Writing for Business

Writing for Business Business style Types of business writing Formal reports , letters, e-mail,

Types of business writing • informal reports • formal reports • letters • e-mail • memos • advertising (leaflets, posters, press releases) • talks and presentations Business Skills Induction

Why is business writing different? • Finding solution to problems is more important than discussing theory • Its purpose is to help decision making • Must be easy to be read quickly • Should contain necessary information only • It is usually written to a particular person (s) • Accuracy is of vital importance Business Skills Induction

Making it easy to read • Carefully planned structure • Numerous subheadings • Numbered paragraphs • Concise language • Tables and diagrams • Bullet-points • Business-like presentation Business Skills Induction

Writing objectively • Provide facts and evidence • Give both sides of the argument • Give opinions based on facts not supposition • Be precise“People are taking sick leave far too often” “Last month an absence rate of 10% was reported by five departments. In the opinion of the CEO this is having a damaging effect on the company” Business Skills Induction

Writing formal reports - structure 1 - Title Page 2 - Contents list 3 - Executive summary 4 - Terms of reference 5 - Methodology 6 - Findings 7 - Conclusions 8 - Recommendations 9 - List of references 10-Appendices Business Skills Induction

Formal reports - 1 - Title page: • title should communicate what the report is about • must include name of author(s) and person for whom report is written (‘addressee’) • should look ‘business-like’ (avoid pictures) 2 - Contents Page: • should include page numbers of all main sub-titles • needs separate contents for: text; tables; diagrams Business Skills Induction

Formal reports - 3 - Executive summary: • a summary of the report’s key findings • so that readers can determine whether to read the entire report 4 - Terms of reference: • Who is writing the report? • Who requested the report and when is it due? • What is it about? • Why is it being written? (give the background to the problem) Business Skills Induction

Formal reports - 5 - Methodology: • What you did to investigate the problemPeople you spoke to, library search, web-sites, research methods, questionnaires, interviews 6 -Findings: • Clear description of what you found out Objective description of data, graphs, diagrams, etc. • This includes relevant theory you have identified • No opinions, just a neutral description Business Skills Induction

Formal reports - 7 - Conclusions: • Summarise key points of your findings • Identify any further problems uncovered by your findings • Discuss the meaning and implications of the findings in relation to the original problem 8 - Recommendations: • List the action that should be taken to resolve the problems identified in your conclusions (not always required) Business Skills Induction

Formal reports - 9 - List of references: • Use Harvard format as for academic writing • Don’t forget to include references in the text where you have used other people’s ideas or data 10 - Appendices: • Only include if documents are referred to in main report • e.g. - questionnaires, letters, interview reports Business Skills Induction

Business letters - Use standard layout for business letters Structure: • Paragraph 1: State intention of the letter • Paragraph 2: Main body: provide information & present it in logical form • Paragraph 3: Conclusion: summing up & possible suggesting future action Tone: • variable between formality & informality. (Generally more impersonal than notes to friends!) Business Skills Induction

E-mail • Almost no style rules apply • Usually informal • Should be clear and concise • Start with the person’s name and finish with yours(but this is a matter of choice) • Must be accurate and legal(email may be forwarded to other people with your name on it) • Should not be personal business (many companies now routinely monitor staff use of e-mail) Business Skills Induction

Summary • Types of business writing • Business writing style • Formal report structure • Letters and e-mails Business Skills Induction

Writing for Business