Unit 3 Written Communication

Purpose of Written Communication

Business communications has three main reasons: to inform, to persuade, and

to communicate goodwill.

Knowing your reason for writing is essential to staying on track in a writing

process that, if followed from beginning to end, will save you time and effort by

helping you write no more or less than you have to. But the whole process starts

with knowing your purpose, which will guide you towards writing an effective

message in a document appropriate for the audience and occasion. The general

purpose is the end-goal of communication such as aiming to inform, persuade,

motivate, entertain, or a combination of these and other effects. The hope is that

a sender’s message will come back as a feedback message proving that the

receiver correctly understood the information, was persuaded to support an idea,

was motivated to follow a desired action, was amused, etc. With the end goal in

mind, the effective writer reverse-engineers the message to achieve the desired

effect. The three purpose are as follows:

1. To Inform: Informative communication focuses on helping the audience

understand a topic, issue, or technique more clearly. Informative

communications range from brief emails, to formal written reports, to

 digital or in-person presentations, to training about a new process or

system. They can include instructions, case studies, health & safety

reports, progress updates, biographical information, lab results, technical

specifications, and more. In fact, the purpose of much professional

communication is to inform. Informative communications increase your

audience’s understanding of a topic and/or increase knowledge or skill in

how to do something. Informative communication can expresses a

complex topic in ways that make relationships and content clear, through

illustration, explanation, and examples that make your topic more

accessible to your audience.

2. To Persuade: The act of presenting arguments to move, motivate, or

change your audience is called persuasion. Persuasion can be either

implicit or explicit. Motivation involves force, a stimulus, or enough

influence to bring about a change. Motivation is the stimulus while

persuasion is the process that compels your audience to change their

beliefs and behaviour, adopt your place and relate to your arguments.

3. To Build Goodwill: Creating goodwill among people is important in

almost every area of your life. Spreading goodwill makes people feel

good about you, and it encourages them to spread goodwill to others. In

business, creating goodwill can help you to build relationships that ensure
 the long-term success of your business. You can create goodwill in a

number of ways, from creating customer appreciation programs to going

the extra mile when you are providing a service. In return, your business

will reap a number of benefits.

Clarity In Writing

Writing is a process that can be divided into three stages: Pre-writing, drafting

and the final revising stage which includes editing and proofreading. In the

first stage you research your topic and make preparatory work before you

enter the drafting stage. After you have written your text it is important that

you take time to revise and correct it before submitting the final result. Stages

are as follows:

1. Pre-Drafting
In the pre-writing stage you plan and prepare your writing. This is also the

stage where you research your topic and look for relevant sources.

Early in the pre-writing stage you should give thought to

the subject and purpose of your assignment. If you are assigned a broad

subject by your instructor you will need to narrow it down and focus on a

smaller subject area, preferably something that interests you. In order to write
effectively you also need to know the purpose of why you are writing. Each

type of writing has a unique set of guidelines and knowing your purpose for

writing will help you produce a text of high quality and relevance. In order

for you to know the purpose of your writing you will need to interpret the

task. See more information below about this.

Doing thorough preparatory work is important for your writing and will save

you a lot of time in the long run. It will help you keep your focus during the

writing process. As your project progresses you may have to make some

changes to your initial plan.

At the beginning of the writing process it is important to take time to create a

timetable for writing in order to ensure that you will have a finished product

when the assignment is due. When planning your time, take into account that

the revising phase may take as much time as the initial writing, or perhaps

even longer.

2. Drafting
Once you have created an outline it is time to start writing. Remember that

you do not have to write a perfect first draft. Instead of focusing on producing

a flawless text at this stage, try to concentrate on writing down your main

ideas. You do not need to edit or proofread yet. Instead, try to let your
thinking and writing flow as freely as possible. Furthermore, you do not have

to write the text from start to finish. It is okay to begin with the sections that

you feel the most confident with.

You will probably have to rework your draft several times before you have a

complete text. Preferably you should allow time between drafts (1 to 2 days,

if you have the time) as it will give you a new perspective on your text.

3. Revising, editing and proofreading

This is the stage in the writing process where you make sure that your text is

coherent and written accurately. Your final product should be a text that has

been thoroughly worked through and that meets the academic standards of

writing. Make sure that you allow enough time to revise, edit and proofread

your assignment before submission.

Five Steps to bring clarity in Writing

1. Prewriting: planning such as topic selection, research, brainstorming,

and thesis development

2. Writing/Drafting: creating a first version or draft of the text

3. Revising: reviewing the content of the text

4. Editing/Proofreading : polishing the details and mechanics of the text

 5. Publishing: preparing the final product

Prewriting is the first step in the writing process and includes any work a writer does before

producing a formatted document. In other words, if the end goal is a five-paragraph essay,

prewriting is every step that comes before actually writing five paragraphs. Prewriting is

sometimes called the planning stage. Prewriting activities include:

• Topic selection: A topic may be assigned by a teacher or selected by a writer. The

writer should consider both the audience and the goal of their writing. When choosing

a topic, a writer must also identify the writing they will produce, such as narrative,

persuasive, or expository.

• Research: Some types of writing require gathering information from various sources.

Writers should choose current, reliable, valid sources and keep track of which

information came from which source.

