实用英语写作理论

Chapter one—Principles of Business Communication4C原则：Conciseness(简洁), Clarity（明晰）, Correctness（准确），Courtesy(礼貌)Effective written workplace communication needs to show:● A style which is clear and concise（conciseness, clarity）● A tone which is polite but not overly modest (courtesy)● A presentation which contains no errors of format and language (correctness) Workplace writing types:●Informative writing: inform the reader about a product or serviceThe aim is to improve understanding.●Persuasive writing: persuade the reader that this product or service is a good oneand worth buyingThe aim is to stimulate emotions and develop enthusiasm.Levels of formality in business communication:●Bottom-up communication:To a superior=more formal●Top-down communication:From a superior=more formal●Sideways communication:To and from people of same rank=less formalChapter two—Writing MemosMemos writing guidelines:A memo (memorandum) is an administrative document. It●Is used only for communication within a company. It is an intra-companydocument and is not used for inter-company communication●May be distributed top-down ( from superiors to subordinates) or bottom-up( from subordinates to superiors)●Deal with a single topic●Names its sender(s) and recipient(s) clearly●Has short, easily readable paragraphs●May have sub-headings and numbered sub-sections●May be distributed electronically or in hard copyUsing the right language is not only a question of selecting correct vocabulary and grammar. Speakers and writing also need to take into account:●who they are addressing( the audience)●why they are speaking or writing( the purpose)●how they are communicating( the method)Using formal language increase the ‘social distance’between a sender and a recipient. Informal language reduces this distance.Chapter three—Writing Letters of RequestLetters of request are written to seek information or to obtain a response to a specific enquiry.Letters responding to requests give information but also attempt to build goodwill.These letters are all written in block format, which is now the most common format for such letters. As you can see, the main feature of this format is that everything (with the possible exception of the company’s letterhead and logo) is blocked or justified to the left side of the page. With this style, it is not necessary to use commas or full stops in the date, address, salutation, or close.Guidelines for writing request and response letters:●Subject line: write a suitable subject line to identify previous correspondence●Salutation: if you know the name of your recipient, begin Dear Mr. or Ms. X andclose Yours sincerely; if you do not know the recipient or their gender, begin Dear Sir/Madam and close Yours faithfully.●Body of letter: order information logically, explain and clarify it, provideadditional information if appropriate.●Close: end in a polite and friendly way to maintain goodwill.Chapter four—writing letters of complaint and adjustment Letters of complaint normally include the following information in the given order: ●An explanation of the problem●The consequence of the problem for both parties● A request to solve the problemLetters of adjustment normally include the following information in the given order:●An offer of apologies● A summary of action taken to rectify the problems●An assurance of goodwill including the offer of compensation, if appropriateChapter eight—applying for jobsApplication letters highlight important information which may be ‘lost’in a resume. Job application letters have a logical structure in which the information is selected and positioned to emphasize your suitability for the post. Remember to check the following:●state clearly what job you are applying for●state what your educational qualifications are and where they were obtained●sell yourself by linking your qualifications, experience and qualities with thoserequired for the position●state your contact details and availability for interviewThe functions of a resume:●It gives information about your personal status, your education/qualifications,your work record(including part-time or voluntary/charity work), any special awards, special interests, computer and language proficiency levels, and the names and addresses of referees;●It supports your claim to be worth interviewing for the advertised post and withthis in mind you may need to elaborate or emphasize certain sections of your resume in response to the demands of a particular job.A resume always contain particular information in sequence and under certain headings:●Personal Data●Education and Qualifications●Employment Record●Extracurricular Activities and Awards( for fresh graduate job-seekers)●Special Skills( languages and computer skills)●Hobbies and Sports●Referees( normally two respected people who know you well as a student and/oremployee)Language features of resumes:The main feature appears under the heading Part-time Employment Record, that is, the use of action verbs in the simple past tense. These verbs placed at the beginning of a phrase help your writing to be dynamic and engaging for your readers.Chapter ten—writing the minutes of meetings Minutes of a meeting are written for two main purposes:●To create a record of what took place in the meeting●To remind those at the meeting of the actions they need to take after the meeting Minutes always include the following facts:●The