" is not all that simple because the sound of the vowel comes into play. Should you say "a Unix machine" or "an Unix machine?" Should you say "a unique idea" or "an unique idea?" A unique idea would be to write about a Unix machine!
Avoid complex and unusual words
There is absolutely no need to use words of "learned length and thundering sound." Short, simple words are understood by all and remove doubts. If you have to use a technical term that your reader may not understand, explain it briefly in non-technical language.
Abbreviations and acronyms
Do not abbreviate company names, unless they are well known and used regularly. The first time you write an abbreviation or an acronym, you should always write the name in full with the abbreviation or acronym in parentheses afterwards. After that, you can abbreviate it. This includes abbreviations that may be very familiar to you, but not necessarily to your readers; e.g., enterprise application integration (EAI); straight through processing (STP), and technical application request (TAR).
Use active voice
Most verbs can be used in the active or the passive. By using active verbs, you will keep the word order simple and avoid using extra words. Try to use verbs in place of nouns. Many nouns are formed from verbs, such as completion and provision. Using the verb is often more direct than using the noun. Cut out nouns where a single verb will do.
Do not switch tenses very often
I have often come across content in which every third sentence has a different tense. If you start writing a document in past tense, then stick to it. It creates confusion if tenses are not followed correctly.
Proofread for accuracy
After you finish writing the first draft, let the article rest for some time. Print a hard copy and go over it with a fine toothcomb for simple errors such as the ones listed above.
Talking About English Writing by Almanzar Wennie
Writing is always considered to be difficult. Even though a lot of people who can speak very fluently and wonderfully, they have great blocks once they pick up their pens to wrtie. This is the same to English writing.
For our native English speakers, maybe we think English is our mother tongue and we have really understood it. But once we take a pen or open a text on our computer, we will find how hard to get a right word. But actually we can develop our skills in this area.
First, read. You know, writing needs words. If you have no words stored in your brain, how could you start writing? And reading can make up for it. When you read, the good English language comes to your eyes instantly. You even don't need to remember words consciously, for you get very familiar with the written words while reading. And the more you read, the clearer you will find you have very strong feeling about English. At the same time you will get a few rules that are used to write beautiful passages. Certainly a lot of people may argue that they have accumulated enough words and have very strong sense about English, but they can't write well, either. This question can be explained also by reading. I mean they haven't read much. Another question is that written English slightly differs from spoken English and your strong sense about this language.
Second, think. Without thinking, without writing. If you have read a lot, you need to think, or even brood. Why? The reason is simple, for your writing pieces must have ideas or senses. Don't talk nonsense in any passage! In this case you should think carefully before you write. And to some extent, English writing appears boring and frightening. But never lose heart! You must have noticed that nearly all the renowned writers are all greater thinkers, like Shakespeare, Dickens, Henry James. They all thought a lot.
Third, practise. Practice makes perfect. This sentence will never get rusty. When you have read and brooded, what is now left for you is practise. You need to keep some amounts of writing in your daily life. You can write anything about your life whenever you catch the idea of taking something down.
By the way people may talk something about language learning. For instance, when people talk about Rosetta Stone English learning software, you don't need to go away. What I think about is you should stay and listen for a while, for at least English writing is part of English language.
Now I am doing a lot things about learning and language speaking. I like languages, for I hope to learn more about our world. Of course, I learn other other things as well for the rich of life. By the way I am learning with Rosetta Stone Spanish!
For our native English speakers, maybe we think English is our mother tongue and we have really understood it. But once we take a pen or open a text on our computer, we will find how hard to get a right word. But actually we can develop our skills in this area.
First, read. You know, writing needs words. If you have no words stored in your brain, how could you start writing? And reading can make up for it. When you read, the good English language comes to your eyes instantly. You even don't need to remember words consciously, for you get very familiar with the written words while reading. And the more you read, the clearer you will find you have very strong feeling about English. At the same time you will get a few rules that are used to write beautiful passages. Certainly a lot of people may argue that they have accumulated enough words and have very strong sense about English, but they can't write well, either. This question can be explained also by reading. I mean they haven't read much. Another question is that written English slightly differs from spoken English and your strong sense about this language.
Second, think. Without thinking, without writing. If you have read a lot, you need to think, or even brood. Why? The reason is simple, for your writing pieces must have ideas or senses. Don't talk nonsense in any passage! In this case you should think carefully before you write. And to some extent, English writing appears boring and frightening. But never lose heart! You must have noticed that nearly all the renowned writers are all greater thinkers, like Shakespeare, Dickens, Henry James. They all thought a lot.
