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1 Quick Guides to Successful Writing at Work, Concise Third Edition

ETHICS

• observing ethical behavior, p. 18 • resolving ethical dilemmas, p. 23 • writing ethically, p. 24 • avoiding sexist/stereotypical language,

p. 48 • creating honest resumes, p. 160 • preparing ethical visuals, p. 230 • writing objective reports, p. 282 • providing accurate documentation, p. 328

AUDIENCE

• identifying your audiences, p. 5 • selecting your style and tone, p. 11 • writing audience-centered memos and

e-mails, p. 70 and p. 78 • achieving the “you attitude,” p. 105 • creating convincing resumes, p. 160 • designing audience-friendly documents

and websites, p. 197 and 238 • choosing audience-appropriate visuals,

p. 209 • assessing audience’s needs when writing

instructions, p. 253 • anticipating audience’s needs in short

reports, p. 281 • crafting persuasive proposals for readers,

p. 300 • understanding audience’s use of long

reports, p. 322

INTERNATIONAL READERS

• writing for the global marketplace, p. 2 • using international English, p. 4 • writing business letters for international

readers, p.131 • respecting your reader’s nationality and

cultural heritage, p. 138

• choosing visuals for worldwide readers, p. 235

• preparing instructions for global readers, p. 254

• consideration of multinational audiences in presentations, p. 360

THE PROCESS OF WRITING AND COLLABORATION

• knowing the four keys to effective writing, p. 5

• understanding what writing is and is not, p. 31

• researching, planning, drafting, revising, and editing, p. 32

• learning to write collaboratively, p. 51 • resolving confl ict when writing

collaboratively, p. 54 • collaborating with computers, p. 57 • documenting sources using MLA and

APA guidelines, p. 328

CORRESPONDENCE

• following memo format, p. 71 • organizing a memo carefully, p. 76 • sending a business fax properly, p. 77 • observing e-mail guidelines, p. 81 • using instant messaging at work, p. 86 • writing workplace internal and external

blogs, p. 88 • understanding the function and audience

needs for letters, p. 95 • understanding letter formats, p. 96 • knowing the parts of a letter, p. 99 • organizing a business letter, p. 103 • writing various types of business letters,

p. 109 • crafting good and bad news messages,

p. 116

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C O N C I S E T H I R D E D I T I O N

Successful Writing at Work

Philip C. Kolin University of Southern Mississippi

Australia • Brazil • Japan • Korea • Mexico • Singapore • Spain • United Kingdom • United States

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To Kristin, Eric, and Theresa

Evan Philip and Megan Elise

Julie and Loretta

Diane

and

MARY

Successful Writing at Work, Concise Third Edition Philip C. Kolin

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Preface xiii

Chapter 1: Getting Started: Writing and Your Career 1 Writing—An Essential Job Skill 1 Writing for the Global Marketplace 2

Competing for International Business 2 Communicating with Global Audiences 2 Seeing the World Through Their Eyes 2 Cultural Diversity at Home 4

Using International English 4 Four Keys to Effective Writing 5

Identifying Your Audience 5 Case Study: Writing to Different Audiences in a Large Corporation 10

Establishing Your Purpose 10 Formulating Your Message 11 Selecting Your Style and Tone 11

Case Study: A Description of Heparin for Two Different Audiences 12 Characteristics of Job-Related Writing 14

1. Providing Practical Information 14 2. Giving Facts, Not Impressions 14 3. Supplying Visuals to Clarify and Condense Information 15 4. Giving Accurate Measurements 16 5. Stating Responsibilities Precisely 16 6. Persuading and Offering Recommendations 16

Ethical Writing in the Workplace 18 Ethical Requirements on the Job 18 Computer Ethics 20 Employers Insist on and Monitor Ethical Behavior 21 Some Guidelines to Help You Reach Ethical Decisions 22 Ethical Dilemmas: Some Scenarios 23 Writing Ethically on the Job 24

Successful Employees Are Successful Writers 26 Revision Checklist 27 Exercises 28

iii

Contents

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iv Contents

Chapter 2: The Writing Process and Collaboration at Work 31 What Writing Is and Is Not 31

What Writing Is 31 What Writing Is Not 32

Researching 32 Planning 33 Drafting 37

Key Questions to Ask as You Draft 37 Guidelines for Successful Drafting 37

Revising 38 Allow Enough Time to Revise 38 Revision Is Rethinking 38 Key Questions to Ask as You Revise 38

