BUSINESS AND TECHNICAL WRITING

Instructor:Bilal Ahmad

LECTURE: Business and Technical English Writing

Why?
Good Technical Writing Style
 Varies by audience; it considers the reader and builds
goodwill
 Maintains consistent and “good” style
 Is, above almost all, clear

Good technical writing style also

 Attends to visual impact
 Persuades
Build Goodwill: Use “You-
Attitude”
 “You-Attitude” is a style of writing that
 Adopts the audience’s point of view
 Emphasizes what the audience wants to know
 Protects the audience’s ego (e.g. does not use “you” to
make accusations)
Build Goodwill: Avoid Bias
 Use nonsexist language that treats both sexes neutrally.
 Job titles: Chairman vs. Chairperson
 Courtesy titles: Mrs. vs. Ms.
 Pronouns: The nurse and her patients vs. the nurse and his
patients
 Don’t make assumptions about your audiences’ sexual
orientation, gender, marital status, etc.
Build Goodwill: Avoid Bias, continued…
 Use nonracist and nonagist language
 Give someone’s race or age only if it is relevant to your
communication.
 Refer to a group by the term it prefers.
 Avoid terms that suggest competent members of a certain
group are unusual.
Half-Truths about Style
1. Write as you talk
2. Never use “I”
3. Never begin sentence with and or but
4. Never end sentence with preposition
5. Big words impress people
Write as You Talk: Yes . . . But
 Yes
 Do it for first draft
 Read draft aloud to test
 But
 Expect awkward, repetitive, badly organized prose
 Plan to revise and edit
Never Use I: Yes . . . But
 Yes
 I can make writing seem self-centered
 I can make ideas seem tentative
 I should never appear in a resume, but it’s fine to use it in a
cover letter.
 But
 Use I to tell what you did, said, saw—it’s smoother
Never Begin Sentence with And or
But

 And may make idea seem like afterthought

 And gives effect of natural speech
 But serves as a signpost, signals a shift
 But can make writing smoother
Never End a Sentence with a
Preposition: Yes . . . But

 Yes
 A preposition may not be worth emphasizing this way
 Readers expect something to follow a preposition
 Avoid in job application letters, reports, formal
presentations
 But
 OK now and then
Big Words Impress People: Yes . . . But
 Yes
 You may want to show formality or technical
expertise
 But
 Big words distance you from readers
 Big words may be
misunderstood
 Misused words
make you look foolish
Building Better Style
 Write WIRMI: What I Really Mean Is
 Read draft aloud to person three feet away
 Ask someone to read draft aloud

e re
No wh
stiff r d s l es
wo o
w stum b
rd Fi x r
s d e
rea
Building Better Style,
continued…
 Read widely; write a lot
 Study revised sentences
 Polish your style with the 11 techniques that follow
Ways to Build Better Style

 Use the following tips as you:

 Draft
 Write and revise
 Draft, revise, and form paragraphs
1. Use Accurate, Appropriate
 Denotation
Words
 literal meanings; dictionary definitions
 Bypassing—two people using same word to mean different
things; causes mix-ups
 Connotation
 emotional association; attitude
- / +
 nosy / curious
 fearful / cautious
 obstinate / firm
2. Use Familiar Words
 Words most people know
 Words that best convey your
meaning
 Shorter, more common words
 Specific, concrete words
2. Use Familiar Words, continued…

Use Short, Simple, Alternatives

 Stuffy Simple
reside live
commence begin
enumerate list
finalize finish, complete
utilize use
2. Use Familiar Words, continued…

When you use jargon, consider your

audience
 Jargon—special terms of technical
field
 Use in job application letters
 Use when essential and known to
reader
3. Use Active Verbs (Usually)

 Active—subject of sentence does action the verb

describes

 Passive—subject is acted upon

 Usually includes form of “to be”
 Change to active if you can
 Direct object becomes subject
Passive vs. Active Verbs

 P: The program will be implemented by the agencies.

 A: The agencies will implement the program.
 P: These benefits are received by you.
 A: You receive these benefits.
 P: A video was ordered.
 A: The customer ordered a video.
Passive vs. Active Verbs,
continued…
 Active verbs are better because—
 Shorter
 Clearer
 More interesting
 Passive verbs are better to—
 Emphasize object receiving action
 Adhere to the standards used in more conservative
technical publications
 Avoid placing blame
4. Use Verbs to Carry Weight
Replace this phrase with a verb

 make an adjustment
 make a decision = adjust
 perform an examination
= decide
 take into consideration
= examine
= consider
5. Eliminate Wordiness
 Wordy—idea can be said in fewer
words
 Conciseness; a mark of good writing
that contributes to clarity
 Omit words that say nothing
 Put the meaning in subject and verb
Omit Words that Say Nothing

 Cut words if idea is clear without them

 . . . period of three months
 . . . at the present time
 Replace wordy phrase with one word
 Ideally, it would be best to put the. . . .
 If possible, put the…
 There are three reasons for our success…
 Three reasons explain the…
Put Meaning of Sentence in
Subject & Verb: Example
w  The reason we are recommending the computerization of
or
dy this process is because it will reduce the time required to
obtain data and will give us more accurate data.

 Computerizing the process will give us more accurate data

more quickly.
tig
ht
6. Vary Sentence Length & Structure
 Varying sentence length and structure helps keep
audience interest
 Use short sentences when subject matter is complicated
 Use longer sentences to
 Show how ideas link to each other
 Reduce repetition
Vary Sentence Length & Structure, continued…

 Mix sentence structures

 Simple – 1 main clause
 Compound – 2 main clauses
 Complex – 1 main, 1 subordinate clause
7. Use Parallel Structure: Example

fa
ul During the interview, job candidates will
ty
 Take a skills test.
 The supervisor will interview the prospective
employee.
 A meeting with recently hired workers will be held.
pa
ra
lle
 lDuring the interview, job candidates will
 Take a skills test.
 Interview with the supervisor.
 Meet with recently hired workers.
8. Begin Most Paragraphs with Topic Sentence

 Unity—paragraph discusses one idea; a mark of good

writing
 Topic sentence—states main idea
 Tells what paragraph is about
 Forecasts paragraph’s structure
 Helps readers remember points
9. Use Thesis Statements
 A thesis is, essentially, a one or two-sentence version
of the analysis or argument presented in a
communication
 Most reports should contain clear and concise thesis
statements
 Readers almost instinctively look to them for guidance
10. Use Transitions to Link Ideas
 Transition—signals the connections between ideas to
the reader
 Tells if next sentence continues or starts new idea
 Tells if next sentence is more or less important than
previous
 Don’t get stuck in the
“however” rut; there are plenty
of lists of transitions online
11. Cite, cite, cite
 Always cite your sources, and use the citation
style your audience prefers
 Citations lend credibility and can keep you out
of academic and
legal trouble
 For CH EN 4903, use a
numbered list of
references (option 2 in
comment T34 in Example
Formal Report A)
Test drafts on actual audiences
 How long does it take to find
information they need?
 Do they make mistakes using it?
 Do they think draft is easy to use?
Writing Style Preferences
 Good writing varies by organization, and, of course, from
class to class and instructor to instructor
 Use the style your audience prefers