EFFECTIVE WRITTEN

COMMUNICATION

COMMUNICATION

COMMUNICATION IS THE ART OF

TRANSMITTING INFORMATION, IDEAS AND
ATTITUDE FROM ONE PERSON TO
ANOTHER.
PROCESS OF MEANINGFUL INTERACTION
AMONG HUMAN BEINGS.

Definition of
communication

The imparting or exchanging of

information by speaking, writing, or using
some other medium : television is an
effective means of communication.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

Written communication is essential for preparing

worthy promotional materials for business
development.
Effective writing involves careful choice of words
,their organisation in correct order in sentence
formation as well as cohesive composition of
sentence.
Entails transmission of message in black and white.
Consist of diagram, picture , graph ,etc . Reports ,
policies, rules, orders, instruction, agreement , etc.
It provides a long-lasting record of communication
for future.

Definition of written
communication

A medium for communication that entails

the written word. Letters, emails, and
manuals are forms of written
communication.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
ADVANTAGE

DISADVANTAGE

Clear Thinking
Good First Impressions
Build Credibility
Spreading Good Ideas

Impersonality
Possibility of Miscommunication
Lack of Instant Feedback
Cost, Materials and Storage
Liability

Characteristics of written
communication

Written communication is essentially a creative

activity.
This is not a face to face communication situation.
Written communication time factor involves.
Formal communication must written
communication.
It involve notices, memos, deeds, resolution,
affidavits, complaints, reports, financial statement,
cost sheet, appointments, promotions,
The process of written communication involve
sending message by words.

7 Cs of effective
communication
Clarity

Courtes
y

Consideratio
n

Completene
ss

Effective
business
communication

Concretenes
s

Concisene
ss

Correctnes
s

Clarity
Clarity implies emphasizing on a specific goal or
objective at a time, rather than trying to move away
from track.
Clarity helps to understand the message easily.
Complete clarity of thoughts and ideas enhances the
meaning of message.
Clarity comes with the use of exact, appropriate and
concrete words.

Completeness
`

The information conveyed in the message should be

complete for the communication to be effective.
The sender must take into consideration the receivers mind
set and convey the message accordingly.
Complete communication enhances the reputation of the
organization.
Complete information always gives additional information
wherever required, it leaves no question in the minds of the
receiver.
Complete information helps in better decision making as it
serves all the desired and crucial information.

Conciseness
Conciseness means communicating what you want
to convey in least possible words.
Conciseness is a necessity for effective
communication.
Concise communication provides short and essential
message in limited words.
Concise message is more appealing and
comprehensive to the audience.
Concise messages are non repetitive in nature.

Correctness
Correctness in the communication implies that the
correct information is conveyed through message.
Correct communication boosts up the confidence
level of the sender.
Correct information has greater impact on the
audience.
Free from grammatical errors and use of appropriate
and correct language.
Correct information includes the precision and
accurateness of facts and figures used in the

Concreteness
Concrete communication implies being particular
and clear rather being fuzzy and general.
Concrete communication shows good level of
confidence.
Concrete information helps to strengthen the
reputation of the organization.
Concrete information cannot be misinterpreted.

Consideration
Effective communication must take audience into
consideration by knowing the viewpoints, back
ground, mindset, educational level, etc.
Consideration implies stepping into the shoes of
others.
Consideration ensures that the self respect of the
audience is maintained and their emotions are not
harmed.
Consider the needs and requirements of the
audience to achieve effective communication.

Courtesy
Courtesy means being polite, kind, judicious,
enthusiastic and convincing.
Courtesy is an important element of effective
communication.
Courtesy reflects the nature and character of the
sender of the message.
It is the same as give respect and then expect the
same.

What we are taught.

Am
ou
nt
ta

ug
h

STAGES OF EFFECTIVE
BUSINESS WRITING

Brainstorm What The Communication

Must Include.
Cluster your ideas into topics.
Outline your topic, including sub-topics.
Write a rough draft.
Revise by editing your work.
Proofread carefully.
Produce the final draft.

Writing business letters

How to write a business letter?

Know what you

want

Address the reader

Adapt so that the

reader enjoys it
Keep it short and
simple

Sum it up

Be professional, but not too

formal

It's a fallacy to view all business

communication as formal and stiff.
In today's open and democratic
spirit, a letter that reads -- "I wish
to apply to your esteemed
company, or If given an
opportunity I will work to ensure to
your complete satisfaction. Yours
Very Obediently," -- would sound
archaic.
At the same time, informal
shouldn't mean unprofessional -there is no place for personal
comments, off-color jokes, and
gossip in your business mails.
ASAP for "as soon as possible" is
accepted but not "Thks 4 ur gr8
help."

Avoid needless jargon

In aForbesarticle titled The

Most Annoying, Pretentious
and Useless Business Jargon,
writers Max Mallet ,Brett
Nelson and Chris Steiner
stated, "The next time you feel
the need to reach out, touch
base, shift a paradigm,
leverage a best practice or join
a tiger team, by all means do
it. Just don't say you're doing
it."
Jargons tend to confuse, even
bore readers.
It's a good idea to avoid jargon
unless absolutely unavoidable.

Barriers to written
communication
Effective written communication could mean the difference when you're
trying to land your dream job; prevent your promotion after you land
the job; or prohibit your success in the academic world. To break
down barriers in written communication, don't rush when writing
because writing too quickly often leads to errors that cause
misunderstandings. Avoid misunderstandings by reviewing your
writing before you submit it. Clear written communication is an
important aspect in any business or academic correspondence.

