Chapter 5 Flashcards
Audience sensitivity
- adopt a “you” attitude
- demonstrate business etiquette
- emphasize the positive
- use bias-free language
The “you” attitude
Speaking and writing in terms of the audiences interests, hopes, and preferences
Genuine empathy
Bias free language
Age
Gender
Disability
Race or ethnicity
Controlling style and tone
Conversational tone
Plain English
Active and passive voice
Active voice
Subject + verb + object
Direct, concise, vigorous
Passive voice
Object + verb + subject
Indirect, tactful, reserved
Composing the message
Word choice
Sentences
Paragraphs
Word choice
Strong words vs abstract words
Sentences
Sentences should be no more than 30 words long because of coherence
Paragraphs
Paragraphs should be no more than 8 lines long. Avoid one-sentence paragraphs. Typically, a letter has 3 paragraphs
Finding words that communicate well
Use strong verbs
Use familiar words
Avoid cliches & buzzwords
Minimize jargon
Use strong words
Choose words that express your thoughts clearly, specifically, & dynamically.
Use nouns and verbs as much as you can
Adjectives and adverbs often evoke subjective judgements
Verbs
Tell what is happening in the sentence
Choose familiar words
Communicate best with words familiar to your readers
Words familiar to one reader might be unfamiliar to another
Avoid cliches and buzzwords
Beware of terms and phrases so common that they have become virtually meaningless
Use jargon carefully
When deciding whether to use technical jargon, let your audiences knowledge guide you.
Effective sentences
Simple
Compound
Complex
Compound-complex
Simple sentence
Has one main clause (a single subject and a single predicate)
Compound sentence
Has two main clauses that express two or more independent but related thoughts of equal importance (usually joined by and, but, or)
Merger of two or more simple sentences
Complex sentence
Expresses one main thought (independent clause) and one or more subordinate thoughts (dependent clause ) related to it, often separated by a comma.
Compound-complex sentence
Two main clauses, at least one of which containing a subordinate clause.
Coordinate conjunctions -compound
And , but, so
Require only a comma to link to independent clauses
Adverbial conjunctions -compound
Therefore, however, nevertheless
Requires a semicolon to link to independent clauses
Omitting conjunctions -compound
Requires only a semicolon to link independent clauses
Subordinate conjunctions-complex
Because, if, when, since, although, while
If the dependent clause begins the sentence, a comma is required
Coherent paragraphs
Topic sentences
Support sentences
Transitions
Paragraph
Cluster of sentences all related to the same general topic
Topic sentence
Sentence that introduces the single topic of the paragraph
Coherent
Paragraphs arranged in a logical order so that the audience can understand the train of thought
Transitions
Words or phrases that tie ideas together and show how one thought is related to another
Emphasis techniques
Placement
Length
Typographical
Design techniques
White space Margins Justification Typeface Type styles
White space
Provides visual contrast for readers, gives them a resting point.
Open areas around headings, margins, vertical space between columns, ragged line endings, and indents between paragraphs
Margins
Define the space around your text and between text columns
Justified (flush on the left and right)
Flush left with a ragged right margin
Flush right with ragged left margin
Centered
Justified
Frequently used in magazines, newspapers, & books. Can accommodate more text in a given space.
Often have awkward gaps and variable spacing between words and letters
Typeface
Physical design of letters, numbers, and other text characters.
Type style
Any modification that lends contrast or emphasis to type: boldface, italic, underlining, and other highlighting and decorative styles
Using technology
Templates and style sheets Page setup Column formatting Paragraph formatting Numbered and bulleted lists Tables and textboxes Pictures and objects
Templates and style sheets
Saves time
Ensures a consistent look and feel for all print and online documents
Page setup
Controls margins, Orientation (portrait/landscape), location of headers (text and graphics on top of each page), and footers (text and graphics at bottom of each page)
Column formatting
Most use single column of text per page
Multiple columns can be used for newsletters
Columns also help with long lists
Paragraph formatting
Take advantage of various paragraph formatting controls to enhance the look of documents
Numbered and bulleted lists
Let your word processor or online publishing system do the busywork of formatting numbered and bulleted lists, too. It can also renumber lists when you add or remove items
Tables
Tables are a great way to display any information that lends itself to rows and columns
Pictures, text boxes, and objects
Word processors let you insert a wide variety of pictures. Text boxes are small blocks of text that stand apart from the main text. Objects can be a spreadsheet to a sound clip to an engineering drawing. Similarly, blogging systems, wikis, and other web development tools let you insert a variety of pictures, audio and video clip, and other multimedia elements
Euphemisms
Words or phrases that express a thought in milder terms. Not as negative.
Bias-free language
Avoids words and phrases that unfairly and unethically categorize or stigmatize people
Establishing and maintaining credibility
Honesty Objectivity Awareness of audience needs Credentials, knowledge, and expertise Endorsement Performance Sincerity
Bias can come in variety of forms
Gender bias
Racial and ethnic bias
Age bias
Disability bias
Credibility
Measure of believability based on how reliable you are and how much trust you evoke
Style
Choices choices you make to express yourself
Tone
Overall impression in messages
Conversational tone
Plain language that sounds businesslike without being extreme
Achieve a tone that is conversational but still businesslike by following these guidelines
- Understand the difference between texting and writing
- Avoid stale and pompous language
- avoid preaching and bragging
- be careful with intimacy
- be careful with humor
Important aspect in creating a conversational tone
Plain language
Active voice
Subject performs the action and object receives the action
Passive voice
Subject receives the action. Passive voice combines the helping verb to be with a form of the verb that is usually similar to the past tense
Denotive meaning
Literal or dictionary meaning
Connotative meaning
All the associations and feelings evokes by a word
Abstract word
Expresses a concept, quality, or characteristic
Concrete word
Something you can see, touch, or visualize
Find words that communicate well
Choose strong, precise words
Choose familiar words
Avoid cliches and be careful with buzzwords
Use jargon carefully
LISTING- things to do or not to do in an interview
- Go alone
- Dress appropriately
- Arrive a few mins before the interview time
- Carry 2 copies of resume in case requested
- Carry a reliable pen with you (and a pencil/eraser maybe needed for an employment test)
- Before interview, find out about company
- Do not carry a lot of things
- Give name to receptionist and indicate who you have appointment with
- Give full name clearly and shake hand
- Don’t place personal items on interviewers desk
- Do not chew gum or smoke
- Appear relaxed, but businesslike
- Let interviewer take lead (answer questions clearly and fully)
- Talk about your accomplishments
- Smile
- Have pertinent questions in mind. Ready to discuss salary and advancement
- Ask questions if unsure of what job entails
- Be courteous
- Watch to see if interview is drawing to close
- Try to determine what interviewers next step will be. When you’ll be notified of decision
- Thank interviewer for opportunity to discuss job
- Thank the receptionist on the way out
Simple sentence
Has one main clause
Compound sentence
Has two main clauses
Complex sentence
Has one main clause and one subordinate clause
Compound-complex sentences
Has two main clauses and at least one dependent clause
Unified
Focusing on a single topic
Coherent
Presenting ideas in a logically connected way
Topic sentence
Sentence that introduces the topic
Establish Transitions
Shows how one thought is related to another
- use connecting words
- echo word or phrase from previous paragraph or sentence
- use pronoun that refers to previously used noun
- use words that are frequently paired
To write effectively for mobile devices
Use linear organization Prioritize information Write short, focused messages Use short subject lines and headings Use short paragraphs
