Why Business

Writing?
Gil Ruman
gruman@iit.edu

From Effective Business Writing M.V. Piotrowski

Problems in the Workplace

Today business moves fast everyone writes at every

business level
Most experts believe the quality of writing has worsen in
past 30 years
Problem is not more writing but inability to get to the point
Estimates show that up to 30% of letters, memos in
industry and government are to seek clarification for
earlier correspondence
These estimates do not include the thousands of messages
that are not acted upon because they are not clear
Bottom line: Bad writing is bad for business

Bad Writing is Bad

Business

Working professionals spend 40% of activities

related to emails a third of which is considered
wasted time (12% of day) (Cohesive
Knowledge.com)

Businesses spend $3.1 billion annually on writing

training (NY Times, 12/7/2004)
85% of business respondents said weak
communication wasted time, and 70% cited lost
productivity (HR Magazine, April 2006)
One of the biggest knowledge gaps are writing
skills (American Society for Training & Development)

Causes of Poor Writing

Not understanding who youre writing to
Social Factors
Not being clear about what you want
What should the result be?
Not knowing how to organize your message
Writing to yourself rather than to your
reader
Lack of editing for language, tone and style
Not understanding the cultural context

American Cultural Values

Individualism and meritocracy valued more
than ancestry
Efficiency and Decisiveness
Optimism and positive thinking (even in bad
times)
Cynicism is not appreciated
Thinking patterns driven by time
Low-context culture

Thinking Patterns

Decisions made on facts and figures rather

than on theories

Problems broken down into small chunks

rather than viewed holistically

Solution-driven (Whats the bottom line?)

Deductive reasoning Tell me the bottom

line first, then explain the reasons

Low Context Culture

Direct and explicit for most communications

Avoids confrontation negative opinions,

disagreements, bad news are nuanced and
softened

Everything is spelled out; nothing left to

chance

Action is immediately expected on what is said

Good Writing Pays Of

You are what you write in the business world

co-workers, clients, vendors may know you best by your writing
Your writing can convey enthusiasm, intelligence or laziness,
carelessness and social ignorance

Good writing help demonstrate good leadership skills

You can show your knowledge of the organization
You can make yourself known to the chain of command
You can create a positive good impression as a team player

Ability to write well clearly and concisely is not an

ancillary skill; it is an essential skill to projecting your
personal brand

Good News you can train

yourself to be a good writer
This course will cover:
Social factors that determine tone and style
Use of various forms of communications
(emails, memos, letters, reports, proposals)
Organization of content
Editing for clarity and concise language
Politics of business writing

Academic vs. Business Writing

FORM

ACADEMIC WRITING
Indented paragraphs
Formal (Always)
Introduction:
Hook
Background
Thesis
Body Support / details

BUSINESS WRITING
Block paragraphs
Formal or Informal
Opening
Hook in the subject line
Background Brief
Purpose for writing
Body Support / details

Conclusion restates thesis

Conclusion Call to action (what

the reader should do) detail followup instructions [most important
part]

To Persuade reader to do something

- Uses comparisons
- Uses cause and effect
- Cultural metaphors

To Prove (arguement)

FUNCTION Narrate / make a case

Present ideas
Comparisons
Cause and Effect
A Monologue

More like a dialogue