LESSON 10.docx
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LESSON 10.docx
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LESSON10
Chapter1
Introduction
ForthelastlegofyourEffectiveBusinessWritingjourney,youleavethemicrocosmofspelling,punctuation,andgrammarandpullbackforamoremacroscopicview.Inthenextthreelessons,Iguideyouthroughtheintricaciesoffindingtherighttoneforyourbusinessdocuments.WelcometoPartIII:
TakeanAttitude.
ToliftyourspiritsinLesson10,IteachyouafourthbrainstormingtechniquecalledtheUnsentLetter.Youlearnhoweasyitistomakeunintentionalmistakesintone.Finally,Isharesomestrategiesforcatchingtheseunconsciousandself-destructiveerrors.
WhatIsTone?
Thetoneyourwritingconveysistypicallyconstructedofthreeparts:
yourattitudetowardyourownneeds,yourattitudetowardyoursubject,andyourattitudetowardyourreader.Yourfeelingsaboutyourneeds,subject,andreaderinteracttocreateasingletone.
Findingtherighttonegoesbeyondeliminatingoverblownbusinessphraseslikeenclosedherewithpleasefind.Youalsoneedtorecognizehowyourfeelingsdeterminethetoneofyourdocument.Inthislesson,Iwillteachyouhowtoachieveanatural,positivetone,onethatfurthersyourgoalinwritingbymakingyourreaderfeelcomfortableandattendedto.
HowYourFeelingsCombinetoSettheTone
ImaginethatyouareaCostAccountantworkingataboatbuildingplant.YourbuddyAlfredinSalesasksyoutoreviewasalesproposalhewrotebeforehee-mailsittotheclient.Youlookovertheproposalandrespond:
E-mail#1:
"YourproposaltotheSmithBrotherslooksgreat!
Ihatetoadmitit,butIevenlearnedafewthings.LookforacoupleofplacesinthebudgetwhereIdetailedhowwemightsavetheS.B.'ssomemoney.Letmeknowifthosechangeslookgoodtoyou.Imightbeabletofindmoreplacesyoucancut.ShouldIkeeplooking?
"
Nowimaginethatyourbossasksyoutoreviewasalesproposalbeforeshesendsittotheclient.Shewantsyourfeedback,andsoyousendherthefollowingshorte-mail:
E-mail#2:
"IappreciateyougivingmetheopportunitytoreviewyourdraftproposaltotheSmithBrothers.Asyouasked,Ihaveinsertedmycomments,primarilyonthebudget,whereIbelievewecanlowercoststotheclient.Iwouldbegladtopursuefurtherresearchintocostcuttingifyouwish.Iwillwaittohearfromyou."
Inthethirdexample,agroupofexternalwritingconsultantshasdraftedtheproposal.Yourbossasksthatyoue-mailthemanysuggestionsyouhave.
E-mail#3:
"IreviewedyourdraftoftheSmithBrothersproposaland,forthemostpart,founditcompleteandcompelling.IntheBudgetsection,pages15-17,youwillfindmycommentsconcerningthreeareaswhereclientcostscanbereduced,thusincreasingtheattractivenessofouroffer.Iampursuingtwoadditionalbudgetreductionitems,andwillcontactyoubyFridayconcerningthesechanges."
Letmeanalyzetheseexamplesfurthertoshowhowtheinteractionbetweenyourfeelingsaboutyourownneeds,yoursubject,andyourreaderdeterminesyourtone.
YourFeelingsAboutYourNeedsMakeaDifference
Yourfeelingsaboutyourownneedsmakeadifferenceinallthreeversions.Notehowyoufeelnoneedtothankyourfriendforthechancetoreadtheproposal,sinceyouareclearlydoinghimafavor.YourfriendshipwithyourpalAlfredmakesyourtoneinMemo#1quiteinformal.Youdofeelaneedtothankyourbossfortheopportunitytoreadtheproposal.Youwanttoindicatethatyouareateamplayer,thatyouarewillingtotakeonextrawork,andthatyou'rereadyforpromotion.Youfeelnoneedtothanktheconsultantssincetheirpresencedoesnotinfluenceyourjob.
YourFeelingsabouttheTopicMakeaDifference
Thereferencetofindingmoresavingsinthebudgetinallthreeversionsshowsthatyoucareaboutthesalesproposal.Notehowyouvarythephrasingoftheoffertoincludemorebudgetarysavings,basedonthedifferentreaders.Inthethirdexample,youdon'tevenaskiftheywantthem.Yourefertospecificsuggestionsandpromisemore.
YourFeelingsaboutYourReadersMakeaDifference
Notethedifferentsenseofdistanceandformalityineachexample.Youareinformalwhenwritingtoyourfriend,butfarmorerespectfulwithyourboss.Inthethirdexample,youdeliberatelycreatedistanceandevenstakeoutaclaimtodominance.Thephraseforthemostparttakesawaymuchofthepraiseyougiveinthephrasecompleteandcompelling.Youwanttoshowthatyouareinapositiontojudgetheirwork.
Suchdistinctionsareacommonpartofdailybusinesswriting.Youarefullyequippedtomakethesejudgmentsifyouapplytheskillsyoulearnedinthisclass,especiallytheFourBasicQuestionsofWhy,Who,What,andHow.
