Jon Ramsey - Business Writing Scenarios: Writing from the Inside

Writing from the Inside

Writing from the Inside

Jon Ramsey

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1. To become an effective business writer and colleague, you need to imagine your way inside a wide variety of business situations. This chapter explores the fundamentals of this approach.
2. Before you begin composing any piece of business writing, you will need to consider your role and authority within the business organization, your purpose in writing, the audience you must reach, the strategy that is most likely to achieve the desired goal, and the best medium for your communication purposes. This chapter examines these important factors.
3. Knowing how to draft an effective rsum and cover letter is key to your success in securing a position and advancing in your field. This chapter gives practical advice on creating these important documentsand on succeeding in the job search.
4. As a business writer you want to create documents that are as aesthetically pleasing as they are easy to read and understand. This chapter covers design basics, as well as important document formats and conventions.
5. It is important to address colleagues as valued partners in a shared enterprise. This style of communication will help foster a culture of cooperation, productivity, and respect that is crucial to any organizations success.
6. External audiences with whom you communicate will view you as a representative of your organization, so it is important to make a good impression on them. This chapter will help you communicate effectively with such audiences, even under the most challenging circumstances.
7. As you advance in your career, you may be called on to develop longer, more complicated documents, such as grant proposals or business plans. This chapter will introduce you to the fundamentals of these more complex pieces of writing.
8. Even highly experienced business professionals make communication errors at times, and you can learn from their mistakes. This chapter provides examples of some especially glaring gaffes to avoid.
9. In this chapter, well take a closer look at leadership qualities that you can foster in yourself to become both a better communicator and a better colleague.

Human beings organize themselves into complex social, cultural, political, and business units. Effective communication practices are essential for sustaining these social, civic, and professional structures and for advancing their interests. At its heart, Business Writing Scenarios: Writing from the Inside is about business communications in this broader sense. The book centers on the human relationships facilitated or negotiated through written (and other) communications, which can help businesses thrive over time or, in other instances, leave them in a weakened state. Business Writing Scenarios also examines the value systems, thinking patterns, and communication strategies that are the hallmarks of successful leadership across a variety of organizational structures.

Central to this book are the scenarios of its name: real-world business situations that students are likely to encounter as they pursue their careers. The scenarios immerse students in challenging writing situations for example, having to convey disappointing news, to explain a major policy change, or to respond to a difficult customer and show how writers addressed these situations effectively or ineffectively. After analyzing the scenarios, students apply what theyve learned through activities (applications) that ask them to respond in writing to similar business situations. The applications provide advice on how to address the particular challenges of each writing situation, helping students focus on their purpose and audience and on the most productive communication strategies. As they analyze the scenarios and complete the applications, students build the thinking and writing skills that will serve them for years to come in any professional situation.

Business Writing Scenarios also helps students avoid writing gaffes, which can have serious consequences and which, thanks to the rise of digital communications, have never been easier for others to discover and disseminate.

Throughout the book, students will learn to communicate clearly and without wasting words and, thus, their audiences time. They will also learn to develop nuances of tone, learn how to marshal sufficient evidence, and learn how to understand audience psychology in other words, to assess what will achieve a particular purpose based on audience needs and expectations. All of these skills are essential in complex business writing situations. This approach to business writing, and the focus of this book, asks students to imagine their way into business and leadership roles that most of them have not yet experienced and to think creatively and strategically as they write their way toward persuasive communications.

Bedford/St. Martins offers resources and format choices that help you and your students get even more out of your book and course. To learn more about or to order any of the following products, contact your Bedford/St. Martins sales representative, e-mail sales support (sales_support@bfwpub.com), or visit the Web site at macmillanhighered.com/businesswritingscenarios/catalog