1. INTRODUCTION
The writing process is the bedrock of
communication in business organization. Because
of the nature of interactions in business organization,
communication is expected to be
formal to an extent. Therefore, putting a
message into writing is favoured over oral
communication in some setting. This note
treats writing process in business
communication
2.0 OBJECTIVES OF THE NOTE
On the completion of this note, you should be
able to:
· Explain the steps in
writing process.
· Explain the meaning of
correspondence.
· List forms of
correspondence.
· Describe the format of a
formal letter
3.0 MAIN CONTENT
3.1 Writing Process
Writing process is a pedagogical term that
appears in the research of Janet Emig who
published The Composing Processes of Twelfth
Graders in 1971. The term marks a shift
from examining the products of writing to the
composing process of writers. This focus
on process encourages composition students to
see writing as an ongoing, recursive
process from conception of the idea through
publication. It asserts that all writing serves
a purpose, and that writing passes through
some or all of several clear steps. It was part of
the general whole language approach.
Generally the writing process is seen as
consisting of five steps. They are:
· Prewriting: planning, research, outlining, diagramming,
storyboarding or
clustering (for a technique similar to
clustering, see mindmapping)
· Draft: initial composition in prose form
· Revision: review, modification and organization (by
the writer)
· Editing: proofreading for clarity, conventions,
style (preferably by another writer)
· Submittal: sharing the writing: possibly through
performance, printing, or
distribution of written material
These steps are not necessarily performed in
any given order. For example, the skills used
in the prewriting process can be applied any
time by writers seeking ideas throughout the
process. It is not necessary to go through
each step for every writing project attempted.
The steps make up a recursive process. The
instructional theory behind the model is
similar to new product development and life
cycle theory, adapted to written works. By
breaking the writing cycle into discrete
stages and focusing on strategies at each stage, it
is hoped that writers will develop an
appreciation for the process of seeing an idea
through to successful completion in a logical
way. Rather than presenting written works
as acts of genius that emerge fully formed,
they are shown as the result of several distinct
and learnable skills.
Prewriting is the first step of the writing
process, followed by drafting, revision, editing
and publishing and is crucial to the success
of any writing task, yet in writing instruction;
it seldom receives the attention it deserves.
Motivation and audience awareness
Prewriting begins with motivation and
audience awareness: what is the student or writer
trying to communicate, why is it important to
communicate it well and who is the
audience for this communication? Writers
usually begin with a clear idea of audience,
content and the importance of their
communication; sometimes, one of these needs to be
clarified for the best communication. Student
writers find motivation especially difficult
because they are writing for a teacher or for
a grade, instead of a real audience. Often
teachers try to find a real audience for
students by asking them to read to younger classes
or to parents, by posting writing for others
to read, by writing a blog, or by writing on
real topics, such as a letter to the editor
of a local newspaper.
3.1.1 Choosing a topic
One important task in writing is choosing a
topic and then narrowing it to a length that
can be covered in the space allowed. Oral
storytelling is an effective way to search for a
good topic for a personal narration. Writers
can quickly tell a story and judge from the
listeners' reactions whether it will be an
interesting topic to write about. Two types of
prewriting are: free writing and researching.
When free writing, you write any and every
idea that comes to mind when writing.
Researching is another name for writing, which
you get information from outside sources.
3.1.2 Gathering information
Several other methods of choosing a topic
overlap with another broad concern of
prewriting, that of researching or gathering
information. Reading (process) is effective in
both choosing and narrowing a topic and in
gathering information to include in the
writing. As a writer reads other works, it
expands ideas, opens possibilities and points
toward options for topics and narrowing of
topics. It also provides specific content for the
eventual writing. One traditional method of
tracking the content read is to create
annotated note cards with one chunk of
information per card. Writers also need to
document music, photos, web sites,
interviews, and any other source used to prevent
plagiarism.
Besides reading what others have written,
writers can also make original observations
relating to a topic. This requires on-site
visits, experimentation with something, or
finding original or primary historical
documents. Writers interact with the setting or
materials and make observations about their
experience. For strong writing, particular
attention should be given to sensory details
(what the writer hears, tastes, touches, smells
and feels). While gathering material, often
writers pay particular attention to the
vocabulary used in discussing the topic. This
would include slang, specific terminology,
translations of terms, and typical phrases
used. The writer often looks up definitions,
synonyms and finds ways in which different
people use the terminology. Lists, journals,
teacher-student conference, drawing
illustrations, using imagination, restating a problem
in multiple ways, watching videos,
inventorying interests – these are some of the other
methods for gathering information.