Third, practise. Practice makes perfect. This sentence will never get rusty. When you have read and brooded, what is now left for you is practise. You need to keep some amounts of writing in your daily life. You can write anything about your life whenever you catch the idea of taking something down.
By the way people may talk something about language learning. For instance, when people talk about Rosetta Stone English learning software, you don't need to go away. What I think about is you should stay and listen for a while, for at least English writing is part of English language.
Now I am doing a lot things about learning and language speaking. I like languages, for I hope to learn more about our world. Of course, I learn other other things as well for the rich of life. By the way I am learning with Rosetta Stone Spanish!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
How to Write Blog Posts For Non English Speakers by Brian A Scott
What are the problems that non-English speaking bloggers are experiencing in the process of blogging? They are many, but the two most frequently recurring challenges are the following:
1) Not sure which language they should use to blog - should they use their native language and have a smaller potential readership or to blog in English where their readership could be much bigger, but where they face challenges in writing as well?
2) Another downturn is when they are feeling isolated from other bloggers - many of them reflected that at times they felt that they were not taken as seriously by bloggers in other parts of the world and found blogging difficult.
If you are a non-English speaker, you may still write your blog in English, because you find it much easier to write about technology-related news and reviews in this language -- especially when the majority of your readers are from the USA, UK, etc. There is definitely lot more competition for your blog if you chose to write in English and you should think carefully about what content you are going to post on your blog and then choose your niche.
Not a bad idea is to blog in both languages - your native and English, and have every article posted in both languages. Probably you should put a lot more work into this, but it's a good idea anyway.
Actually, non-English speaking bloggers have to ask themselves two questions: what is my goal and what is my audience? If you blog for people you want to make business with at a local or national level, then blog in you native language. At the end of the day, the whole point is to be understood. Otherwise, you cannot expect to build a blog community. And of course if you blog for an international audience, then you must chose English.
According to many bloggers' experiences, you can blog either in English or in your own language as soon as your goals are clear, people understand what you have to say, you have good content -- rich, interesting, colorful, you know your readers and their needs and you answer to it. In any language, blogging is the same and you have to keep up with the same rules.
Of course, when someone writes in some dialect from a remote place, he/she will never get an audience of million readers. Nevertheless, probably this answers the needs of a handful of local readers and everybody will be happy about that.
The best advice to bloggers would be to write in the language you feel most comfortable with, because this gives you the widest range of expression and the least errors. This way you will probably get a loyal audience much quicker, even if it turns out it is not that huge.
On the other hand, when you have good reasons for blogging in English, such as wanting a larger share of international traffic, but your English is not that good, you should probably try to collaborate yourself with somebody whose English proficiency is much better and have him/her to proofread your posts for corrections before posting.
At the same time, bloggers who post blogs in English, but their niche is more or less locally oriented, will lose their local audience big time, especially where English is not one of the languages traditionally studied at school or otherwise.
In order to monetize their blogs, many non-English speakers are starting their blogs in English with the risk we already have mentioned above. Bloggers who are non-English speakers writing in English are probably millions, and nobody can underestimate their role and contribution to the global blogosphere.
Learn how to make money blogging today. Visit Brian's website, http://www.homebasedblogging.com/ and learn how you can make money online from blogging and receive free blogging help.
1) Not sure which language they should use to blog - should they use their native language and have a smaller potential readership or to blog in English where their readership could be much bigger, but where they face challenges in writing as well?
2) Another downturn is when they are feeling isolated from other bloggers - many of them reflected that at times they felt that they were not taken as seriously by bloggers in other parts of the world and found blogging difficult.
If you are a non-English speaker, you may still write your blog in English, because you find it much easier to write about technology-related news and reviews in this language -- especially when the majority of your readers are from the USA, UK, etc. There is definitely lot more competition for your blog if you chose to write in English and you should think carefully about what content you are going to post on your blog and then choose your niche.
Not a bad idea is to blog in both languages - your native and English, and have every article posted in both languages. Probably you should put a lot more work into this, but it's a good idea anyway.
Actually, non-English speaking bloggers have to ask themselves two questions: what is my goal and what is my audience? If you blog for people you want to make business with at a local or national level, then blog in you native language. At the end of the day, the whole point is to be understood. Otherwise, you cannot expect to build a blog community. And of course if you blog for an international audience, then you must chose English.
