Stephanie A’s Tips on Courteous Writing

With all the hustle and bustle of the business world, it may be easy to overlook professional courtesy. However, good manners never go out of style. Everyone appreciates writing that has a kind and respectful tone. As professionals, we must keep in mind that our writing should include those little social niceties that everyone appreciates.

In order to incorporate these niceties into our writing, it may be helpful to know what courteous writing entails. Here are some great tips on incorporating courteous elements into our writing:

• Proper salutations

Everyone appreciates having the correct salutation attached to their name. If a person is a doctor or if a woman is married, they expect to have the correct salutation in a business letter. I think that if a person has earned a specific title, like a Ph.D. or a law degree, they appreciate it when the appropriate salutation is used.

• Proper greetings

The standard and most widely accepted way that a greeting is used to open a letter is “Dear,” followed by the proper salutation, and the person’s last name. If you write a letter without using this standard opening, it may immediately alienate your reader. Also, the greeting of “To Whom it May Concern,” often comes off as cold or distant.

• Proper tone

You should always try to use the appropriate tone or attitude in your business correspondence. The better you know someone, the more informal the tone can be. However, in most business settings, the tone should remain somewhat formal. This formal tone relays the fact that your message is courteous, but should also be taken seriously. The proper tone should make the reader comfortable, while maintaining a certain level of respect.

• Clarity

Courteous writing should be respectful, clear, and concise. Clarity is important because it does not waste valuable time. Confusing messages will often be perceived as wasteful by the reader. Clarity of thought and purpose is another essential element of a courteous letter.

These tips can help everyone become a more courteous writer. A little courtesy can go a long way in the business world. After all, who doesn’t appreciate a simple “please” and “thank you”? I know I do!

Check out these sites for more great tips on becoming a more courteous writer:

http://www.businesswritingblog.com/business_writing/courteous_writing/

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/652/01/

What NOT To Do
When Writing Professionally
by Alissa A.






Reference #1
Reference #2

Getting Attached: E-mail Attachment Etiquette By Adam Barreto

In this day and age, everybody recognizes this familiar little symbol.

As basic e-mail etiquette, if you send an attachment, be sure to reference it in the body of the e-mail. Briefly explain what the attachment is. According to the book Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century, you should cite, “… specific reference to the attachment in the body of your e-mail, describing its content, its format (I.E. the program used to create it), and sometimes its size.” The reason for this is two-fold. For one, it alerts the recipient that there is an attachment to be opened, and two it can assuage any fear of opening the attachment in case of a virus.

Attachments are an important part of e-mail messaging for various reasons. Attachments are used to preserve formatting. For example, in accounting, I use attachments to send my financial statements, prepared in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, because if I just pasted the information into the e-mail body, the formatting would explode and I would just have a jumble of numbers and symbols that were meaningless. The same thing may occur with visuals. Pictures and other visuals, if inserted into the body of the e-mail normally, would break up the text and make the e-mail both lengthy and hard to read.

Size is also a factor in e-mail attachment etiquette. I always compress my attachments because sending large attachments is something of a faux pas in the business community. Large attachments tend to take up lots of space in inboxes, which may have a set MB space limit and transmitting large files uncompressed can really slow down networks. Many companies have rules regarding sending attachments including that all attachment should be compressed or under a certain size so as to not use up unnecessary amounts of bandwidth.

Finally, consider the format of the attachment itself. As I previously mentioned, when I create excel spreadsheets and attach them to e-mails for accounting documents, I do so confident in the knowledge that my teacher (and my later employers) will have excel and be able to view my work. As mentioned in the introductory paragraph, make sure to make reference to the program and format used in the creation of the attachment, or if any special program is needed to uncompress it, if it is compressed. In my collegiate career, I have had numerous issues with not telling a professor the format of an assignment and having some confusion with grades. This is especially true with the recent switch from Word 97-03 to the new format of Word 07. I have taken to just making sure I correctly mention what format each attachment is in, so that my recipients do not have to struggle to open the attachment.

P.S. E-mail attachments can save on travel costs!

References

Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2002. Print.

Email Etiquette: 101 Email Etiquette Tips. Web. 01 Dec. 2009. .