3.1.3 Discussing information
After reading and observing, often writers
need to discuss material. They might
brainstorm with a group or topics or how to
narrow a topic. Or, they might discuss
events, ideas, and interpretations with just
one other person. Oral storytelling might enter
again, as the writer turns it into a
narrative, or just tries out ways of using the new
terminology. Sometimes writers draw or use information
as basis for artwork as a way to
understand the material better.
3.1.4 Narrowing the topic
Narrowing a topic is an important step of
prewriting. For example, a personal narrative of
five pages could be narrowed to an incident
that occurred in a thirty minute time period.
This restricted time period means that the
writer must slow down and tell the event
moment by moment with many details. By
contrast, a five page essay about a three day
trip would only skim the surface of the
experience. The writer must consider again the
goals of communication – content, audience,
importance of information – but add to this
a consideration of the format for the
writing. He or she should consider how much space
is allowed for the communication and what can
be effectively communicated within that
space?
3.1.5 Organizing content
At this point, the writer needs to consider
the organization of content. Outlining in a
hierarchical structure is one of the typical
strategies, and usually includes three or more
levels in the hierarchy. Typical outlines are
organized by chronology, spatial
relationships, or by subtopics. Other
outlines might include sequences along a continuum:
big to little, old to new, etc. Clustering, a
technique of creating a visual web that
represents associations among ideas is
another help in creating structure, because it
reveals relationships. Storyboarding is a
method of drawing rough sketches to plan a
picture book, a movie script, a graphic novel
or other fiction.
3.1.6 Developmental acquisition of organizing
skills
While information on the developmental
sequence of organizing skills is sketchy,
anecdotal information suggests that children
follow this rough sequence:
1) sort into categories
2) structure the categories into a specific
order for best communication, using criteria
such as which item will best work to catch
readers attention in the opening,
3) within a category, sequence information
into a specific order for best communication,
using criteria such as what will best
persuade an audience. At each level, it is important
that student writers discuss their decisions;
they should understand that categories for a
certain topic could be structured in several
different ways, all correct. A final skill
acquired is the ability to omit information
that is not needed in order to communicate
effectively.
Even sketchier is information on what types
of organization are acquired first, but
anecdotal information and research suggests
that even young children understand
chronological information, making narratives
the easiest type of student writing.
Persuasive writing usually requires logical
thinking and studies in child development
indicate that logical thinking is not present
until a child is 10–12 years old, making it one
of the later writing skills to acquire.
Before this age, persuasive writing will rely mostly
on emotional arguments.
3.1.7 Writing trials
Writers can also use the writing phase to
experiment with ways of expressing ideas. For
oral storytelling, a writer could tell a
story three times, but each time begin at a different
time, include or exclude information, end at
a different time or place. Writers often try
writing the same information but using
different voices, in search of the best way to
communicate this information or tell this
story.
3.1.8 Recursion
writing is recursive, that is, it can occur
at any time and the writing process can return
several times. For example, after a first
draft, a writer may need to return to an
information gathering stage, or may need to
discuss the material with someone, or may
need to adjust the outline. While the writing
process is discussed as having distinct
stages, in reality, they often overlap and
circle back on one another.
3.1.9 Variables
writing varies depending on the writing task
or rhetorical mode. Fiction requires more
imagination, while informational essays or
expository writing require stronger
organization. Persuasive writing must
consider not just the information to be
communicated, but how best to change the
reader’s ideas or convictions. Folktales will
require extensive reading of the genre to
learn common conventions. Each writing task
will require a different selection of writing
strategies, used in a different order.
3.2 Correspondence
Correspondence consists of memos, letters, and
electronic mail. In engineering and
science, correspondence is an effective way
to make requests, submit changes to a job,
and deliver specific information. Unlike
telephone conversations, correspondence
presents the audience with a legal contract
that is dated and can support a claim in court.
This section presents formats for memos and
letters. Because electronic mail usually has
a built-in format, no format is assigned here
for it.