According to many bloggers' experiences, you can blog either in English or in your own language as soon as your goals are clear, people understand what you have to say, you have good content -- rich, interesting, colorful, you know your readers and their needs and you answer to it. In any language, blogging is the same and you have to keep up with the same rules.
Of course, when someone writes in some dialect from a remote place, he/she will never get an audience of million readers. Nevertheless, probably this answers the needs of a handful of local readers and everybody will be happy about that.
The best advice to bloggers would be to write in the language you feel most comfortable with, because this gives you the widest range of expression and the least errors. This way you will probably get a loyal audience much quicker, even if it turns out it is not that huge.
On the other hand, when you have good reasons for blogging in English, such as wanting a larger share of international traffic, but your English is not that good, you should probably try to collaborate yourself with somebody whose English proficiency is much better and have him/her to proofread your posts for corrections before posting.
At the same time, bloggers who post blogs in English, but their niche is more or less locally oriented, will lose their local audience big time, especially where English is not one of the languages traditionally studied at school or otherwise.
In order to monetize their blogs, many non-English speakers are starting their blogs in English with the risk we already have mentioned above. Bloggers who are non-English speakers writing in English are probably millions, and nobody can underestimate their role and contribution to the global blogosphere.
Learn how to make money blogging today. Visit Brian's website, http://www.homebasedblogging.com/ and learn how you can make money online from blogging and receive free blogging help.
National Information Literacy Awareness Month: Who Cares?
So why should Americans care? What does it really mean to them? More now than at any other time in American history, all learners and workers need to develop an information literacy skill set that empowers them to manage the daily tsunamis of "information overload." They can engage an information literacy mindset by learning how to effectively question, challenge, analyze, compare, contrast, evaluate, summarize, and synthesize information. Sadly, research studies show that an unacceptably low percentage of students leave high school and college unprepared to actively engage and apply these skills within current workplace environments.
So then, what does that really mean? Developing an information literacy skill set can provide workers with the inside track on how to advance in the workplace and earn the big bucks. It can give your children the academic confidence and 21st century skill foundation to turn them into academic stars. It can help patients and their caretakers to access appropriate healthcare services and options. It gives voters the ability to see through the fog of politics and the mayhem of media to discern who is, in fact, working in the best interest of the American people. From a national economic perspective, it is a key ingredient, often overlooked, that can directly impact productivity and profitability across the entire American workplace spectrum.
James Madison, 4th President of the United States and Father of the U.S. Constitution, once wrote, "A popular government without popular information or the means of acquiring it is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy or perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives."
Information literacy empowers! In today's digital society, information literacy is a proven, strategic pathway that builds individual competence in the management of information resources critical for academic, personal, and professional success.
As one of the premier advocacy organization promoting information literacy worldwide, the National Forum on Information Literacy encourages all Americans this month to think twice about the information they use to make "informed" decisions. Ask themselves - where does the information come from, who produced it, and what does it really mean to their overall quality of life. By asking those few simple questions, they'll be surprised at what they may find.
For more information, visit http://www.infolit.org/
So then, what does that really mean? Developing an information literacy skill set can provide workers with the inside track on how to advance in the workplace and earn the big bucks. It can give your children the academic confidence and 21st century skill foundation to turn them into academic stars. It can help patients and their caretakers to access appropriate healthcare services and options. It gives voters the ability to see through the fog of politics and the mayhem of media to discern who is, in fact, working in the best interest of the American people. From a national economic perspective, it is a key ingredient, often overlooked, that can directly impact productivity and profitability across the entire American workplace spectrum.
James Madison, 4th President of the United States and Father of the U.S. Constitution, once wrote, "A popular government without popular information or the means of acquiring it is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy or perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives."
Information literacy empowers! In today's digital society, information literacy is a proven, strategic pathway that builds individual competence in the management of information resources critical for academic, personal, and professional success.
As one of the premier advocacy organization promoting information literacy worldwide, the National Forum on Information Literacy encourages all Americans this month to think twice about the information they use to make "informed" decisions. Ask themselves - where does the information come from, who produced it, and what does it really mean to their overall quality of life. By asking those few simple questions, they'll be surprised at what they may find.
