Module 4: Planning, Writing, and Revising
Module 4: Planning, Writing, and Revising Business Communications January 27th 2012
Planning -
Analyzing the situation: what has the client asked for? Specifically, what is the assignment? Defining your purposes, and analyzing your audience needs. Thinking about the information: what “proof” will you need, and where can you find it? Gathering information – Through your own and others’ observations and experiences, from the internet, from articles. Making notes, creating outlines, considering how to organize the information: are you writing in an academic or a business context? What are the reader’s expectations? What do your audiences already know?
What is the Writing Process? -
Planning Drafting Rewriting
Drafting -
Putting notes on paper or on the screen. Can include purpose statements, visuals, lists, dot jots, stream-of-consciousness thoughts or a formal draft.
Rewriting -
-
-
Assessing your work by measuring it against your criteria: What are your goals, and what are the requirements of the situation and the audience? You get the best results by seeing the draft from the reader’s point of view: is it clear? Complete? Convincing? Tactful? Getting continuous feedback: Ask peers and colleagues to comment. Does it make sense? Does it flow? Is the organization appropriate and reader-friendly? Is the information convincing? What about mechanics – grammar and usage? Deleting, adding, substituting, rearranging: rewriting can be changing large sections of the document, or revising sentences of single words. Editing the draft. Here you correct spelling and mechanical errors, and check word choice and format. Editing focuses on the surface of writing. Proofing the final copy to ensure it’s error-free.
Note about the writing process:
-
Do not have to necessarily follow these activities in order. Do not have to finish one activity to start another. May do an activity several times for the same document.
Does it matter what Process I use? -
Know what the experts do, and use what works best for you. Experienced writers tend to: Focus on their purpose and audience Identify a story, thesis, theme or central idea related to their purpose and audience. Assume that the first draft will be revised. Break big writing jobs into a series of steps Read daily Write regularly Work to acquire a large vocabulary of concrete nouns and action verbs. Discuss their writing with others Ask for and apply feedback Use a reader for revising, editing and proofing Use whatever rules work for them.
How Should I use my time? -
Make notes on your research and thinking. Save plenty of time for rewriting. To get the best results, try: Use only 1/3 of your time on composing your first time. Spent at least 1/3 of your time analyzing your purpose(s) and audience(s). gathering your information and organizing what you want to say. Keep notes (electronic and hardcopy) on all your information. 1/3 time revising and editing: assess your draft based on your analysis of purpose and audience. Revise, get feedback and revise again.
Total Time: 6 Hours Planning
1.5 hours
Understand the policy. Answer the PAIBOC questions (Module 1). Think about document design (Module 5). Organize the message. Writing
1.5 hours
Create a draft. Revising Reread draft. Measure draft against PAIBOC questions and against principles of business communication. Revise draft. Ask for feedback.
3.0 hours
Revise draft based on feedback. Edit to catch grammatical errors. Run spell check. Proof by eye. Initial memo. Duplicate and distribute document.
What Planning should I do to Prepare to write or speak? -
-
-
-
Do as much planning as you can, and keep a record. The more familiar you are with your ideas, the fewer drafts you’ll need to produce a good document. Brainstorm: Write down all your ideas without judging them. Consciously try to get at least a dozen different ideas before you stop. Freewrite: make yourself write, without stopping for 10 minutes or so, even if you have to write “I will think of something soon.” At the end of 10minutes, read what you’ve written and identify the best point in the draft. Get a clean paper or screen and write for another 10 uninterrupted minutes. Read this draft, marking anything that’s good and should be kept, and then write for another 10 minutes. By the third session, you will probably produce several sections that are work keeping – maybe even a complete draft that’s ready to be revised. Cluster: Write your topic in the middle of the page and circle it. Write down the ideas the topic suggests, circling them too. (The circles are designed to tap into the nonlinear half of your brain.) When you’ve filled the page, look for patterns or repeated ideas. Use different-coloured pens to group related ideas. Then use these ideas to develop reader benefits in a memo, questions for a survey or content for the body of a report. Talk to your audiences: Research shows that talking to internal and external audiences is invaluable. Talking to real audiences helped writers involve readers in the planning process, understand social and political relationships among readers, and negotiate conflicts orally rather than depending solely on the document. Letters and memos will go faster if you can visualize a basic organized pattern before you start. Planning guides guides developed for specific kinds of documents.
What is revision? How Do I do it? -
Revision means seeing the document new, from the reader’s point of view. Writers make their drafts better by revising, editing, and proofreading from the reader’s point of view. o Revising: means making changes that will better satisfy your purposes and your audience. o Editing means making surface-level changes that make the document grammatically correct. o Proofreading means checking to be sure the document is free from typographical errors.