In correspondence, you should concentrate on
being clear and precise. Because audiences
tend to read letters and memos quickly, opt
for shorter sentences and paragraphs than you
would use in a formal report or journal
article. Also, in correspondence, you should
consider carefully the tone. Tone is
difficult to control in correspondence. For instance, in
a job application letter, how do you talk
about your accomplishments without sounding
boastful? Or in a letter complaining about
faulty workmanship, how do you motivate the
reader to repair the damage without
alienating the reader? The answers are not simple.
Often, engineers and scientists lose control
of tone by avoiding simple straightforward
wording. When some people sit down to write a
business letter or memo, they change
their entire personality. Instead of using
plain English, they use convoluted phrases such
as "per your request" or
"enclosed please find." Because these phrases are not natural or
straightforward, they inject an undesired
attitude, usually arrogance, into the writing
3.2.1 Memos
Typically, you write memos to people within
your place of work, and you write letters to
people outside your place of work. One major
difference between memos and letters is
the title line found in memos. Because
readers often decide whether to read the memo
solely on the basis of this title line, the
line is important. Another difference between
letters and memos is that you sometimes write
memos that serve as short reports. In such
cases, the format for the memo changes
somewhat. For instance, in a memo serving as a
progress report for a project, you might
include subheadings and sub-subheadings. Notice
that people who are mentioned in a memo or
are directly affected by the memo should
receive a copy.
3.2.2 Letters
Formats for letters vary from company to
company. For instance, some formats call for
paragraph indents; others don't. In a letter,
notice how the writer gets to the point in the
first sentence of the first paragraph. Notice
also the simple and straightforward salutation
("Sincerely"). As with a memo,
people who are mentioned or directly affected by the
letter should receive a copy.
3.2.3 Electronic Mail
Electronic mail is a less formal version of
memos and letters. Electronic mail is relatively
new and is changing in terms of
sophistication in format and expectation by audience.
The principal advantages of electronic mail
over other types of correspondence are its
speed and ease of use. For instance, in
minutes, you can send out information to many
recipients around the world.
One disadvantage of electronic mail is the
crudeness of the format. Many electronic mail
systems do not allow such things as tabs or
italics. For that reason, the look of the
message is not as attractive as a memo or
letter that has been printed on letterhead paper.
Because the message does not look formal,
many people mistakenly adopt a style that
lacks the "appropriate formality"
[Markel, 1996]. For instance, these people include
needless abbreviations (such as
"BTW" rather than "by the way").
Another disadvantage of electronic mail is
also one of its advantages: its ease of use.
With letters and memos, you must print out
the correspondence before you send it. That
printing out allows you to view the writing
on paper--a step that makes it easier for you to
proof for mechanical mistakes in spelling,
usage, and punctuation. With electronic mail,
though, you are not forced to print out on
paper before you send. For that reason,
electronic messages often are not as well
proofed as regular correspondence. Remember:
because most networks archive electronic
mail, you should take the same care with
electronic mail as you do with printed
correspondence. That means using the appropriate
formality in style and carefully proofing
your message before you hit the "send" button.
3.3 How to Write an Essay.
Writing a good essay requires refined
critical thinking, which can be improved by
experience. But one of the key elements to a
good essay is form. There are numerous
forms of writing that we face every day. The
following is an explanation of the process of
writing in a simple and understandable way.
An essay can have many purposes, but the
basic structure is basically the same. You
may be writing an essay to argue for an article
point of view or to explain the steps
necessary to complete a task. Either way, your essay
will have the same basic format. If you
follow these simple steps, you will find that
writing an essay is much easier than you had
initially thought.
3.3.1 Select your topic.
1. Choose the thesis, or main idea of your
essay.
2. Prepare an outline or diagram of your main
ideas.
3. Outline your essay into introductory, body
and summary paragraphs.
4. State your thesis idea in the first
paragraph.
5. Finish the introductory paragraph with a
short summary or goal statement.
6. In each of the body paragraphs the ideas
first presented in the introductory paragraph
are developed.
7. Develop your body paragraphs by giving
explanations and examples.
8. The last paragraph should restate your
basic thesis of the essay with a conclusion.
After you followed these easy steps your
writing will improve and become more
coherent. Always remember, form is only a
part of the process. You become a better
writer primarily by reflecting and analyzing
rather than memorizing.
3.4 Formal Letter Writing.
This comprises the following:
3.4.1 How to Write Formal Letters
A summary of writing rules including outlines
for cover letters and letters of enquiry,
and abbreviations used in writing a formal
letter is
3.4.2 Rules for Writing Formal Letters in
English
In English there are a number of conventions
that should be used when writing a formal
or business letter. Furthermore, you try to
write as simply and as clearly as possible, and
not to make the letter longer than necessary.