"Top 3 E-mail Attachment Considerations Email Etiquette Tips and Proper Practices." Email Etiquette Discussions, Tips and Proper Practices. Web. 01 Dec. 2009. .

"How to Send Email Attachments." Media College - Video, Audio and Multimedia Resources. Web. 01 Dec. 2009. .

"Email Attachment Cartoons." CartoonStock - Cartoon Pictures, Political Cartoons, Animations. Web. 01 Dec. 2009. .

To IM or Not to IM? by Ashley A.

Many of us use instant messaging on a daily basis to communicate with family and friends, but is it appropriate to use instant messaging in the workplace?

“Over the past few years, electronic messaging has become widely used among workplace writers through computer-based instant messaging and chat programs, as well as through wireless devices such as “smart” cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) (Technical Communication, 62).”

Why is instant messaging used in the workplace?

Many people who work in an office will use instant messaging for short discussions, follow-ups, and immediate questions with colleagues and other business related contacts. Instant messaging has an advantage over e-mail because the messages are sent instantly in real time. Coworkers even use instant messaging to communicate with each other even when they just sit down the hall from each other or even when they sit in the next office or cubicle to the other person. Many people in the workplace also use instant messaging because the service is available on their iPhone and blackberry, these are phones commonly used by business professionals. Instant messaging is basically the text version of a phone call.

Instant messaging can be more beneficial for businesses that work in teams or have project groups rather than retailers or independent professionals.

Below, please find the 10 instant messaging Do’s and Don’ts:

• DO adopt a user policy for instant messaging in your business
  
• DON’T use instant messaging as a way to communicate sensitive or confidential information


• DO organize your contact list to separate your business contacts from your family and friends


• DON’T use excessive personal instant messaging at work
  
• DO be aware that you instant messages can be saved and reviewed at a later time
  
• DON’T compromise your reputation or your company’s liability in an instant message
  
• DO be aware of viruses and related security risks while using instant messaging
  
• DON’T share personal data or information through an instant message
  
• DO keep your instant messages simple and know when to end the conversation


• DON’T confuse our contacts with a misleading user

Resources:

http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/resources/technology/communications/10-tips-for-using-instant-messaging-for-business.aspx#tipsforusinginstantmessagingforbusiness

Dobrin, Sidney I., Christopher J. Keller, and Christian R. Weisser. Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. Print.

Texting: A New And Popular Way of Communicating By Daryl D. Scopino

Today, mostly every family have cell phones. One very popular feature of a cell phone is text messaging. Text messaging is the exchange of brief messages between mobile devices. Text messaging is very popular with people today because it is an easy and fast way to communicate. Ever since I purchased my cell phone, I found that I was communicating more with my friends, especially the ones who live in Connecticut and New York. I also found that it was much easier and faster to communicate and send information to people through text messages. Since I am fairly new at text messaging, I am becoming familiar with the ways people abbreviate words to make their messages as short as possible.

• Here are some ways you can use abbreviations to make messages shorter:

1. You can replace numbers with words. Ex. using "4" in place of for or "b4" in place of before.
2. You can omit vowels in words. Ex. "txt msg" which means text message.
3. You can replace spaces between words by capitalizing letters. Ex. "WhatTimeIsIt?"
4. Also, you can use punctuations to form emoticons which express a mood or an emotion. Ex. :-) for a smile or to express that you are happy.
5. Finally, you can use different abbreviations for various words. Ex. "BTW" which is short for By The Way, "CUL8R" which is short for See You Later", and BRB which is short for Be Right Back.
   

• Remember, when text messaging, make sure you are aware of who the recipient of your text is.

There is no right or wrong way to abbreviate when text messaging. In some cases, you may text your friends and abbreviate words in a particular way that only you and your friend understand. If you were to mistaken your boss as your friend and send him/her a text message using your unique abbreviations, then your boss will most likely be very confused and can misinterpret what you have written. I actually had an incident like this not too long ago thinking I was text messaging my friend but, it turned out to be my mother. My mother was very confused and called me up panicking, thinking that something was wrong with me. So, to not have a whole lot of confusion and explaining to do, make sure you know who you are text messaging.