Content and Clarity
Does your document meet the needs of the organization and of the reader—and make you look good?
Have you given readers all the information they need to understand and act on your message?
Have you organized your message for optimum positive audience impact? (Modules 2 and Module 11.)
Is all the information accurate?
Is each sentence clear? Is the message free from apparently contradictory statements?
Are generalizations and benefits backed up with adequate supporting detail?
Organization and Layout
Does the design of the document make it easy for readers to find the information they need? Is the document visually inviting?
Are transitions between ideas smooth? Do ideas within paragraphs flow smoothly?
Are the most important points emphasized?
Are the first and last paragraphs effective?
Style and Tone
Does the message build goodwill?
Is the message easy to read?
Is the message friendly and free from biased language?
Can a Grammar Checker edit for me? -
No. You have to decide on each change. A grammar checker can tell you that you’ve used a passive verb and ask whether you want to change it, but you have to decide whether the passive is justified. Check for the most common grammar concerns: Sentence structure Subject-verb and noun-pronoun agreement Parallelism Punctuation Dangling or misplaced modifiers Passive verbs Correct word use Correct spelling Numbers accuracy
I use a Spell Checker. Do I still Need to proofread? -
Proofread every document both with a spell checker and by eye to catch the errors a spell checker can’t find. It’s hard because writers tend to see what they expect should be there rather than what is relaly on the page or screen. Follow these steps: Read once quickly for meaning to see that nothing has been left out. Read a second time, slowly. When you find an error, correct it and then reread that line.
How Can I get good feedback?
-
Ask for the kind of feedback you need. To improve the quality of the feedback you get, and of your revisions, tell people which aspects you’d especially like comments about. If the feedback stings, put it aside until you can read it without feeling defensive.
Outline or Planning Draft
Does the plan seem to be on the right track?
What topics should be added? Should any be cut?
Do you have any other general suggestions?
Revised Draft
Does the message satisfy all its purposes?
Is the message adapted to the audience(s)?
Is the organization effective?
Are any parts unclear?
What ideas need further development?
Do you have any other suggestions?
Polished Draft
Are there any problems with word choice or sentence structure?
Did you find any inconsistencies?
Did you find any typos?
Is the document's design effective?
Can I use Form Letters? -
Yes, but make sure they’re appropriate in form and content. A form letter/template a prewritten, fill-in,the-blanks document designed for routine situations. Boilerplate language – sentences, paragraphs, even pages – from a previous document that a writer includes in a new document. May have been written years ago. Text from these documents may be included without attribution as the business owns the documents their employees write. Encouraged to use these to save time and energy. The template pattern may be inappropriate to the content you are adding, or outdated.
-
Before you use a form letter, make sure that it is well written, uses contemporary language and tone, and applies to the current situation. Before you incorporate old language in a new document, check to see that the old section is well written.
-
-
Consciously look for differences between the two situations, audiences, or purposes that may require different content, organization, or wording. Read through the whole document at a single sitting to be sure that style, tone, and level of detail are consistent.
How can I get started? -
Talk, participate and practise. Reward yourself for activities that encourage writing.
Participate actively in the organization and the community. The more you talk to people, the more you communicate with some of your audiences, the more you learn about the company, culture and context (Module 2), the easier it will be to write—and the better your writing will be.
Practise writing regularly, and in moderation.
Learn as many strategies as you can. Good writers have a repertoire of strategies they draw on. They try a variety of techniques in each new situation. Research these strategies and patterns, and try them to see what works for you.
Talk positively to yourself. “I can do this.” “I write for 15 minutes, and see what happens.” “It doesn't have to be perfect; I can make it better later.”
Talk about writing with other people. Talk to peers, colleagues, and supervisors about writing. Value the feedback you get. Ask your supervisor for models of good examples of writing. Talking to other people expands your repertoire of strategies, and helps you understand what is valued in the discourse communities (Module 2) in which you write.
To avoid procrastinating, modify your behaviour by rewarding yourself for activities that lead to writing:
Set a regular time to write. Sit down and stay there for the time you planned, even if you write nothing usable.
Develop a ritual for writing. Choose tools—laptop, pen and paper, chair—that you find comfortable. Use the same tools in the same place every time you write.
Freewrite. Write for 10 minutes without stopping.
Write down your thoughts and fears as you write. If your thoughts are negative, try to reframe them more positively: “I can do this.” “I'll keep going and evaluate it later.” “If I keep working, I'll produce something that's okay.”
Identify the problem that keeps you from writing. Deal with the problem; then go back to your writing.