Chapter2
TheContinuumofFeelings
Clearly,yourfeelingshavealottodowithgettingthetonerightorwrong.Toexploretheworldoffeelings,IwanttoteachyouafourthbrainstormingtechniquecalledtheUnsentLetter.Rememberbrainstorming?
Putawayyourpreconceptionsandgetreadytobreaksomerules.
TheUnsentLetter
Thefirststepistothinkofasituationatworkinwhichyouweretreatedverybadly.Lookingoverthefollowingexamplescanhelpyouthinkofone.
Wereyouunfairlypassedoverforapromotion?
Didaco-workertakecreditforsomeofyourbestwork?
Wereyouthelasttofindoutthateveryoneblamedyouforsomethingyoudidn'tdo?
Didtheovernightmailservicedeliveracriticalcontracttoolateandcauseyoutoloseanimportantclient?
Didthecomputersystemgodownjustwhenyouneededtoaccessanimportantdocument?
Didavendorrefusetoacceptareturnonanitemthatwasbroken?
Pickoutaspecificsituationthatangeredyouonthejob.Youneedtohaveoneinmindforthisexercise.
WriteanAngryLetter
Onceyouselectavividmemoryofinjustice,incompetence,orimpoliteness,takefiveminutesandwritethepersonorpersonsresponsible.Createadocumentoruseacleansheetofpapertowriteaboutyourexperience.Tellthemhowyoufeelabouttheiractions,andwhatyou'dliketodototheminreturn.Insultthem.Callthemnames.Exaggerate.Usebadlanguage.Saythingsyouwouldnotordinarilysay.
Whenyou'redone,youwilltearthisletterup,sodon'tholdback.Thisisanexerciseinexpressingyourfuryanddamagedfeelings,notinwritingwell,sothereisnoneedforyoutobecourteousorcorrect.Practiceexploringandexpressingtheabsoluteworstofhowyoufeelaboutthispersonorsituation.Indulgeyourrageforafullfiveminutes.
Done?
Rereadyourletter,thentearupyourpageoreraseyourdocument.Bytheway,I'dlovetohearhowyoulikedthisexercise,soletmeknowintheDiscussionArea.Ialsoteachthistechniquetojournalwritersandcreativewritersbecauseitletsyousafelywriteabouttopicsyoumayfindithardtodiscuss,evenwithfriendsorfamily.Somepeopleuseittohelpresolveconflictswithlovedoneswhohavedied.Manypeoplefindithelpfultoexpressunacceptableorunresolvedfeelingsonpaper.
ConstructiveProblemSolving
WouldsendingyourUnsentLetterhaveimprovedthesituationyouwroteabout?
Mostlikelynot.IusetheUnsentLetterwithbusinesswriterstodramatizehowuneditedemotionisharmfultoproblemsolving.TheUnsentLetterisuseful,however,ingettingridoffeelingsthatarenotproductive.Ifyoueverfindyourselffrustratedandangryatwork,giveitatry.Itonlytakesafewminutes.
WritinganUnsentLettercanhelpcalmyoudown.It'sanespeciallygoodwaytoavoidsendingoutthatimpulsivee-mail.Aquickparagraphspoutingyourworstfeelings—whichyouthendelete—caneaseyourfeelings.Expression,eveninwriting,isagoodwaytogetpastunhelpfulfeelings.
Nowyou'rereadytowriteane-mail,letter,ormemothatisconstructive,thatfocusesonproblemsolvingratherthanpunishing,thatmakesaplanratherthanrehashingblameandolddisasters.Makethefutureexpandwithpossibilitiesratherthancontractbeneaththeweightofpastmistakes.
UnintentionalMistakesinTone
Considerthecontinuumoffeelingsgivenbelow.
ContinuumofFeelings
Cordial..........................Angry
Warm..........................Cold
Personal.......................Mechanical
Cheerful.......................Resentful
Suggesting....................Commanding
Helpful..........................Discouraging
Courteous.....................Tactless
Itisnomysterythatyoushouldwritemostdocumentswithanattitudefromtheleftcolumn.Commonsensetellsyounottoberesentfulortactless.However,unliketheUnsentLetterexercisewhereyoudeliberatelywrotedownyournegativefeelings,documentscaneasilyveeroffintothetonesontherightsideofthecontinuumwithoutyouknowingit.
Anexcellentstrategyforavoidingunintentionalmistakesintoneistoputyourselfinyourreaders'shoes.Useoneofthebrainstormingstrategies.Dialoguewithyourreader,freewriteaboutthesituation,ordraftanUnsentLetter.Thinkaboutthesituationfromyourreaders'pointsofview.Whatdotheycareabout?
Howdoyoufeelaboutthem?
Chapter3
NegativeWordsAreaTip-OfftoMistakesinTone
Partoftheproblemisthatmanyofthelettersyouwriteatworkarerepetitive.Itishardtoempathizewiththefeelingsofthehundredthconfusedcustomerwhobringsthesamebillingproblemtoyourattention.Anegativetonecaneasilyslipintoyourdocument.Ithappenstoeveryone.
Letmetellyouhowtocatchyourselffrombeingtactless,mechanical,andchillyjustbecauseyouarewearyandoverworked.
LookforNegativeWords
Here'salistofnegativewordsthatyoushouldavoid.Lookitovercarefullybecauseyouwillfindsomesurprises.Yes,policyisanegativew
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- LESSON 10