Case Study: A “Before” and “After” Revision 39 Editing 41 Collaboration Is Crucial to the Writing Process 51 Advantages of Collaborative Writing 52 Seven Guidelines for Successful Group Writing 53 Sources of Conflict in Group Dynamics and How to Solve Them 54

Common Problems, Practical Solutions 55 Computer-Supported Collaboration 57

Advantages of Computer-Supported Collaboration 57 Types of Groupware 57 Avoiding Problems with Online Collaboration:

A Summary 60 Revision Checklist 61 Exercises 62

Chapter 3: Writing Routine Business Correspondence: Memos, Faxes, E-Mails, IMs, and Blogs 69 What Memos, Faxes, E-Mails, IMs, and Blog Posts Have in Common 69 Memos 70

Memo Protocol and Company Politics 70 Memo Format 71 Memo Parts 74 Questions Your Memo Needs to Answer for Readers 74 Memo Style and Tone 75 Strategies for Organizing a Memo 76 Organizational Markers 77

Sending Memos: E-mail or Hard Copy? 77

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Contents v

Sending Faxes: Some Guidelines 77 Cover Page 77 Sending a Document 78

E-Mail: Its Importance in the Workplace 78 Business E-Mail Versus Personal E-Mail 78 E-Mails Are Legal Records 81 Guidelines for Using E-Mail on the Job 81

Instant Messages (IMs) for Business Use 84 When to Use IMs Versus E-Mails 86 Guidelines on Using IMs in the Workplace 86

Blogs 88 Internal/External Blogs 88 Guidelines for Writing a Business Blog 88

Routine Correspondence: A Final Word 91 Revision Checklist 92 Exercises 93

Chapter 4: Writing Letters: Some Basics for Communicating with Audiences Worldwide 95 Letters in the Age of the Internet 95 Letter Formats 96

Full-Block Format 96 Modified-Block Format 96 Semi-Block Format 98 Continuing Pages 98

Parts of a Letter 99 Heading 99 Date Line 99 Inside Address 99 Salutation 101 Body of the Letter 101 Complimentary Close 101 Signature 102 Enclosure(s) Line 102 Copy Notation 102

The Appearance of Your Letter 102 Organizing a Standard Business Letter 103 Making a Good Impression on Your Reader 105

Achieving the “You Attitude”: Four Guidelines 105 The Five Most Common Types of Business Letters 109 Inquiry Letters 110 Cover Letters 110

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vi Contents

Special Request Letters 112 Sales Letters 112

The Four A’s of Sales Letters 112 Customer Relations Letters 114

Being Direct or Indirect 116 Follow-Up Letters 117 Complaint Letters 117 Adjustment Letters 124 Adjustment Letters That Tell the Customer “No” 126 Guidelines for Saying “No” Diplomatically 128 Collection Letters 131

International Business Correspondence 131 Ten Guidelines for Communicating with

International Readers 134 Respecting Readers’ Nationality and Ethnic/Racial Heritage 138 Writing to Readers from a Different Culture: Some Examples 139

Sending Letter-Quality Messages: Final Advice to Seal Your Success 142 Revision Checklist 143 Exercises 144

Chapter 5: How to Get a Job: Searches, Dossiers, Portfolios, Résumés, Letters, and Interviews 152 Steps the Employer Takes to Hire 152 Steps to Follow to Get Hired 153 Analyzing Your Strengths and Restricting Your Job Search 153

Social Networking Sites and Your Job Search 154 Enhancing Your Professional Image 154 Looking in the Right Places for a Job 155 Dossiers and Letters of Recommendation 158

Obtaining Letters of Recommendation 158 Preparing a Résumé 160

What Employers Like to See in a Résumé 160 The Process of Writing Your Résumé 162 Parts of a Résumé 163 Career Portfolios/Webfolios 169 Organizing Your Résumé 172 The Online Résumé 174

Letters of Application 179 How Application Letters and Résumés Differ 179 Writing the Letter of Application 179

Going to an Interview 186 Preparing for the Interview 186 Questions to Expect at Your Interview 187

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Contents vii

What Do I Say About Salary? 188 Questions You May Ask the Interviewer(s) 189 What Interviewer(s) Can’t Ask You 189 Ten Interview Dos and Don’ts 189 The Follow-up Letter 190

