Revising Your Own Words 25
Step 1: Wait 25
Step 2: Read 25
Step 3; Revise 25
Know When to Stop 28
To Sum Up 28
Exercises 29
Part 2
Writing Business Correspondence
Chapter 3
Informative Letters and Memorandums 31
In This Chapter 32
Planning Informative Letters 32
Confirming a Contract or Arrangement 33
Saying “Thank You" 37
Writing an Instruction Letter 37
Conveying Information 41
Writing a Personal Reference 42
Writing a Transmittal Letter 45
Short Transmittal Letter - 45
Longer Transmittal Letter 47
To Sum Up 49
Exercises 49
Chapter 4
Persuasive Letters and Memorandums 57
In This Chapter 58
Writing a Request 59
Writing a Suggestion 62
Writing a Complaint or Claim 64
Responding to a Complaint 66
Positive Response 66
Negative Response 68
Writing Collection Letters 69
Reminder Stage 70
Enquiry Stage 71
Appeal Stage 72
Demand Stage 72
Writing Sales Letters 73
1. Command Attention 74
2. Create Interest 77
3. Arouse Desire 77
4. Establish Conviction 77
5. Encourage Action 78
To Sum Up
Exercises
Chapters ^ '
Electronic Mail (Email) 90
In This Chapter 90
Writing Effective Email 90
Write an informative Subject Line 91
Write an Effective Opening Statement 91
Create a Confident Image 92
Using Email More Efficiently 96
Avoid Random Email Access 96
■Reply Selectively 97
Reply Coherently 98
Send Single-Topic Messages 98
Reply Carefully to Messages that Annoy You 99
Forward Messages Responsibly 99
Summarize a String of Messages 100
Monitor the Subject Line 101
Respect Confidentiality 101
Proofread with Care 102
AlternativeWaystoCommunicateInformation '" ~ 102
To Sum Up 103
Exercises 103
Part 3
Writing Business Reports and Proposals
Chapter 6
Informal and Semiformal Business Reports 107
In This Chapter 108
Incident Report 108
Job Progress Report 109
Job Completion Report 112
Travel Report 115
Conference Report 121
Problem Investigation Report 124
To Sum Up 129
Exercises 129
Chapter 7
Semiformal Business Proposals 137
In This Chapter 138
Proposals Offering a Single Solution or Plan 139
Writing a Short Informal Proposal 139
Writing a Longer, Semiformal Proposal 143
Example of a Single-Solution Proposal 143
Comments on the Cover Letter 143
Comments on the Proposal 144
Proposals Offering Alternative Solutions or Plans 156
Writing an Informal Proposal 156
Writing a Semiformal Proposal 157
To Sum Up 158
Exercises 159
Chapter 8
The Formal Report 166
In This Chapter 167
The Report’s Parts 167
Cover Letter/Executive Summary 168
Cover (or Jacket) 170
Title Page 170
Summary (or Abstract) 171
Table of Contents 172
Introduction 172
Discussion 173
Conclusions 179
^IMmTCndaììons ITO'
List of References 180
Appendix 191
Sample Formal Report 191
Comments on the Cover Letter 193
Comments on the Report 193
Report Writing Sequence 212
Writing in the First Person 213
An Alternative Format for a Formal Report 213
To Sum Up 215
Exercises 216
Part 4
Presenting Yourself Well
Chapter 9
The Shape of Business Letters and Reports 222
In This Chapter 223
Full Block and Modified Block Letters 223
Interoffice Memorandums 229
Fax Messages 231
Electronic Mail 233
Semiformal Paper or Report 233
The Words Within 234
To Sum Up 236
In This Chapter
Computer-Designed Graphs and Charts Graphs
General Guidelines for Constructing Graphs Specific Guidelines for Constructing Graphs Pie Charts Bar Charts Tables
Other Illustrations Positioning Illustrations Illustrations for an Oral Presentation To Sum Up Exercises
Chapter 11 / JtZuUi
Speaking Before a Business Audience
In This Chapter 260
Making a Formal Presentation 260
—EstafrHsb-the Setting - - - - — - - — - - 260
Plan the Talk 262
Make Speaking Notes 263
Illustrate Your Talk 265
. Show Computer-Generated Images 265
Practice . . . and More Practice 266
Make Two Pre-Platform Checks 267
Stand Up and Deliver 268
Wrap It All Up 270
Making an Informal Presentation 271
The Chairperson as Meeting Manager 271
The Participant as Presenter of Information 272
The Participant as Meeting Member 275
The Participant as Secretary 276
Using Voice Mail 278
Communicating with One Person 279
0ne-to-0ne Speaking Techniques 280
Listening Techniques 281
To Sum Up 283
Exercises 284
Chapter 12
Presenting Yourself to a Prospective Employer 287
In This Chapter 288
The Traditional Resume 288
The Focused Resume
292
The Functional Resume 296
The Electronic Resume 300
Key Words 303
Submitting an Original 304
The Letter of Application (Cover Letter) 304
The Job Interview 308
Preparing for the Interview 309
Getting Off to a Good Start 310
Responding to Questions 311
Asking Questions 313
Post-Interview Letters 313
To Sum Up 314
Exercises 315
Part 5
Getting Your Words on Screen or on Paper
Chapter 13
Writing Businesslike Language
In This Chapter 321
Words, Words, and More Words 322
Choose words to Suit Your Audience 322
Paint Strong Images 323
Check Spelling 325
Avoid Abrasive Words 326
Compound Words Consistently 326
Avoid Wordy Expressions 329
Write Strong Sentences 329
Be Emphatic 330
Position Words with Care 333
Punctuate Properly 334
Construct Coherent Paragraphs 338
Build Paragraphs Pyramid-Style 338
Strive for Good Continuity 340
Control Paragraph Length 341
Use Headings as Visual Signposts 341
Additional Factors to Consider 342
Using Capital Letters Appropriately 342
Abbreviating Words and Expressions 346
Writing Numbers in Narrative 347
Writing Metric Terms Correctly 348
To Sum Up 349
Exercises
349
In This Chapter 361
Designing Information for Maximum Effect 361
Choose an Appropriate Font 361
Justify Text Only on the Left 362
Adjust the Margins to Draw Attention 362
Break Up Long Paragraphs 362
Use Tables to Display Information 364
Use Columns to Increase Readability 364
Writing Non-Gender-Specific Language 364
Eliminate Masculine Pronouns 367
Replace Gender-Specific Nouns 368
Address Men and Women Appropriately 369
Communicating with an International Audience 369
Writing Business Correspondence 370
Meeting and Speaking 373
To Sum Up 374
Exercises 375
Glossary of Business Usage 377
In the Glossary 378
The Glossary’s Main Features 378
Abbreviations Used in the Glossary 379
Glossary of Business Usage 380