Business Writing 101

BUSINESS WRITING 101 Mastering Your Role

what it takes 03 AGREEMENTS 01. 02. 03. VIDEOS ON EVERYONE TALKS ASK QUESTIONS

Why is today exciting? National team drives this 02 03 STEP STEP Scale company-wide Small learning 01 network STEP

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What are the most common business writing challenges you see on the team or do?

Start List Here: • Grammar errors • Knowing your audience, who you’re writing to • Too wordy • Spelling errors • Formatting • Opening • Tone/ voice • Formality

Preparation… • Organize your thoughts • What/ Why/ How Formatting • Bullet points vs. paragraph • Spacing in emails • Reformatting data in email to send to client or network partner Grammar & punctuation • Tenses within sentences • Capitalize • Periods, commas, ! Professional vs. Informal • Making writing more sophisticated, more impactful, less wordy • Email etiquette: formality • Correctly addressing specific levels (asst, planner, AE) for specific requests Delivery • Clean and specific • Information transfer • Call to action/ no action needed Medium • Email • Text • Phone • In-person (“face-to-face”)

Preparation… On a Scale of 1 to 5, Rate yourself: ____________ • Organize your thoughts • What/ Why/ How Formatting On a Scale of 1 to 5, Rate yourself: ____________ • Bullet points vs. paragraph • Spacing in emails • Reformatting data in email to send to client or network partner Grammar & punctuation On a Scale of 1 to 5, Rate yourself: ____________ • Tenses within sentences • Capitalize • Periods, commas, ! Professional vs. Informal On a Scale of 1 to 5, Rate yourself: ____________ • Making writing more sophisticated, more impactful, less wordy • Email etiquette: formality • Correctly addressing specific levels (asst, planner, AE) for specific requests Delivery On a Scale of 1 to 5, Rate yourself: ____________ • Clean and specific • Information transfer • Call to action/ no action needed Medium On a Scale of 1 to 5, Rate yourself: ____________ • Email • Text • Phone • In-person (“face-to-face”)

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CLARIFY vs VERIFY

CLARIFY

VERIFY

10 MUSTS OF BUSINESS WRITING 02. Be Concise & Brief 04. Be Clear 01. Be accessible 03. Be Honest & Accurate 06. Revise and Correct 05. Be Thorough 08. Build Goodwill 10. Be Balanced 07. Be Timely 09. Package Attractively

MUSTS: 1 - 3 #One BE ACCESSIBLE #Two #Three Most readers skim written communication pieces before deciding if they’re worth reading thoroughly (just as you probably did before reading this); carefully chosen paragraph breaks, headings, and subheadings help readers evaluate if they are interested in the content. BE CONCISE Use as few words are possible to present your thoughts (concise), and present as few thoughts as possible to convey your overarching idea (brief). BE HONEST & ACCURATE (Verify & Clarify) Be intentional about spreading the truth and about verifying information.

MUSTS: 4 - 6 #Four BE CLEAR #Five #Six Know exactly what you are writing about (objective) and know your audience. BE THOROUGH Truly effective communication anticipates readers’ questions and counterpoints and addresses them immediately. (Verify + Clarify) REVISE & CORRECT Multiple errors in clarity, sentence structure, or grammar undermine your validity and can be confusing for readers.

MUSTS: 7 - 9 #Seven BE TIMELY Providing relevant information at the right time for you and your recipient. #Eight BUILD GOODWILL Effective communications elicit positive reactions from readers and offer them the chance to create a personal connection with you/ your company. #Nine PACKAGE ATTRACTIVELY Simple or complex, the package that your content comes in should look professional and should be user friendly (like a magazine or article)

MUSTS: 10 # Te n BE BALANCED Create a balance—passion with control, grammar with rhetoric, and readability with enjoyment (Is it too much or too little?)

EXAMPLES



QUIZ TIME

Next Steps 02 What needs improvement? What am I already STEP 03 doing well? 01 STEP STEP What are my next steps? (24 Hr)

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