Searching for the Right Job Pays 190 Revision Checklist 192 Exercises 192

Chapter 6: Designing Successful Documents, Visuals, and Websites 197 Characteristics of Effective Design 197 Organizing Information Visually 198 The ABCs of Print Document Design 198

Page Layout 198 Typography 203

Successful Document Design: A Wrap-Up 207 The Purpose of Visuals 207 Choosing Effective Visuals 209 Generating Your Own Visuals 211 Inserting and Writing About Visuals: Some Guidelines 211

Identify Your Visuals 211 Cite the Source for Your Visuals 212 Insert Your Visuals Appropriately 212 Introduce Your Visuals 212 Interpret Your Visuals 213

Two Categories of Visuals: Tables and Figures 214 Tables 214

Parts of a Table 214 Figures 216

Graphs 216 Charts 218 Pictographs 222 Maps 224 Photographs 225 Drawings 227 Clip Art 229

Using Visuals Ethically 230 Guidelines for Using Visuals Ethically 230

Using Appropriate Visuals for International Audiences 235 Visuals Do Not Always Translate from One Culture

to Another 235 Guidelines for Using Visuals for International Audiences 236

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viii Contents

Writing for and Designing Websites 238 Web Versus Paper Pages 238 Web Versus Print Readers 238 Preparing a Successful Homepage 239 Designing and Writing for the Web: Eight Guidelines 239

Revision Checklist 243 Exercises 244

Chapter 7: Writing Instructions and Procedures 249 Instructions, Procedures, and Your Job 249 Why Instructions Are Important 249

Safety 250 Efficiency 250 Convenience 250

The Variety of Instructions: A Brief Overview 250 Using Word Processing Programs to Design Instructions 252 Assessing and Meeting Your Audience’s Needs 253

Key Questions to Ask About Your Audience 254 Writing Instructions for International Audiences 254

The Process of Writing Instructions 255 Plan Your Steps 255 Perform a Trial Run 255 Write and Test Your Draft 255 Revise and Edit 255

Using the Right Style 256 Using Visuals Effectively in Instructions 258

Guidelines for Using Visuals in Instructions 258 The Five Parts of Instructions 259

Introduction 259 List of Equipment and Materials 261 Steps for Your Instructions 261 Warnings, Cautions, and Notes 263 Conclusion 264

Model of Full Set of Instructions 264 Writing Procedures for Policies and Regulations 272

Some Examples of Procedures 272 Meeting the Needs of Your Marketplace 272 Writing Procedures at Work: An Example 273

Some Final Advice 273 Revision Checklist 276 Exercises 276

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Contents ix

Chapter 8: Writing Effective Short Reports and Proposals 280 Why Short Reports Are Important 280 Types of Short Reports 281 Seven Guidelines for Writing Short Reports 281

1. Anticipate How an Audience Will Use Your Report 281 2. Do the Necessary Research 281 3. Be Objective and Ethical 282 4. Organize Carefully 282 5. Use Reader-Centered Headings, Bullets and Numbering,

and Visuals 283 6. Write Clearly and Concisely 284 7. Choose the Most Appropriate Format 284

Periodic Reports 288 Sales Reports 288 Progress Reports 288

Audience for Progress Reports 290 Frequency of Progress Reports 290 Parts of Progress Reports 290

Travel/Trip Reports 292 Questions Travel Reports Answer 293 Common Types of Travel/Trip Reports 293

Incident Reports 296 When to Submit an Incident Report 296 Parts of an Incident Report 298

Protecting Yourself Legally 299 Writing Successful Proposals 300

Proposals Are Persuasive Plans 300 Proposals Frequently Are Collaborative Efforts 301 Guidelines for Writing a Successful Proposal 302

Internal Proposals 303 Some Common Topics for Internal Proposals 303 Following the Proper Chain of Command 307 Ethically Identifying and Resolving Readers’ Problems 308 Organizing Internal Proposals 308

Sales Proposals 310 Knowing Your Audience and Meeting Its Needs 310 Organizing Sales Proposals 313

Short Reports and Proposals: Some Final Words 315 Revision Checklist 316 Exercises 317

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x Contents

Chapter 9: Writing Careful Long Reports 320 Characteristics of a Long Report 320

Scope 320 Research 321 Format 321 Timetable 321 Audience 322 Collaborative Effort 322