• Text Messaging is convenient in specific circumstances.

There are times when it is not polite to call a person because calling can interrupt something as important as a business meeting or can irritate people that are around you in certain places. My former boss always said to text him before calling unless I had to talk to him about something that was urgently important. The reason for this was to make sure I did not interrupt the meeting that he was in or the tour that he was giving. Another good example, is if you are in a movie theater. It is very rude to have a phone conversation in the middle of the movie because it distracts the people around you from watching. Be polite, and text message the next time you are out at a movie or know that someone is doing something of importance.

• For people that are new to text messaging like me, here are some more examples of common abbreviations and emoticons that you can use:

• Text Message Abbreviations

• Emoticons

Work Cited:

• Dobrin, Sidney I., Christian R. Weisser, and Christopher J. Keller. Technical Communication in the 21st Century. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2007. Print. (pgs. 331-333)
• "Common Emoticons and Acronyms." Primitive Baptist Web Station. Web. 30 Nov. 2009. .
• "Text Messaging, Chat Abbreviations and Smiley Faces - Webopedia." Webopedia: Online Computer Dictionary for Computer and Internet Terms and Definitions. Web. 30 Nov. 2009. .

Kerrilynn M's Quick Overview of Resources

Researching is the first step in writing a professional document. It is so important that you, as a writer know where to go for the information you are looking for. Most of the time you would not trust a personal website for credible information. Here is a quick guide to help to decide where to go for different types of information.

First of all, you need to decipher between a primary and a secondary source. A primary source is a source you can rely on completely. Primary sources are sources that provide information in “its original form.” Secondary sources provide information from primary sources, but the source tweaks it a bit. The authors of Technical Communication describe it as “interpreting, evaluating, summarizing, describing, or commenting on them.” I like to think of it has secondary sources getting their information from primary sources.

Popular Sources:

The World Wide Web – the internet is a great source of information if it is used correctly. Search engines, such as Google, or the newest one, Bing, are great assistants. The internet is great for finding secondary sources but there are a few down falls to it as well. Much of the information is unreliable. Anyone, anywhere can post information on the internet. Be sure the author is a credible author if you are going to use information from him or her. Also, beware of a website trying to charge you for information. Many newspaper websites charge for a dated article. Do not fall for that; your local library will most likely have old newspapers on record. Databases are also very helpful, and are full of scholarly resources.

Intranets – an intranet is an internet that is meant for one place, for example your work place may have an intranet. If you are writing a document pertaining to work, it is very likely you will find relevant, and credible information on your intranet. Give it a shot!

Books – okay, I know this is old school, but books still contain great information! It is possible to view many book online, but believe it or not, I find navigating through a physical is easier than the electronic version.

There are ways to conduct your own research as well…

Observing – observing something yourself gives you the advantage of that first hand information. You will not rely on someone else’s evaluation when observing something on your own.

Interview and Surveys – one of the most common things on television is interviews. You are able to focus on what you are looking for and will get the information straight from the source you are interviewing. Surveys are on a larger level and also allow you to construct it towards the information you want.

Experimenting – conducting an experiment allows you to test, and gain information on what it is that you are looking for.

There is so much out there that you need to be thourough and use the sources to your advantage. Also, keep in mind you can find your own research first hand by simply observing. Happy researching!

Stephanie A's Persuasive Writing Tips

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At some point in our careers, there may come a time when we need to write a persuasive message convincing others to act in a certain way. In order to do this, our writing needs to be effective and convincing. This style of writing may sound tricky, but these tips I found from Supaproofread.com should help:

• Be confident

Use strong, unequivocal language in your writing to show your reader that you are confident and mean business.

• Use the active voice

Using the active voice instead of the passive voice will cause your writing to be more direct and concise.

• Do your research

You must have your facts straight if you want your writing to be persuasive and taken seriously.

• Use proper grammar and spelling

In order to be convincing, your writing must be grammatically correct. Errors will cause people to question your abilities.

These helpful tips can help anyone to write more persuasively!

For more of these great tips, check out this site:

http://www.supaproofread.com/documents/ten-tips-for-persuasive-writing.pdf