time and date of the meeting, where it was held, and who chaired it●The names of all those attending the meeting and of those who sent theirapologies for absence●The agenda items discussed and all decisions reached●The time at which the meeting ended●The time, data and venue of the next meeting●The actions which need to be taken, by whom by what date●The name of the minute-taker, his/her role and the date on which the minuteswere writtenChapter twelve—writing persuasivelyWe persuade others in three main ways:●Appeal to reason●Appeal to emotions●Appeal to trust by emphasizing the status of the company and/or individualswithin the companyAppeal to reason relates to the information in an advertisement, while the other appeals relate more closely to persuasion.Chapter thirteen—writing sales reportTo indicate upward movement(按程度由轻到重排列):● a gradual/steady rise to rise gradually/steadily● a rapid increase to increase/go upquickly/rapidly● a steep climb to climb steeply● a dramatic jump to jump dramaticallyTo indicate downward movement(按程度由轻到重排列)：● a gradual/steady fall to fall gradually/steadily● a sharp drop to drop sharply/steeply● a rapid decline to decline quickly/rapidly● a dramatic decrease to decrease dramaticallyTo indicate stability or fluctuation, the peak and the bottom:●to reach the bottom/lowest point●to go through a trough●to reach a peak/the highest point●to level out●to fluctuateChapter fourteen—writing business proposals Business proposals are written to suggest new ideas for organizing a company to make it more efficient or for promoting its products and services in a more effective way. Business proposals may also be called feasibility studies, because they attempt to show that an idea will work in practice. To be practical, there are five areas in which an idea needs to work:●the technical●the resource-related●the financial●the social●the environmentalWriters of business proposals need to consider the following key questions:●Is the proposal within the possibilities of available technology?(the technical)●Does the company have qualified personnel to implement the proposal?(theresource-related)●Is the proposal cost-effective and what is the likely profit margin?(the financial) ●Will the proposal affect the lives of people in the company and/or localcommunity, including their jobs?(the social)●Will the proposal create a negative impact on the environment?(theenvironmental)A feasibility study can be developed by the use of:●Numbered and centered major headings●Clear sub-headings●Double-spaced paragraphs●An informative diagramChapter fifteen—Promoting Products and ServicesPromotional materials can be subdivided into a number of different types:●Sales letters●Promotional e-mails●Brochures●Press(or news) releases●Print and TV advertisementsTargeting the audience:●The Product or service●The prospective customers●The competitionContent:The content of any promotional material must:●Arouse interestMake the readers curious. The information you give must persuade the readers that you have something valuable to offer. You then need to motivate them to buy.●Stress benefitsMake all the benefits mentioned customer-centered, not supplier-centered. Convince the readers that your product or service will make them healthier, wealthier and wiser.●Be truthfulMake sure that all your claims are accurate. Don’t overstate the benefits of your product or service. Avoid any criticism or false advertising—it could get you into legal trouble!●Be specificCreate vivid images by using simple, observable details. Avoid phrase such as:‘lasts longer’ (then what?)‘prints more quickly’(then what?)Tips for language in promotional materials:●Write short sentences●Use simple words that are familiar to the reader●Make each word count●Use the present tense as much as possible●Avoid the passive voice●Use personal pronouns such as ‘we’ and ‘you’to reduce the distance betweenyour company and the client●Use short forms whenever possible to further reduce the distance●Use bullet points to put across ideas in a concise manner●Adapt your style to suit the product or service●Revise and edit your promotional material. Ask your colleagues to comment onwhat you have written. Leave your draft overnight and review it the next day.You’ll be surprised at the number of improvements you can make.Chapter sixteen—developing company profilesA company profile provides prospective clients and customers with what thecompany considers to be key information about the organization. This will normally include:●Facts and figures about its major products and services●The history and development of the company●Its mission and philosophy● A statement of identify● A projection of its preferred image(including a logo)While it aims to provide the reader with an overview of the company, its primary purpose is to persuade the reader to support the company in some way. So,a company profile has both informational and promotional purposes.Mission statementsOne of the most important parts of a company profile is the mission statement. This is a declaration of a corporation or organization’s philosophical ideals and values. A mission statement stresses values, positive behaviors, and guiding principles. Mission statements tend to be formally expressed and widely communicated to both internal and external audience. They set a standard by which an organization is supposed to measure itself.。