The Process of Writing a Long Report 322 Parts of a Long Report 323

Front Matter 323 Text of the Report 325 Back Matter 327

Documenting Sources 328 The Ethics of Documentation: What Must Be Cited 328 What Does Not Need to Be Cited 329 Parenthetical Documentation 329 Works Cited or Reference Pages 330

A Model Long Report 336 Final Words of Advice About Long Reports 354 Revision Checklist 355 Exercises 356

Chapter 10: Making Successful Presentations at Work 357 Types of Presentations 357 Informal Briefings 357

Guidelines for Preparing Informal Briefings 358 Formal Presentations 359

Analyzing Your Audience 359 The Parts of Formal Presentations 361 Presentation Software 366 Using Noncomputerized Visuals in Your Presentations 368 Rehearsing Your Presentation 369 Delivering Your Presentation 369 Evaluating Presentations 372

Revision Checklist 374 Exercises 374

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Contents xi

A Writer’s Brief Guide to Paragraphs, Sentences, and Words 376 Paragraphs 376

Writing a Well-Developed Paragraph 376 Supply a Topic Sentence 376 Three Characteristics of an Effective Paragraph 377

Sentences 380 Constructing and Punctuating Sentences 380 What Makes a Sentence 380 Avoiding Sentence Fragments 381 Avoiding Comma Splices 382 Avoiding Run-on Sentences 384 Making Subjects and Verbs Agree in Your Sentences 385 Writing Sentences That Say What You Mean 386 Correct Use of Pronoun References in Sentences 387

Words 388 Spelling Words Correctly 388 Using Apostrophes Correctly 388 Using Hyphens Properly 389 Using Ellipses 389 Using Numerals Versus Words 390 Matching the Right Word with the Right Meaning 390

Index 395

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xiii

Preface

Overview Successful Writing at Work, Concise Third Edition, is a practical introductory text for students in business, professional, and occupational writing courses. As readers of the full-length edition of this text have found, Successful Writing at Work clearly helps students develop and master key communication skills vital for success in the global workplace. The Concise Third Edition serves the same purpose, but it is designed for those readers who prefer a more compact text, one that covers nearly as many busi- ness writing topics but is more streamlined and focuses on the most essential skills and strategies for writing successfully on the job. Whereas the full-length edition includes 17 chapters, the Concise Edition contains 10 chapters, yet these fully cover a range of workplace communications technologies and a variety of e-communications from essential considerations such as audience analysis and ethics, to writing increas- ingly more complex business documents (memos through long reports and websites), to making presentations, to preparing a resume and interviewing for a job.

This compact edition has also been designed for a variety of educational settings where business writing is taught and practiced. It is versatile enough for a full semes- ter or trimester course, or it can be used successfully in a shorter course, such as on a quarter system. It can also meet the diverse goals of varied educational settings, including online, distance education, continuing education, and week-long inten- sive courses, as well as in-house training programs, workshops, and conferences.

Successful Writing at Work, Concise Third Edition, provides students with easy-to-understand guidelines for writing and designing clear, well-organized, and readable documents. Along with user-friendly guidelines, this edition provides stu- dents with realistic models of the precise kinds of documents they will be asked to write on the job. In addition, this text can serve as a ready reference that readers can easily carry with them to the workplace. Students will quickly find that this book includes many practical applications, which are useful to those who have little or no job experience as well as those with years of experience in the world of work.

Distinctive Features of Successful Writing at Work, Concise Third Edition

The distinctive features that have made Successful Writing at Work, Concise Edition, a user-friendly text in the contemporary workplace continue to be emphasized in this new, third edition. These features, emphasizing up-to-date approaches to teach- ing business writing, can be found throughout the book:

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xiv Preface

1. Approaching writing as a problem-solving activity. The Concise Third Edition continues to approach writing not merely as a set of rules and formats but as a problem-solving activity in which employees meet the needs of their employers, co-workers, customers, clients, community groups, and vendors worldwide by getting to the bottom line. This approach to writing, introduced in Chapter 1 and carried throughout the text, helps students to think through the writing process by asking the key questions of who (who is the audience?), why (why do they need this document?), what (what is the message?), and how (how can the writer present the most appropriate style, tone, and format?). As in earlier editions, this new edition teaches students how to develop the critical skills necessary for planning, drafting, revising, editing, and formatting a variety of documents from e-mails, blogs, letters, instructions, and proposals, to long reports. In addition, case studies and numerous figures demonstrate how writers answer these key questions above to solve prob- lems in the business world.