Small stuff

Topic of the correspondence

Meaning

Format

Small Stuff

Incorrect grammar or spelling errors may seem a trivial

detail in correspondence such as an e-mail, but lazy writing
can distract the reader from the point you are trying to
make. While it's unavoidable to make an error on occasion,
when your text is full of them, negative consequences such
as job loss or course failure can follow. Minor errors can
indicate that you are uneducated or careless. For example,
avoid common spelling mistakes, including using "to"
instead of "too," and "loose" instead of "lose" when
referring to something that's lost. Know when to use
"their," "there" and "they're," for instance. Always
remember to spell-check your work, and, if possible, find
someone to edit your work before you submit it.

Topic of the Correspondence

Writers often include useless information

instead of focusing on the target, but the
message is communicated more easily by
leading with the topic of the discussion. Follow
the text by details about the topic. You can
clearly communicate any additional information
by using the word "also" or the phrase "I should
also note." Separate your writing into
paragraphs when writing about side topics. By
breaking your text into chunks, the reader can
more easily follow the flow of your discussion.

Meaning

A misunderstanding can occur when the receiver of the

message misinterprets the intention of the writer.
Words mean different things to different people in
various contexts. An example in Flat World Knowledge
cites a Japanese manager of inventory at a small
business who wrote to his employee that he wanted
any shipment in excess of 25 packages delivered to his
store in Japan. The person on the receiving end thought
that if there were 28 packages shipped, the manager
wanted all 28 shipped to him in Japan. The manager
actually wanted only the excess packages shipped to
him, which comprised just three packages.

Format

Formatting your correspondence correctly is

important for effective communication. Without a
subject, your name and specifics about what you are
referencing, you can fill the text with communication
barriers. For example, an e-mail to a professor from a
student that doesn't have a name in it can pose a
problem for the professor to address an issue the
student has. In his e-mail, the student complained
that he couldn't complete the task by the deadline.
The professor had no idea what to say because the
student didn't identify the class or himself.

Importance of written
communication
The University of North Carolina defines written communication as, clear
expression of ideas in writing; includes grammar, organization, and structure.
Effective written communication is an important aspect of business and
personal communication because it sends messages that are flat, lacking other
elements of communication such as tone of voice, a persons body language
and gestures. Written communication can be confusing, offensive and
ineffective if it is poorly written, uses vague terminology or doesnt provide
concrete definitions for the message attempting to be sent.

Purpose

Requirement

Outcome

Types

Consideration

The purpose of effective written communication is to

send a message with the intention of the recipient
understanding the message and responding to it. For
example, if a supervisor needs to get a profit-andloss statement to her manager, she may print it out,
email it or fax it with the required information in
writing. If the purpose of the written communication
is not achieved, the needed information may not be
understood, which can cause the manager to appear
to her superior as being unorganized or unable to
perform her duties appropriately.

Effective written communication should

use appropriate spelling, punctuation and
grammar. It communicates the
information in such a way that the reader
can understand, logically organizes the
information, takes into consideration the
format and style of writing based on the
who its intended for and accurately
outlines the information.

The outcome of effective written

communication is productivity, purpose and
clear direction. Written communication has
become integrated into daily life through
email, text messaging and online chatting. If
the written communication is effective, the
recipients know what is expected and how
to accomplish the goals. If its ineffective,
more time will be spent attempting to clarify
than was originally needed.

Written communication is any form of

using written words to send a message.
The different types of written
communication are a handwritten letter,
typed letter, email, text message and
online chatting.

Written communication is appropriate in different

situations, but may be inappropriate in others. For
example, if a person is summonsed to appear in court,
calling the court house is an ineffective way to
communicate with the government. Written
communication is the expected and functional way to
communicate with the government. In order for
communication to effective, it must be sent to the
appropriate people. For example, if a person has an issue
with his boss, sending a letter to the customer service
department would be ineffective because that department
handles external complaints, not employee issues.

Effective Written Communication Tips

Whether you're writing a letter to a friend or writing a business proposal,
knowing how to express yourself succinctly and quickly through written
communication is a skill that will serve you well. When dealing with
written communication, your facial expression and body language cannot
be taken into account, which is why letters and emails should be
straightforward and easy to read. Carefully defining your message helps
you improve your written communication so you're more effective with
the written word.

Outline your letter

Define your message

Use plain language

Proofread your work

Sketching out a quick outline of what you want

to say in your letter or email can help you
identify any areas where you may be unclear or
confusing in your message. Your outline doesn't
need to be thorough, but it should list what you
want to achieve through your written
communication. For instance, if you're writing a
letter to thank a company for a recent
interview, your outline may have a few
keywords about your experience and a personal
note you can type into a more formal letter.

Before you begin writing , look over your outline.

You should be able to clearly define the purpose of
your written communication from just a few words.
It should be the same when you're writing a letter
or email. Your reader shouldn't have to read and
analyze your words in order to decipher what your
message might be. When you begin introducing
your message, do so at the beginning of the letter,
adding specifics, pleasantries and personal
information in the rest of the body of the letter.

When writing a more formal letter, it can be

tempting to use flowery or archaic language to
express yourself. In our modern society, written
communication should be done with plain
language, according to the business website
MindTools.com. While the greetings should follow
traditional protocol, your letter should be easy to
understand. Remember that your receiver won't
have the benefit of seeing you when she reads the
letter, so formal language may be perceived as
stilted when you hoped it would be professional.

Before you send an email or stamp your letter,

read your communication over a few times out
loud. Hearing yourself speaking the words that
you've written can alert you to spelling mistakes,
confusing wording and grammatical errors in
your communication. If you're having a hard
time separating yourself from your work and the
letter is very important, have a friend or family
member read it over to ensure that your
message is clear and the tone is appropriate.