Remember not to use informal language like
contractions.
Addresses:
1) Your Address
The return address should be written in the
top right-hand corner of the letter.
2) The Address of the person you are writing
to
The inside address should be written on the
left, starting below your address.
Date:
Different people put the date on different
sides of the page. You can write this on the
right or the left on the line after the
address you are writing to. Write the month as a
word.
Salutation or greeting:
1) Dear Sir or Madam,
If you do not know the name of the person you
are writing to, use this. It is always
advisable to try to find out a name.
2) Dear Mr. Okocha,
If you know the name, use the title (Mr, Mrs,
Miss or Ms, Dr, etc.) and the surname only.
If you are writing to a woman and do not know
if she uses Mrs or Miss, you can use Ms,
which is for married and single women.
Ending a letter:
1) Yours Faithfully
If you do not know the name of the person,
end the letter this way.
2) Yours Sincerely
If you know the name of the person, end the
letter this way.
3) Your signature
Sign your name, then print it underneath the
signature. If you think the person you are
writing to might not know whether you are
male of female, put your title in brackets after
your name.
3.4.3 Layout of a Formal Letter
The example letter below shows you a general
layout for a formal letter.
3.4.4 Content of a Formal Letter
First paragraph
The first paragraph should be short and state
the purpose of the letter- to make an
enquiry, complain, request something, etc.
The paragraph or paragraphs in the middle of
the letter should contain the relevant
information behind the writing of the letter.
Most letters in English are not very long, so
keep the information to the essentials and
concentrate on organizing it in a clear and
logical manner rather than expanding too
much.
Last Paragraph
The last paragraph of a formal letter should
state what action you expect the recipient to
take- to refund, send you information, etc.
Abbreviations Used in Letter Writing
The following abbreviations are widely used
in letters:
· asap = as soon as possible
· cc =
carbon copy (when you send a copy of a letter to more than one person, you
use this abbreviation to
let them know)
· enc. = enclosure (when you include other papers with your
letter)
· pp = per
procurationem (A Latin phrase meaning that you are signing the letter on
somebody else's behalf; if
they are not there to sign it themselves, etc)
105
· ps =
postscript (when you want to add something after you've finished and signed
it)
· pto (informal) = please turn over (to make sure that the
other person knows the
letter continues on the
other side of the page)
· RSVP = please reply
3.4.5 A Covering Letter
A covering letter is the one that accompanies
your CV when you are applying for a job.
Here is a fairly conventional plan for the
layout of the paragraphs.
1. Opening Paragraph
Briefly identify yourself and the position
you are applying for. Add how you found out
about the vacancy.
2. Paragraph 2
Give the reasons why you are interested in
working for the company and why you wish to
be considered for that particular post. State
your relevant qualifications and experience,
as well as your personal qualities that make
you a suitable candidate.
3. Paragraph 3
Inform them that you have enclosed your
current CV and add any further information that
you think could help your case.
4. Closing Paragraph
Give your availability for interview, thank
them for their consideration, restate your
interest and close the letter.
3.4.6 A Letter of Enquiry
A letter of enquiry is when you are
approaching a company speculatively, that is you are
making an approach without their having
advertised or announced a vacancy.
1. Opening Paragraph
Introduce yourself briefly and give your
reason for writing. Let them know of the kind of
position you are seeking, why you are
interested and how you heard about them.
Paragraph 2
Show why their company in particular
interests you, mention your qualifications and
experience along with any further details
that might make them interested in seeing you.
Paragraph 3
Refer to your enclosed CV and draw their
attention to any particularly important points
you would like them to focus on in it.
Closing Paragraph
Thank them, explain your availability for
interview and restate your enthusiasm for their
company and desire to be considered for posts
that might as yet be unavailable.
4.0 CONCLUSION
A sound knowledge of writing process is very
important in business communication.
Obviously, different writing steps as
discussed above are necessary for good composition
of a message or an idea. Also, as explained,
business writings also take cognisance of
format in writing process
5.0 SUMMARY
This note was started by explaining the
concept of writing process. We then discussed
various steps in writing process. We went further
to treat memo as forms of business
letters. Methods for writing essay, letter
writings and their format were also discussed
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