• Brainstorming: Brainstorming is a gathering of ideas. There are many ways to

brainstorm, including:

o Freewriting: On a blank piece of paper, write everything that comes to mind

on the chosen topic. Write continuously for several minutes. When finished,

go through the freewriting and highlight words, phrases, and sentences useful

in the writing.

o Graphic organizers: Graphic organizers come in almost limitless varieties.

They have in common a visual way to write and connect words, phrases, and

ideas. A graphic organizer might look like a spider web, with circled words

connected by lines, or it might look like a flowchart showing which ideas

come first, second, third, etc.

 o Lists: Simple lists of items that need to be included in a text can be an

effective means of brainstorming.

o Pictures: Drawing pictures of text elements can be a way to organize thoughts

during the brainstorming stage.

• Thesis development: A thesis is a concise statement of the central idea or argument

of the text. The thesis, presented as part of the introduction, informs the reader of

what the author intends to accomplish in the text. A writer should experiment with

several versions of a thesis statement, then choose the one that best fits the text.

• Organization: It is essential to take the ideas and information gathered during the

prewriting process and organize it into a logical format. Organization often takes the

form of an outline, but it could also be a story map, a series of pictures, or a list.

While organizing, consider how the information can be ordered to best support the

thesis statement.

Drafting: the Second Step in the Writing Process

Drafting is the next phase of the writing process. The first draft is the first time the

prewriting ideas, goals, and information are written in the paper's intended format, including

complete sentences and paragraphs. A first draft should follow the outline or other

organizational plan developed during prewriting and should include the major components of

the paper, such as introduction, body, and conclusion. It is important to note that mechanics

should not be the focus of the first draft, and the first draft does not need to be good. Once

ideas are on the page, they can be revised, rearranged, and edited as necessary. Careful

writers should not skip the drafting process. Many papers go through several drafts before

being completed. The goal of a first draft is to put sentences and paragraphs on the page.
Revising: the Third Step in the Writing Process

The third step in the writing process is revising. The goal of revising is to examine the
content of the text. Revising includes questions such as:

• Does the content of the paper support my thesis?

• Does each paragraph have a relevant topic sentence?
• Do the details support the thesis and topic sentences? Are any of the details
irrelevant?
• Is the tone of the paper consistent and appropriate?
• Is the organization of the paper logical?

It is good to take a break between writing the first draft and revising it to increase
perspective. Other helpful ideas for revision include:

• Printing the paper.

• Reading the paper aloud.
• Viewing the paper in a different font or font size.
• Working in a distraction-free environment.

For some assignments, peer revision is an appropriate step at this point. Having a peer read a
text is an excellent way to check for clarity. Writers using peer revision should prepare a list
of questions for the peer to consider while reviewing the paper. Peer revision questions might
include:

• What was the thesis of this paper?

• What questions did you have after reading this paper?
• What was most memorable about this paper?

The revising step is related to the previous step, drafting, in that writers can take their
revision ideas to create new drafts of their texts.

Editing: the Fourth Step in the Writing Process

The fourth step of the writing process, editing, is an examination of the details and mechanics
of the paper. When editing or proofreading, writers should check:

• spelling
• grammar

Ten Principles of Effective Writing

1. Brevity

2. Clarity
 3. Communication/Language

4. Emphasis

5. Honesty

6. Control

7. Reading

8. Revision/Proofreading

9. Simplicity

10. Sound and Rhythm

Writing Techniques
1. Persuasion: The technique of persuasion is employed in writing

to do and alter the reader’s purpose of read on a specific subject

or topic. During this writing technique the author presents during

a compelling format facts and opinions so as to persuade the

reader. Persuasive writing is most typically found in editorials,

newspapers, magazines and political publications.

2. Description: an outline may be a easy nonetheless important

writing technique. You’ll most often realize descriptions in

magazines, books, newspapers and lots of alternative kinds of

 writing. The aim of a description is to assist the read use the

senses of seeing, hearing, felling and smelling to expertise what

the author experiences. Descriptions facilitate the reader to grasp

things concerning that the author is writing.

3. Comparison and Contrast: the aim of the writing technique is

to indicate the reader the similarities and variations a few one

thing. Comparison is employed to indicate or justify however

what’s alike or common. Contract is employed to indicate what’s

completely different. Once asked to check and distinction the

warfare with warfare II, the author would show the similarities

and variations between these 2 wars.

4. Exposition: the aim of exposition is to tell, explain, explain,

expound or clarify the writer’s concepts and thoughts. Whereas

like descriptive writing, exposition provides the reader larger

detail and depth of understanding concerning the writer’s

thoughts and ideas. Expositions are most ordinarily found in

newspapers, magazines and books.

5. Narration: The narration technique for writing is employed once

telling a story. The weather of a story embraces the setting, time,

 downside and backbone to the matter, a main character and

sometimes supporting characters. a unique is an example of an

extended story and a children’s book would be an example of

story. Moving-picture show and play scripts we have a tendency

to conjointly samples of narrations.

Electronic Writing Process

Two components of writing process electronically are:

-Composition: Composition is about sharing their ideas and thinking

about the purpose for their writing.

- Transcription: Transcription covers the technical aspects of writing:

handwriting, spelling, grammar & punctuation

HELPS IN THE FOLLOWING:

-Saves time

-Facilitates transcription of messages by the authors

-Helps you identify, search, record, organize, and modify relevant information

-Helps you write, edit and revise your document

-Notetaking

-Word polishing

-Searching