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WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS OF

GOOD WRITING?

1. Clear purpose
2. Audience focused
3. State your key messages clearly
4. Stay on the topic
5. Observe economy of words
6. Use simple sentences
7. Consider delivery medium
8. Sum up

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The Hallmarks of Good
Writing
 Accuracy
 Factually correct

 Not vague

 Brevity
 Direct and to the point

 Sentences to be short and simple

 No long words and phrases

 Clarity
 Language that’s comprehensible

 Avoid jargon and abbreviations 2


A STAR Communication
ACBDE Model for communicating

Step 1:
ANALYZE
The purpose

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Analyze the Purpose
• What relationship do you have with the
reader?

• Why are you writing to them?

• What information do you want to give or


receive?

• What does your reader want to know?

• What do I aim to accomplish?

What happens if the purpose is not clear?


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IN / OUT BOX Keep in mind
PURPOSE

MUST KNOW

NEED TO KNOW

NICE TO KNOW

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A STAR Communication
ACBDE Model for communicating

Step 1:
ANALYZE
The purpose
Step 2:
Consider Audience

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CONSIDER THE AUDIENCE
A communication must be tailored to the receiver’s needs:

• Knowledge • Level/Positions

• Experience • Involvement

• Expectations • Interests

• Language • Exposure to the subject

• Concerns

What is the W.I.I.F.M (What’s in it for me?) to read the email?


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A STAR Communication
ACBDE Model for communicating

Step 1:
ANALYZE
The purpose
Step 2:
Consider Audience

Step 3:
Build the Structure

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You need to lay the
structure/foundation…

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A STAR Communication
ABCDE Model for communicating

Step 1:
ANALYZE
The purpose
Step 2:
Consider the audience

Step 4 : Step 3:
DETAIL BUILD the structure
& DESIGN
Approach
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Systematic Review Process – Stage 1
 Format
• Font (Times, Arial,Verdana)
• Visually appealing
• Easy to read
• Headings for topics in bold and underlined
• Should break ideas into easy to read thoughts by
topic
• Lots of spacing
• One blank line between paragraphs
• Lists out points rather than writing in a paragraph
• Single sentence paragraphs for more emphasis
• Avoid red and/or bright colors
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Systematic Review Process – Stage 1

 Organization
• Visible organization

• Similar ideas grouped

• Major ideas early and details in the middle

• Items listed in decreasing order of importance

• Use numbers or bullets to break up

• Fit into one screen shot

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DEADWOOD
 12 midnight
 a total of 14 birds
 biography of her life
 consensus of opinion
 cooperate together
 each and every
 exactly the same
 final completion
 free gift
 basic essentials
 in spite of the fact that
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DEADWOOD
 in the event that
 new innovations
 one and the same
 particular interest
 period of four days
 personal opinion
 refer back
 repeat again
 small in size
 rectangular in shape
 summarize briefly
 the future to come

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Sentence Structure
1. Make sentences simple, logical structure and a
clearly defined subject, verb, and object.

2. For example, “Team members[subject] will meet


[verb] their QRS Corporation counterparts [object] at
2 p.m.”

3. Very often, the best way to avoid this result is to


simplify and make the sentences as direct as
possible.

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In Closing
Sign Off

• Someone you work with regularly Best or


Warm Regards.

• Someone you do not know well, Regards.

• If addressed to an individual in Goverment


sign off using Yours sincerely.

• If addressed as Sir / Madam sign off using


Yours faithfully.

• Give your contact details.


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Clear Punctuation
Full Stop

•Besides being used to end sentences is also


used in abbreviations of words ie Company -
Co. or miscellaneous - misc.

•There is no need to add extra space after a full


stop before the next word.

Dashes

•Surround additional information with a pair of


dashes like this –supply-

•Use a single dash before an explanation or to


add emphasis like this –Service
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Clear Punctuation
Semi – Colons

•For two ideas which make sense as separate


sentences but are closely related enough to
link them.

Colons

•Basically says ‘as follows.’

•To introduce a list of points. ie the items


were:

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The importance of punctuation

 Woman without her man is nothing


 God is nowhere
 Kill them not spare them

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Drafting
1. Never write when you are upset about an issue.

2. Write quickly & easily

3. Make short notes on each topic that is to be


discussed in the document.

4. Write like you talk: You’ll fix it later

5. A good approach is to imagine explaining the


subject in person.

6. Save the polishing & the proofreading for when


you finalize.

7. Do not interrupt your flow by reworking phrases


or checking your spelling.
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Drafting

8. Write the easiest parts first. If you get


stuck, jump to another part. Writing is a lot
like making a movie.

9. Think DRAFT. The English teacher & the


comma police will not show up now.

10. Now go back and bullet point and break up


long paragraphs.

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And Finally...How to
overcome Writers Blocks

 Talk to yourself
 Brainstorm
 Visualize the reader
 Move around
 Write something
else

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Conclusion
What next ?
 Always leave communication open by adding
something like the following.

 “If you have any further enquiries , please


contact me at ….”

 Visualize yourself in the receiver’s shoes and


try to anticipate how they will react.

 Review again around the purpose of why you


are writing.

 Use Spell check / grammar check before


sending. Change your computer dictionary if
your customer is not the US.
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Conclusion
What next ?

• Always get a second opinion on strong emails or


on an important subject/conflict area.

• Check for commas and full stops.

• Is the content correct?

• Read to yourself aloud to judge the tone.

 End on a positive note.

 Check for howlers (e.g. dates wrong, misspelled


words, venue wrong, information glaringly
wrong)
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Writing on a Computer
 Print a working copy when you lose track of
the whole document

• Its important to have a whole picture


• Make it an easy printable format for your
customer.
• Zip Attachment Files
• Send only the required excel sheets not all sheet
attachments.

 Save often, create backup disc files of critical


documents.

 Proof read both on screen and in hard copy for


critical documents.

 Use descriptive file names.


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THE EVEN IFS IN EMAIL
 Have bad news and don’t have a solution yet,
respond the same day
 Have no news, respond the same day.
 Don’t like the person, respond the same day.
 Know the person, respond the same day.
 Think it’s not important, respond the same
day.
 Don’t have the information, respond the same
day.
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 After three emails on the same subject, and
the client still isn’t clear, what you do?

 When a client sends you dates, what do


you do?

 What should you do before you press


“send”?

 When do you forward a mail?

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A few more tips on email writing
1. Avoid using bcc. Either forward later to the
person you wanted to keep updated or preferably
be transparent and include their name in the cc
list.

2. People listed as cc should not be directly referred


to in the email or asked to do any action.

3. Never resend an all company email back to


everyone with your comments.

4. Value the space that the email takes on the


network and keep it as limited as possible.

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A few more tips on email writing

5. Who really needs to know about this email?


Remember how many emails that you get every
day? Can you cut out people?

6. Conversely, have your included all the people


who need to know?

7. Out of office tool when away.

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A STAR Communication
ACBDE Model for communicating

Step 1:
ANALYZE
The purpose
Step 5 :
Step 2:
EXECUTE
CONSIDER
with confidence
the audience
Step 4 : Step 3:
DETAIL Build the structure
& DESIGN
Approach
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To improve Readability…..
 Have less number of words

 Have more sentences

 Have less number of hard words


(words with 3 or more syllables)

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People immediately feel more

comfortable, open and in

rapport with someone who is

responding

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How To Say “No”
 Examine your attitude

 Buy time to think

 Wait for non emotional moment

 Say yes but show what is needed to get


it done

 Choose positive words

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How To Say “No”

Build conviction levels

Look at how it can be made possible

Think WIN-WIN

Stick to your agreement

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