| |
| |
Checklists | |
| |
| |
Preface | |
| |
| |
| |
Principles | |
| |
| |
| |
Characteristics of Writing at Work | |
| |
| |
Writing at Work versus Writing at School | |
| |
| |
Requires Acute Awareness of the Need for Strict Security Procedures; Poses Legal Liability for the Writer and the Organization; May Be Read by Readers Unknown to the Writer, Inside or Outside the Organization, for an Infinite Time | |
| |
| |
Achieves Job Goals | |
| |
| |
Addresses a Variety of Readers Who Have Different Perspectives | |
| |
| |
Creates Excessive Paperwork and E-Mails | |
| |
| |
Uses a Variety of Documents | |
| |
| |
The Foundations of Effective Writing at Work | |
| |
| |
The Qualities of Good Technical Writing | |
| |
| |
Exercises | |
| |
| |
| |
Writing for Your Readers | |
| |
| |
Understand Your Readers--The Heart of the Planning Process | |
| |
| |
Business Readers Want Answers Now | |
| |
| |
Determine Your Readers and Their Perspectives | |
| |
| |
Determine Your Purpose | |
| |
| |
Understand Your Role as a Writer | |
| |
| |
Plan the Content | |
| |
| |
Anticipate the Context in Which Your Writing Will Be Received | |
| |
| |
Case 2-1 | |
| |
| |
Case 2-2 | |
| |
| |
The Basic Parts of the Composing Process | |
| |
| |
Analyzing the Writing Situation--Purpose, Readers, and Context | |
| |
| |
Choosing/Discovering Content | |
| |
| |
Arranging Content | |
| |
| |
Drafting | |
| |
| |
Revising | |
| |
| |
Editing | |
| |
| |
Case 2-3 | |
| |
| |
Planning and Revision Checklist | |
| |
| |
Exercises | |
| |
| |
| |
Writing Ethically | |
| |
| |
Your Professional Obligations | |
| |
| |
Codes of Conduct | |
| |
| |
Recognizing Unethical Communication | |
| |
| |
Plagiarism and Theft of Intellectual Property | |
| |
| |
Deliberately Imprecise or Ambiguous Language | |
| |
| |
Manipulation of Numerical Information | |
| |
| |
Use of Misleading Illustrations | |
| |
| |
Promotion of Prejudice | |
| |
| |
Uncritical Use of Information | |
| |
| |
Managing Unethical Situations | |
| |
| |
Ethics Decision Checklist | |
| |
| |
Exercises | |
| |
| |
| |
Achieving a Readable Style | |
| |
| |
The Paragraph | |
| |
| |
Examples for Study | |
| |
| |
Basic Principles of Effective Style | |
| |
| |
Determine Your Readers' Knowledge of the Subject | |
| |
| |
Determine Whether a Particular Style Will Be Expected | |
| |
| |
Adjust the Style to the Readers, the Purpose, and the Context | |
| |
| |
Keys to Building Effective Sentences | |
| |
| |
Select Your Level of Language; Adjust the Density of Information | |
| |
| |
Watch Sentence Length | |
| |
| |
Keep Subjects and Verbs Close Together | |
| |
| |
Write Squeaky-Clean Prose | |
| |
| |
Avoid Pompous Language; Write to Express, Not to Impress | |
| |
| |
Avoid Excessive Use of Is/Are Verb Forms | |
| |
| |
Use Active Voice for Clarity | |
| |
| |
Word Choice | |
| |
| |
Style Checklist | |
| |
| |
Exercises | |
| |
| |
| |
Designing Documents | |
| |
| |
Understanding the Basics of Document Design | |
| |
| |
Know What Decisions Are Yours to Make | |
| |
| |
Choose a Design That Fits Your Situation | |
| |
| |
Plan Your Design from the Beginning | |
| |
| |
Reveal Your Design to Your Readers | |
| |
| |
Keep Your Design Consistent | |
| |
| |
Designing Effective Pages and Screens | |
| |
| |
Use Blank Space to Frame and Group Information | |
| |
| |
Space the Lines of Text for Easy Reading | |
| |
| |
Set the Line Length for Easy Reading | |
| |
| |
Use a Ragged Right Margin | |
| |
| |
Helping Readers Locate Information | |
| |
| |
Use Frequent Headings | |
| |
| |
Write Descriptive Headings | |
| |
| |
Design Distinctive Headings | |
| |
| |
Use Page Numbers and Headers or Footers | |
| |
| |
Document Design Checklist | |
| |
| |
Exercises | |
| |
| |
| |
Designing Illustrations | |
| |
| |
Creating Illustrations | |
| |
| |
Tables | |
| |
| |
Bar and Column Graphs | |
| |
| |
Circle Graphs | |
| |
| |
Line Graphs | |
| |
| |
Organization Charts | |
| |
| |
Flow Charts | |
| |
| |
Diagrams | |
| |
| |
Photographs | |
| |
| |
Animation Clips | |
| |
| |
Film Clips | |
| |
| |
Designing Illustrations Ethically | |
| |
| |
Illustration Checklist | |
| |
| |
Exercises | |
| |
| |
| |
Applications | |
| |
| |
| |
E-Mails, Texts, Memos, and Letters | |
| |
| |
E-Mail and Text Messages | |
| |
| |
Memos and Letters | |
| |
| |
Guidelines for Ensuring Quality | |
| |
| |
Appropriate Tone in E-Mails, Texts, Memos, and Letters | |
| |
| |
Guidelines for Dealing with Tone | |
| |
| |
