WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

Written communication involves any type of interaction that makes use of the written
word. It is one of the two main types of communication, along with oral/spoken
communication. Written communication is very common in business situations, so it is
important for small business owners and managers to develop effective written
communication skills. Some of the various forms of written communication that are used
internally for business operations include memos, reports, bulletins, job descriptions,
employee manuals, and electronic mail. Eamples of written communication avenues
typically pursued with clients, vendors, and other members of the business community,
meanwhile, include electronic mail, Internet Web sites, letters, proposals, telegrams,
faes, postcards, contracts, advertisements, brochures, and news releases.
Ironically, the importance of good writing skills in the business world has become more
evident even as companies rely increasingly on computers and other new technologies to
meet their obligations. Indeed, business eperts warn that any business!s positive "ualities
#from dedication to customer service to high$tech epertise#will be blunted to some
degree if they are unable to transfer that dedication and knowledge to the printed page.
%Whether you are pitching a business case or justifying a budget, the "uality of your
writing can determine success or failure,% wrote &aula 'acobs in InfoWorld. %Writing
ability is especially important in customer communication. (usiness proposals, status
reports, customer documentation, technical support, or even e$mail replies all depend on
clear written communication.%
SEVEN CS OF WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
)he basic process of communication begins when a fact or idea is observed by one
person. )hat person *the sender+ may decide to translate the observation into a message,
and then transmit the message through some communication medium to another person
*the receiver+. )he receiver then must interpret the message and provide feedback to the
sender indicating that the message has been understood and appropriate action taken.
,s -erta ,. .urphy and -erbert W. -ildebrandt observed in Effective Business
Communications, good communication should be complete, concise, clear, concrete,
correct, considerate, and courteous. .ore specifically, this means that communication
should/ answer basic "uestions like who, what, when, where0 be relevant and not overly
wordy0 focus on the receiver and his or her interests0 use specific facts and figures and
active verbs0 use a conversational tone for readability0 include eamples and visual aids
when needed0 be tactful and good natured0 and be accurate and nondiscriminatory.
1nclear, inaccurate, or inconsiderate business communication can waste valuable time,
alienate employees or customers, and destroy goodwill toward management or the overall
business.
,lthough technology has changed, the essential elements of good business
communication have not changed. 2ollowing are the seven %3!s% of a good business
letter/
COMPLETE
4. -ave you given all the facts5
6. -ave you covered the essentials5
7. -ave you answered all his/her "uestions5
8. 9id you &:,; what you said5
3ompleteness demands that you answer all direct as well as the indirect "uestions.
&rovide all information, essentially all the < Wh "uestions. 2or eample if you are writing
an order letter for some electronic e"uipment you must clearly state what eactly it is that
you want, how much you want, when do you want it to be delivered, at what place should
it be delivered and so on. ,lso when desirable you may add something etra that might
show audience benefit. )he techni"ue is similar to what shopkeepers do while selling any
product, they tell you about the good "ualities of the product and how it may benefit you.
=ou can use the same strategy while writing any promotional material.
COURTEOUS
4. Will it win good will5
6. -ave you used positive, %pleasant$toned% words5
7. -ave you used %I appreciate,% %please%, and %thank you% somewhere in
your message5
8. Would you enjoy reading what you have said5
3ourteousness may be called >sincere =?1 attitude@. =ou must be aware of the
receiverAs feelings. (e sincerely appreciative, use soft tone and epressions which show
respect. 3hoose non$discriminatory epressions like >chairperson@ may be used instead
of >chairman@ in order to avoid gender bias.
CONSIDERATE: The YOU-Attitude
4. -ave you put the client first5
6. -ave you floodlighted his/her interests5
7. -ave you walked in his/her moccasins5
8. -ave you talked his/her language5
3onsideration focuses on >you@ instead of >we@ and >I@. =ou should put yourself in the
receiverAs shoes and compose your message according to his/her demands and not
according to what you think. =ou must show audience benefit which psychologically
proves to be more like a reward for the receiver. In order to be considerate you must
emphasiBe on positive and pleasant ideas. Show respect to others and you will gain
respect for yourself. ,lways maintain a positive and pleasant tone while writing.
CLEAR
4. -ave you used familiar words, short sentences5
6. -ave you presented only one idea in each sentence5
7. -ave you avoided %business% and technical terms5
8. -ave you used the reader!s language5
3larity aims at conveying your meaning accurately. In order to do this begin at the word
level. =ou should use familiar and concrete words e.g instead of using the word
>subse"uent@ you can simply use >after@. ;et at the sentence level do not use very
lengthy sentences, there should be unity and coherence between the sentences while
composing the paragraphs. While composing put important ideas first.
CONCISE
4. -ave you plunged right into the subject of the message5
6. -ave you avoided rehashing the reader!s letter5
7. -ave you said enough, but just enough5
8. -ave you avoided needless %filler% words and phrase5
3onciseness focuses on eliminating wordy epressions. =ou can do this by one$word
substitution and by avoiding >that@ and >which@ clauses. 2or eample instead of writing
>,t this time@ you may use just one word >now@. Similarly instead of using >we bought
jackets that were made of leather@ you can simply write >we bought leather jackets@.
3onciseness also demands the use of only relevant information i$e you must stick to the
purpose of writing and you should avoid unnecessary details like long introductions or
backgrounds etc. Cepetition sometimes is good for emphasis but remember that
unnecessary repetition makes your writing dull and boring.
CONCRETE
4. -ave you given the crisp details the client needs5
6. -ave you made the details raBor and needle$sharp5
7. -ave you flashed word pictures, made facts vivid5
3oncreteness means to be specific, definite and clear. =ou can use concrete language by
using specific facts and figures like eact dates etc. use of active voice also makes your
writing concrete. )he use of active voice makes your writing specific, personal, concise
and emphatic. 2or eample the sentence > the dean has made the decision@ seems more
specific and emphatic than > a decision has been made by the dean@. Similarly by using
vivid, image building words, like concrete nouns and well chosen adjectives and adverbs,
you can make your writing concrete.
CORRECT
4. -ave you checked all facts for correctness5
6. -ave you spelled the reader!s name correctly5
7. -ave you verified all numbers and amounts5
8. Is the appearance of the letter effective5 Is it clean, well$spaced5
<. -ave you checked your spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc.5
1se effective mechanics, proper grammar, correct spelling and punctuation. 3heck the
accuracy of the facts and figures. 3hoose the right level of writing, mostly in daily
business routine it is the simple informal level that is used.
CONCLUSION
)he chief art in writing is to know/
4. -ow much to put in.
6. What to leave out.
7. When to "uit.
)he test is this/ Will your inclusion of the material make it easier to understand5 Will it
help the message achieve its purpose5 ;o letter is too long if a reading proves every word
necessary.