For more information, visit http://www.infolit.org/
Spelling and Handwriting Instruction Key to Literacy
Statistics show four in ten U.S. 8-year-olds cannot read independently. Direct and explicit spelling and handwriting instruction is key to increasing literacy, according to a new white paper by J. Richard Gentry, Ph.D. and Steve Graham, Ed.D., two educational consultants with decades of experience in helping children learn to read and write.
"Creating Better Readers and Writers: The Importance of Direct, Systematic Spelling and Handwriting Instruction in Improving Academic Performance" explores extensive research showing that standalone spelling and handwriting instruction is required if all students are to master the mechanics of reading and writing," said Martin Saperstein, Ph.D., president of research firm Saperstein Associates, which published the paper.
"This is not only a requirement of federal and state legislation, but also a critical goal for a nation whose economy has transitioned from a manufacturing to a knowledge base," he said. "It's also a critical concern for parents who want their children to score well in high-stakes testing."
Gentry is an expert on childhood literacy, reading and spelling development. "In too many cases, schools have dropped important parts of the language arts curriculum such as spelling, handwriting and phonics instruction that are foundations of literacy," he said. "There is this idea that students will 'catch' foundational literacy skills like spelling as they learn to read and write. However, research shows spelling must be taught – not caught. Another bad idea is tucking spelling in with the reading lesson; that practice waters down the kind of spelling curriculum readers and writers need for success."
He noted that 10 to 15 minutes a day of direct spelling instruction using developmentally appropriate word lists helps students acquire the "dictionary in the brain" that is critical to developing literacy and higher-order thinking and communication skills. "Parents who want to ensure that their children are receiving effective teaching should make sure a spelling textbook is included among the books they bring home."
Graham is a Currey Ingram Professor of Special Education and Literacy at Vanderbilt University. "Some schools and teachers say, 'Thanks to word processing, I don't need to teach handwriting,'" he said. "Unfortunately, this is simply not true. About 80 percent of writing in school – as well as essay portions of high-stakes proficiency and college entrance tests – takes place by hand.
"Handwriting plays a critical role in how we learn and express ourselves," he continued. "Children who experience difficulty mastering the skill of handwriting may avoid writing and decide that they cannot write, leading to arrested writing development and hindering their performance across the entire academic curriculum."
The authors review decades of research demonstrating the essential roles spelling and handwriting play in literacy and academic success in the paper, which is available at www.sapersteinassociates.com/default.asp?contentID=626.
"Creating Better Readers and Writers: The Importance of Direct, Systematic Spelling and Handwriting Instruction in Improving Academic Performance" explores extensive research showing that standalone spelling and handwriting instruction is required if all students are to master the mechanics of reading and writing," said Martin Saperstein, Ph.D., president of research firm Saperstein Associates, which published the paper.
"This is not only a requirement of federal and state legislation, but also a critical goal for a nation whose economy has transitioned from a manufacturing to a knowledge base," he said. "It's also a critical concern for parents who want their children to score well in high-stakes testing."
Gentry is an expert on childhood literacy, reading and spelling development. "In too many cases, schools have dropped important parts of the language arts curriculum such as spelling, handwriting and phonics instruction that are foundations of literacy," he said. "There is this idea that students will 'catch' foundational literacy skills like spelling as they learn to read and write. However, research shows spelling must be taught – not caught. Another bad idea is tucking spelling in with the reading lesson; that practice waters down the kind of spelling curriculum readers and writers need for success."
He noted that 10 to 15 minutes a day of direct spelling instruction using developmentally appropriate word lists helps students acquire the "dictionary in the brain" that is critical to developing literacy and higher-order thinking and communication skills. "Parents who want to ensure that their children are receiving effective teaching should make sure a spelling textbook is included among the books they bring home."
Graham is a Currey Ingram Professor of Special Education and Literacy at Vanderbilt University. "Some schools and teachers say, 'Thanks to word processing, I don't need to teach handwriting,'" he said. "Unfortunately, this is simply not true. About 80 percent of writing in school – as well as essay portions of high-stakes proficiency and college entrance tests – takes place by hand.
"Handwriting plays a critical role in how we learn and express ourselves," he continued. "Children who experience difficulty mastering the skill of handwriting may avoid writing and decide that they cannot write, leading to arrested writing development and hindering their performance across the entire academic curriculum."
The authors review decades of research demonstrating the essential roles spelling and handwriting play in literacy and academic success in the paper, which is available at www.sapersteinassociates.com/default.asp?contentID=626.
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