Successful Writing at Work

✍ Scribed by Philip C. Kolin

• Publisher: Cengage Learning
• Year: 2012
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 817
• Edition: 10
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This respected market-leading text offers students a comprehensive, practical introduction to workplace writing to prepare them for a range of communication tasks. SUCCESSFUL WRITING AT WORK, 10E, features an abundance of real-world examples and problems as well as an accessible writing style and detailed guidelines for planning, drafting, revising, editing, and producing professional documents and graphics. Students are presented with topics in four logically sequenced sections, beginning with basic business communications and proceeding to conducting research, documenting sources, and handling more advanced tasks such as reports, proposals, and oral presentations. With each new task, students learn to become effective problem solvers at work, to understand their audience, and to select the best communication tools to accomplish their goals.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Contents
Preface
PART I: Backgrounds
Chapter 1: Getting Started: Writing and Your Career
Writing—An Essential Job Skill
Writing for the Global Marketplace
Tech Note: Know Your Computer at Work
Four Keys to Effective Writing
Case Study: Writing to Different Audiences in a Large Corporation
Case Study: Adapting the Technical Details to Meet Your Audience’s Needs
Case Study: Adapting a Description of Heparin for Two Different Audiences
Characteristics of Job-Related Writing
Ethical Writing in the Workplace
Successful Employees Are Successful Writers
Revision Checklist
Exercises
Chapter 2: The Writing Process at Work
What Writing Is and Is Not
The Writing Process
Tech Note: Planning on Your Computer
Tech Note: Drafting on Your Computer
Tech Note: Revising on Your Computer
Case Study: A “Before” and “After” Revision of a Short Report
Tech Note: Editing on Your Computer
The Writing Process: Some Final Thoughts
Revision Checklist
Exercises
Chapter 3: Collaborative Writing and Meetings at Work
Teamwork Is Crucial to Business Success
Advantages of Collaborative Writing
Collaborative Writing and the Writing Process
Case Study: Collaborative Writing and Editing
Seven Guidelines for Establishing a Successful Writing Group
Ten Proven Ways to Be a Valuable Team Player
Sources of Conflict in Collaborative Groups and How to Solve Them
Models for Collaboration
Case Study: Evolution of a Collaboratively Written Document
Computer-Supported Collaboration
Case Study: Using Google Docs as a Collaboration Tool
Tech Note: Virtual Meetings: Teleconferencing, Web Conferencing, and Videoconferencing
Meetings
Tech Note: Videoconferencing with Skype
Conclusion
Revision Checklist
Exercises
PART II: Correspondence
Chapter 4: Writing Routine Business Correspondence: Memos, Faxes, Emails, IMs, and Blogs
What Memos, Faxes, Emails, IMs, and Blog Posts Have in Common
Memos
Sending Faxes: Some Guidelines
Tech Note: Scanning a Document
Email: Its Importance in the Workplace
Instant Messages (IMs) for Business Use
Blogs
Case Study: Writing a Blog to Keep Customer Goodwill
Conclusion
Revision Checklist
Exercises
Chapter 5: Writing Letters: Some Basics for Communicating with Audiences Worldwide
Letters in the Age of the Internet
Letter Formats
Standard Parts of a Letter
The Appearance of Your Letter
Envelopes
Organizing a Standard Business Letter
Making a Good Impression on Your Reader
International Business Correspondence
Case Study: Writing Reader-Friendly Letters: Two Versions
Case Study: Writing to a Client from a Different Culture: Two Versions of a Sales Letter
Sending Professional-Quality Letters: Some Final Advice to Seal Your Success
Revision Checklist
Exercises
Chapter 6: Types of Business Letters
Formulating Your Message
The Five Most Common Types of Business Letters
Cover Letters
Inquiry Letters
Special Request Letters
Sales Letters
Customer Relations Letters
Case Study: Two Versions of a Bad News Message
Case Study: Writing About Credit to a Non-Native Speaker
Writing Business Letters That Matter: A Summary
Revision Checklist
Exercises
Chapter 7: How to Get a Job: Searches, Networking, Dossiers, Portfolios/Webfolios, Résumés, Letters, and Interviews
Steps the Employer Takes to Hire
Steps to Follow to Get Hired
Analyzing Your Strengths and Restricting Your Job Search
Enhancing Your Professional Image
Looking in the Right Places for a Job
Using Online Social and Professional Networking Sites in Your Job Search
Dossiers and Letters of Recommendation
Career Portfolios/Webfolios
Preparing a Résumé
Tech Note: Developing Your Own Website for Your Job Search
The Digital Résumé
Case Study: Developing an Electronic Résumé and Building a Network
Letters of Application
Going to an Interview
Tech Note: Skype Interviews
Accepting or Declining a Job Offer
Searching for the Right Job Pays
Revision Checklist
Exercises