Set modest goals (a paragraph, not the whole essay or report) and reward yourself for reaching them
Planning -
Analyzing the situation: what has the client asked for? Specifically, what is the assignment? Defining your purposes, and analyzing your audience needs. Thinking about the information: what “proof” will you need, and where can you find it? Gathering information – Through your own and others’ observations and experiences, from the internet, from articles. Making notes, creating outlines, considering how to organize the information: are you writing in an academic or a business context? What are the reader’s expectations? What do your audiences already know?
What is the Writing Process? -
Planning Drafting Rewriting
Drafting -
Putting notes on paper or on the screen. Can include purpose statements, visuals, lists, dot jots, stream-of-consciousness thoughts or a formal draft.
Rewriting -
-
-
Assessing your work by measuring it against your criteria: What are your goals, and what are the requirements of the situation and the audience? You get the best results by seeing the draft from the reader’s point of view: is it clear? Complete? Convincing? Tactful? Getting continuous feedback: Ask peers and colleagues to comment. Does it make sense? Does it flow? Is the organization appropriate and reader-friendly? Is the information convincing? What about mechanics – grammar and usage? Deleting, adding, substituting, rearranging: rewriting can be changing large sections of the document, or revising sentences of single words. Editing the draft. Here you correct spelling and mechanical errors, and check word choice and format. Editing focuses on the surface of writing. Proofing the final copy to ensure it’s error-free.
Note about the writing process:
-
Do not have to necessarily follow these activities in order. Do not have to finish one activity to start another. May do an activity several times for the same document.
Does it matter what Process I use? -
Know what the experts do, and use what works best for you. Experienced writers tend to: Focus on their purpose and audience Identify a story, thesis, theme or central idea related to their purpose and audience. Assume that the first draft will be revised. Break big writing jobs into a series of steps Read daily Write regularly Work to acquire a large vocabulary of concrete nouns and action verbs. Discuss their writing with others Ask for and apply feedback Use a reader for revising, editing and proofing Use whatever rules work for them.
How Should I use my time? -
Make notes on your research and thinking. Save plenty of time for rewriting. To get the best results, try: Use only 1/3 of your time on composing your first time. Spent at least 1/3 of your time analyzing your purpose(s) and audience(s). gathering your information and organizing what you want to say. Keep notes (electronic and hardcopy) on all your information. 1/3 time revising and editing: assess your draft based on your analysis of purpose and audience. Revise, get feedback and revise again.
Total Time: 6 Hours Planning
1.5 hours
Understand the policy. Answer the PAIBOC questions (Module 1). Think about document design (Module 5). Organize the message. Writing
1.5 hours
Create a draft. Revising Reread draft. Measure draft against PAIBOC questions and against principles of business communication. Revise draft. Ask for feedback.
3.0 hours
Revise draft based on feedback. Edit to catch grammatical errors. Run spell check. Proof by eye. Initial memo. Duplicate and distribute document.
What Planning should I do to Prepare to write or speak? -
-
-
-
Do as much planning as you can, and keep a record. The more familiar you are with your ideas, the fewer drafts you’ll need to produce a good document. Brainstorm: Write down all your ideas without judging them. Consciously try to get at least a dozen different ideas before you stop. Freewrite: make yourself write, without stopping for 10 minutes or so, even if you have to write “I will think of something soon.” At the end of 10minutes, read what you’ve written and identify the best point in the draft. Get a clean paper or screen and write for another 10 uninterrupted minutes. Read this draft, marking anything that’s good and should be kept, and then write for another 10 minutes. By the third session, you will probably produce several sections that are work keeping – maybe even a complete draft that’s ready to be revised. Cluster: Write your topic in the middle of the page and circle it. Write down the ideas the topic suggests, circling them too. (The circles are designed to tap into the nonlinear half of your brain.) When you’ve filled the page, look for patterns or repeated ideas. Use different-coloured pens to group related ideas. Then use these ideas to develop reader benefits in a memo, questions for a survey or content for the body of a report. Talk to your audiences: Research shows that talking to internal and external audiences is invaluable. Talking to real audiences helped writers involve readers in the planning process, understand social and political relationships among readers, and negotiate conflicts orally rather than depending solely on the document. Letters and memos will go faster if you can visualize a basic organized pattern before you start. Planning guides guides developed for specific kinds of documents.
What is revision? How Do I do it? -
Revision means seeing the document new, from the reader’s point of view. Writers make their drafts better by revising, editing, and proofreading from the reader’s point of view. o Revising: means making changes that will better satisfy your purposes and your audience. o Editing means making surface-level changes that make the document grammatically correct. o Proofreading means checking to be sure the document is free from typographical errors.