Planning and Writing Correspondence | |
| |
| |
Case 7-1: Informational E-Mail Message | |
| |
| |
Case 7-2: Instructional Memo | |
| |
| |
Case 7-3: Letter Requesting Information | |
| |
| |
Case 7-4: Unfavorable News Letter | |
| |
| |
Case 7-5: Letter of Reply | |
| |
| |
Correspondence Checklist | |
| |
| |
Exercises | |
| |
| |
| |
Technical Reports | |
| |
| |
Kinds of Reports | |
| |
| |
Report Categories--Informal and Formal | |
| |
| |
Informal Report Heading | |
| |
| |
Subject Line | |
| |
| |
Reference | |
| |
| |
Action Required | |
| |
| |
Distribution List | |
| |
| |
Parts of an Informal Technical Report | |
| |
| |
Introduction | |
| |
| |
Summary | |
| |
| |
Discussion | |
| |
| |
Conclusion | |
| |
| |
Recommendation | |
| |
| |
Attachments | |
| |
| |
Developing Reports | |
| |
| |
Case 8-1 | |
| |
| |
Elements of Formal Reports | |
| |
| |
Prefatory Elements | |
| |
| |
Abstracts and Summaries | |
| |
| |
Discussion, or Body of the Report | |
| |
| |
Collecting and Grouping Information | |
| |
| |
Case 8-2 | |
| |
| |
Case 8-3 | |
| |
| |
Conclusion(s) | |
| |
| |
Recommendations | |
| |
| |
Appendices | |
| |
| |
Letter Reports | |
| |
| |
Example Report for Study | |
| |
| |
Writing Collaboratively | |
| |
| |
The Team Leader | |
| |
| |
Requirements of Team Leaders | |
| |
| |
Requirements of Team Members | |
| |
| |
Report Checklist | |
| |
| |
Exercises | |
| |
| |
| |
Proposals and Progress Reports | |
| |
| |
Proposals | |
| |
| |
Example RFP | |
| |
| |
The Context of Proposal Development | |
| |
| |
Effective Argument in Proposal Development | |
| |
| |
Standard Sections of Proposals | |
| |
| |
Case 9-1: Research Proposal | |
| |
| |
Case 9-2: Project Proposal | |
| |
| |
Progress Reports | |
| |
| |
Structure of Progress Reports | |
| |
| |
Case 9-3 | |
| |
| |
Case 9-4 | |
| |
| |
Style and Tone of Proposals and Progress Reports | |
| |
| |
Checklist for Developing Proposals and Progress Reports | |
| |
| |
Exercises | |
| |
| |
| |
Instructions, Procedures, and Policies | |
| |
| |
Instructions versus Procedures | |
| |
| |
Critical Role of Instructions and Procedures in the Workplace | |
| |
| |
Planning Instructions and Procedures | |
| |
| |
Structure and Organization | |
| |
| |
Introduction | |
| |
| |
Theory Governing the Procedure or Instruction | |
| |
| |
Warnings, Cautions, Hazards, and Notes Regarding Safety or Quality | |
| |
| |
Conditions under Which the Task Should Be Performed | |
| |
| |
Name of Each Step | |
| |
| |
Case 10-1: Process Instructions | |
| |
| |
Case 10-2: Job Instructions | |
| |
| |
Case 10-3: Instructional Letter | |
| |
| |
Online Instructions | |
| |
| |
Case 10-4 | |
| |
| |
Checklist for Developing Instructions/Procedures | |
| |
| |
Exercises | |
| |
| |
| |
Oral Reports | |
| |
| |
Understanding the Speaking-Writing Relationship | |
| |
| |
Analyzing the Audience | |
| |
| |
Determining the Goal of Your Presentation | |
| |
| |
Choosing and Shaping Content | |
| |
| |
Analyzing the Context | |
| |
| |
Choosing the Organization | |
| |
| |
Choosing an Appropriate Speaking Style | |
| |
| |
Choosing Visuals to Enhance Your Purpose and Your Meaning | |
| |
| |
Planning Your Presentation--Questions You Need to Ask | |
| |
| |
Audience | |
| |
| |
Purpose | |
| |
| |
Context | |
| |
| |
Content | |
| |
| |
Graphics | |
| |
| |
Style | |
| |
| |
Speaking to Multicultural Audiences | |
| |
| |
Designing Each Segment | |
| |
| |
Choose an Interesting Title | |
| |
| |
Develop Your Presentation around Three Main Divisions | |
| |
| |
Plan the Introduction Carefully | |
| |
| |
Design the Body | |
| |
| |
Design the Conclusion | |
| |
| |
Choose an Effective Delivery Style | |
| |
| |
Techniques to Enhance Audience Comprehension | |
| |
| |
Designing and Presenting the Written Paper | |
| |
| |
Structuring the Written Speech | |
| |
| |
Writing the Speech | |
| |
| |
Practicing the Presentation | |
| |
| |
Checklist for Preparing Oral Reports | |
| |
| |
Exercises | |
| |
| |
| |
R�sum�s and Job Applications | |
| |
| |
The Correspondence of the Job Search | |
| |
| |
Letter of Application | |
| |
| |
The R�sum� | |
| |
| |
Follow-Up Letters | |
| |
| |
Interviewing | |
| |
| |
The Interview | |
| |
| |
Negotiation | |
| |
| |
Before and After the Interview | |
| |
| |
Job Search Checklist | |
| |
| |
Exercises | |
| |
| |
| |
Brief Guide to Grammar, Punctuation, and Usage | |
| |
| |
| |
Using Information Sources | |
| |
| |
| |
Annotated Report for Study | |
| |
| |
Index | |