PART III: Gathering and Summarizing Information
Chapter 8: Doing Research and Documentation on the Job
Skills Necessary to Do Research
Understanding Research Strategies
The Differences Between School and Workplace Research
Some Research Scenarios
Characteristics of Effective Workplace Research
The Research Process
Two Types of Research: Primary and Secondary
Primary Research
Case Study: The WH eComm Survey
Secondary Research
Tech Note: Intranets
Tech Note: Library Chat Rooms
Tech Note: Grey Literature
Note Taking
Tech Note: Using Bookmarks
Tech Note: Electronic Note-Taking Software
Documenting Sources
A Business Research Report
Conclusion
Revision Checklist
Exercises
Chapter 9: Summarizing Information at Work
Summaries in the Information Age
The Importance of Summaries in Business
Contents of a Summary
Preparing a Summary
Tech Note: Using Software to Summarize Documents
Case Study: Summarizing an Original Article
Executive Summaries
Evaluative Summaries
Abstracts
Writing Successful News Releases
Conclusion
Revision Checklist
Exercises
PART IV: Preparing Documents and Visuals
Chapter 10: Designing Clear Visuals
Visual Thinking in the Global Workplace
The Purpose of Visuals
Types of Visuals and Their Functions
Choosing Effective Visuals
Generating Your Own Visuals
Tech Note: Scanners and Scanning
Inserting and Writing About Visuals: Some Guidelines
Tech Note: Importing Visuals from the Web
Two Categories of Visuals: Tables and Figures
Tables
Figures
Tech Note: Digital Photography
Using Visuals Ethically
Using Appropriate Visuals for International Audiences
Conclusion
Revision Checklist
Exercises
Chapter 11: Designing Successful Documents and Websites
Organizing Information Visually
Characteristics of Effective Design
Desktop Publishing
Tech Note: Desktop Publishing Programs
Before Choosing a Design
The ABCs of Print Document Design
Poor Document Design: What Not to Do
Writing for and Designing Websites
Case Study: Converting a Print Document for a Web Audience
Tech Note: Writing for Search Engines
Creating Storyboards for Websites and Other Documents
Tech Note: PDFs and the Web
Four Rules of Effective Page Design: A Wrap-Up
Revision Checklist
Exercises
Chapter 12: Writing Instructions and Procedures
Instructions, Procedures, and Your Job
Why Instructions Are Important
The Variety of Instructions: A Brief Overview
Instructions Online
Assessing and Meeting Your Audience’s Needs
Using Word-Processing Programs to Design Instructions
Case Study: Meeting Your Audience’s Needs
The Process of Writing Instructions
Using the Right Style
Using Visuals Effectively
The Six Parts of Instructions
Model of Full Set of Instructions
Writing Procedures for Policies and Regulations
Case Study: Writing Procedures at Work
Some Final Advice
Revision Checklist
Exercises
Chapter 13: Writing Winning Proposals
Writing Successful Proposals: Some Examples
Characteristics of Proposals
Types of Proposals
Eight Guidelines for Writing a Successful Proposal
Tech Note: Online RFPs
Tech Note: Document Design and Your Proposal
Internal Proposals
Sales Proposals
Proposals for Research Reports
A Final Reminder
Revision Checklist
Exercises
Chapter 14: Writing Effective Short Reports
Why Short Reports Are Important
Types of Short Reports
Seven Guidelines for Writing Short Reports
Tech Note: Creating Templates for Short Reports
Tech Note: Using the Web to Write Short Reports
Periodic Reports
Case Study: A Poor and an Effective Short Report
Sales Reports
Progress Reports
Tech Note: RSS Feeds
Employee Activity/Performance Reports
Trip/Travel Reports
Test Reports
Case Study: Two Sample Test Reports
Incident Reports
Short Reports: Some Final Thoughts
Revision Checklist
Exercises
Chapter 15: Writing Careful Long Reports
How a Long Report Differs from a Short Report
Tech Note: Using Government-Sponsored Research
The Process of Writing a Long Report
Parts of a Long Report
Tech Note: Automatically Formatting the Long Report
A Model Long Report
Final Words of Advice About Long Reports
Revision Checklist
Exercises
Chapter 16: Making Successful Presentations at Work
Writing a Document versus Making a Presentation
Evaluating a Speaker
Types of Presentations
Four Ways to Make a Presentation
Informal Briefings
Formal Presentations
Tech Note: Webinars
Tech Note: Interactive Whiteboards
Revision Checklist
Exercises
Appendix: A Writer’s Brief Guide to Paragraphs, Sentences, and Words
Paragraphs
Writing a Well-Developed Paragraph
Supply a Topic Sentence
Three Characteristics of an Effective Paragraph
Sentences
Constructing and Punctuating Sentences
What Makes a Sentence
Avoiding Sentence Fragments
Avoiding Comma Splices
Avoiding Run-on Sentences
Making Subjects and Verbs Agree in Your Sentences
Writing Sentences That Say What You Mean
Correct Use of Pronoun References in Sentences
Words
Spelling Words Correctly
Using Apostrophes Correctly
Using Hyphens Properly
Using Ellipses
Using Numerals versus Words
Matching the Right Word with the Right Meaning
Proofreading Marks
Index