Content and Clarity
Does your document meet the needs of the organization and of the reader—and make you look good?
Have you given readers all the information they need to understand and act on your message?
Have you organized your message for optimum positive audience impact? (Modules 2 and Module 11.)
Is all the information accurate?
Is each sentence clear? Is the message free from apparently contradictory statements?
Are generalizations and benefits backed up with adequate supporting detail?
Organization and Layout
Does the design of the document make it easy for readers to find the information they need? Is the document visually inviting?
Are transitions between ideas smooth? Do ideas within paragraphs flow smoothly?
Are the most important points emphasized?
Are the first and last paragraphs effective?
Style and Tone
Does the message build goodwill?
Is the message easy to read?
Is the message friendly and free from biased language?
Can a Grammar Checker edit for me? -
No. You have to decide on each change. A grammar checker can tell you that you’ve used a passive verb and ask whether you want to change it, but you have to decide whether the passive is justified. Check for the most common grammar concerns: Sentence structure Subject-verb and noun-pronoun agreement Parallelism Punctuation Dangling or misplaced modifiers Passive verbs Correct word use Correct spelling Numbers accuracy
I use a Spell Checker. Do I still Need to proofread? -
Proofread every document both with a spell checker and by eye to catch the errors a spell checker can’t find. It’s hard because writers tend to see what they expect should be there rather than what is relaly on the page or screen. Follow these steps: Read once quickly for meaning to see that nothing has been left out. Read a second time, slowly. When you find an error, correct it and then reread that line.
How Can I get good feedback?
-
Ask for the kind of feedback you need. To improve the quality of the feedback you get, and of your revisions, tell people which aspects you’d especially like comments about. If the feedback stings, put it aside until you can read it without feeling defensive.
Outline or Planning Draft
Does the plan seem to be on the right track?
What topics should be added? Should any be cut?
Do you have any other general suggestions?
Revised Draft
Does the message satisfy all its purposes?
Is the message adapted to the audience(s)?
Is the organization effective?
Are any parts unclear?
What ideas need further development?
Do you have any other suggestions?
Polished Draft
Are there any problems with word choice or sentence structure?
Did you find any inconsistencies?
Did you find any typos?
Is the document's design effective?
Can I use Form Letters? -
Yes, but make sure they’re appropriate in form and content. A form letter/template a prewritten, fill-in,the-blanks document designed for routine situations. Boilerplate language – sentences, paragraphs, even pages – from a previous document that a writer includes in a new document. May have been written years ago. Text from these documents may be included without attribution as the business owns the documents their employees write. Encouraged to use these to save time and energy. The template pattern may be inappropriate to the content you are adding, or outdated.
-
Before you use a form letter, make sure that it is well written, uses contemporary language and tone, and applies to the current situation. Before you incorporate old language in a new document, check to see that the old section is well written.
-
-
Consciously look for differences between the two situations, audiences, or purposes that may require different content, organization, or wording. Read through the whole document at a single sitting to be sure that style, tone, and level of detail are consistent.
How can I get started? -
Talk, participate and practise. Reward yourself for activities that encourage writing.
Participate actively in the organization and the community. The more you talk to people, the more you communicate with some of your audiences, the more you learn about the company, culture and context (Module 2), the easier it will be to write—and the better your writing will be.
Practise writing regularly, and in moderation.
Learn as many strategies as you can. Good writers have a repertoire of strategies they draw on. They try a variety of techniques in each new situation. Research these strategies and patterns, and try them to see what works for you.
Talk positively to yourself. “I can do this.” “I write for 15 minutes, and see what happens.” “It doesn't have to be perfect; I can make it better later.”
Talk about writing with other people. Talk to peers, colleagues, and supervisors about writing. Value the feedback you get. Ask your supervisor for models of good examples of writing. Talking to other people expands your repertoire of strategies, and helps you understand what is valued in the discourse communities (Module 2) in which you write.
To avoid procrastinating, modify your behaviour by rewarding yourself for activities that lead to writing:
Set a regular time to write. Sit down and stay there for the time you planned, even if you write nothing usable.
Develop a ritual for writing. Choose tools—laptop, pen and paper, chair—that you find comfortable. Use the same tools in the same place every time you write.
Freewrite. Write for 10 minutes without stopping.
Write down your thoughts and fears as you write. If your thoughts are negative, try to reframe them more positively: “I can do this.” “I'll keep going and evaluate it later.” “If I keep working, I'll produce something that's okay.”
Identify the problem that keeps you from writing. Deal with the problem; then go back to your writing.
Set modest goals (a paragraph, not the whole essay or report) and reward yourself for reaching them