2. Writing for the global marketplace. In today’s international workplace, effective employees must be consistently aware of how to write for a variety of readers, both in the United States and across the globe. Consequently, almost every chapter in this new Concise Third Edition includes increased coverage of writ- ing for international readers and non-native speakers of English. The needs and expectations of these international audiences receives special attention starting with Chapter 1 in a much expanded section “Writing for the Global Marketplace” and continues with coverage of writing letters for international speakers of English in Chapter 4, designing appropriate visuals and documents for this audience in Chap- ter 6, preparing clear instructions in Chapter 7, and making presentations for global audiences in Chapter 10. Especially important is the long report in Chapter 9 on the role international workers play in a corporation that must meet their needs.

3. Viewing student readers as business professionals. To encourage students in their job-related writing, this new Concise Third Edition treats them as profession- als seeking success at different phases of their business careers. Students are asked to place themselves in the workplace setting (or, in the case of Chapter 5, in the role of job seekers) as they approach each topic, to better understand the differences between workplace and academic writing. In Chapter 1, they are given the kinds of orientation to company culture and protocols that they might find in the early days of their employment. Students are then asked to see themselves as members of a collaborative team drafting and developing an important workplace docu- ment (Chapter 2); workers writing routine hardcopy and e-documents (Chapters 3 and 4); employees designing and writing more complex documents, instructions, proposals, and reports (Chapters 7 to 9); co-workers designing documents and websites (Chapter 6); and as company representatives making presentations before co- workers and potential clients worldwide (Chapter 10).

4. Using the latest workplace technologies. This new edition offers the most current coverage of communication technologies for writing successfully in the rapidly changing world of work, including the Internet, e-mail, instant messaging, wikis, and document tracking systems used to collaboratively draft, revise, and edit reports, business blogs,

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Preface xv

video conferencing tools, and presentation software. Coverage of these technologies is integrated into each chapter. Easy-to-understand explanations and annotated models throughout this edition assist students to discover the hows as well as the whys of writing for the digital world of work.

5. Being an ethical employee. Companies and agencies expect their employees to behave and write ethically. As in earlier editions, the Concise Third Edition reinforces the importance of ethical workplace writing. Beginning with enhanced coverage of ethical writing and solving ethical dilemmas at work, Chapter 1 further stresses ethics in the workplace with a new section titled “Successful Employees Are Successful Writers.” Special attention to ethics continues in sections of Chapter 2 on avoiding sexism and biased language in the workplace while Chapter 3 draws students’ attention to the ethical choices they have to make when writing e-communications, including e-mail and blogs, drafting diplomatic letters in Chapter 4; preparing honest and realistic resumes and webfolios in Chapter 5; constructing unbiased and unaltered visuals and websites in Chapter 6; preparing safe and effective instructions in Chapter 7; writing truthful proposals and reports in Chapters 8 and 9; and making clear and accurate presentations in Chapter 10.

New and Updated Material in the Third Concise Edition

As in the earlier Concise editions, this new Third Edition continues to offer stu- dents a streamlined alternative to the full edition of Successful Writing at Work while still providing many important new additions. Throughout this new Third Edition, you will find strengthened coverage of key topics; updated guidelines; and a wealth of new annotated examples of workplace documents, case studies, and exercises to make the teaching and learning of workplace writing more relevant and current. Highlights of this new edition include:

■ New and updated material on collaborative writing and meetings at work in Chapter 2 and collaborative exercises throughout. Because a great deal of workplace writing is done collaboratively, this new edition emphasizes this topic more than in earlier editions. In addition to streamlined and updated guidelines for setting up, conducting, and avoiding conflicts in group settings, Chapter 2 now includes a section on how to be a better team player, a revised discussion of collaborating electronically with new figures showing how documents are collaboratively drafted, revised, and edited using a document tracking system as well as writing with wikis and further guidelines on planning virtual and face-to-face meetings. Exercises on preparing collaborative documents—from e-communications to letters to reports to proposals and to websites—are now included in each chapter.

■ New and expanded attention to workplace technologies. Along with document tracking systems in Chapter 2, discussions of business communication technologies are enhanced in many chapters, especially

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