Completing Business Messages

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Chapter 6 - 1

Learning Objectives
Revising your message
Improving readability Improving clarity and conciseness Understanding effective design Proofreading your message

Distributing your message

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Chapter 6 - 2

Revising Your Message: Evaluating the First Draft

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Chapter 6 - 3

The Revision Process

Content
Organization

Proper tone

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Chapter 6 - 4

Review Work of Others

Help the writer succeed
Understand the writers intent

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Chapter 6 - 5

Revising to Improve Readability

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Chapter 6 - 6

Sentence Length
Shortup to 15 words
Medium15 25 words

Longover 25 words

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Chapter 6 - 7

Paragraph Length
Appearance
Readability

Emphasis

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Chapter 6 - 8

Use Lists and Bullets

Show sequence of ideas
Heighten visual impact Simplify complex subjects Identify main points Promote skimming Give readers a break
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Headings and Subheadings

Descriptive or informative
Organization Attention Connection

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Chapter 6 - 10

Editing for Clarity and Conciseness

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Chapter 6 - 11

Editing for Clarity

Break up overly long sentences
Rewrite hedging sentences

Impose parallelism
Correct dangling modifiers

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Chapter 6 - 12

Editing for Clarity

Reword long noun sequences
Replace camouflaged verbs

Clarify sentence structure

Clarify awkward references

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Chapter 6 - 13

Editing for Conciseness

Delete unnecessary words and phrases
Shorten long words and phrases

Eliminate redundancies
Recast It is/There are starters

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Chapter 6 - 14

Revising with Technology

Text tools
Spell checker

Revision tools
Grammar check

Thesaurus

Style checker

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Chapter 6 - 15

Producing Your Message

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Chapter 6 - 16

Design for Readability

Consistency
Balance

Restraint
Detail

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Chapter 6 - 17

Design Techniques
White space
Margins

Justification
Typefaces

Type styles
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Multimedia Documents
Level of skills
Tools Time and cost Content Message structure Compatibility
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Production Technology
Templates, themes, and style sheets
Page setup features Column and paragraph formatting Numbered and bulleted lists Information in tables Photos, images, textboxes, and objects
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Format for Business Letters

Letterhead stationery Date Inside address Salutation The message Complimentary close Signature block
Chapter 6 - 21

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Format for Memos

Memo title
Headings

The message

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Chapter 6 - 22

Proofreading Your Message

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Chapter 6 - 23

Careful Proofreading
Make multiple passes Use perceptual tricks Double-check high-priority items Give yourself some distance Be vigilant and stay focused Print complex electronic documents Take your time
Chapter 6 - 24

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Distributing Your Message

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Chapter 6 - 25

Distributing Messages
Cost concerns
Convenience

Time constraints
Security and privacy

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Chapter 6 - 26

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America.

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Chapter 6 - 27