Avoid Negative Use Euphemisms

Language Appropriately

Focus on Ease the Emotional

Opportunities for Burden on the Writer
Improvement

Emphasize Audience Soften the Blow to the

Benefits Audience – Be Honest,
Not Harsh

BAB 5 Using Bias-Free Language

Adapting to Your Audience: Being Sensitive • Gender Bias

to Audience Needs
• Racial and Ethnic Bias
Using the “You” Attitude
• Age Bias
• Use Second Person Pronouns
• Disability Bias
• Show Interest in Your Audience
Adapting to Your Audience: Building Strong
• Respect Cultural Preferences Relationships

• Adhere to Organizational Policies Establishing Your Credibility

Maintaining Standards of Etiquette • Honesty

• Respect Your Audience • Objectivity

• Minimize Negative Emotional • Awareness of Audience Needs

Reactions
• Credentials, Knowledge, and
• Use Diplomacy and Tact Expertise

• Be Conscious of the Correct Level of • Endorsements

Formality
• Performance
• Choose the Medium Best-Suited to
Your Message • Sincerity

Emphasizing the Positive Projecting Your Company’s Image

• Communication Style

• Communication Guidelines

Adapting to Your Audience: Controlling

Your Style and Tone

Creating a Conversational Tone

• Understand the Difference Between

Texting and Writing

• Avoid Preaching and Bragging

 • Be Careful with Intimacy

• Be Careful with Humor

Dull and Indirect in Lively and Direct in

Passive Voice Active Voice

The new procedure The operations team

was developed by developed the new
the operations procedure.

team.

Legal problems are This contract creates Denotative Words Connotative Words
created by this legal problems.
contract. Explicit Implicit

Reception Our PR people have Literal or Dictionary Includes all

preparations have begun planning a Meaning
been undertaken by reception Associations and
Feelings Evoked by
our PR people for the for the new CEO. the Word
new CEO’s arrival.
You lost the The shipment was
Use Plain Language shipment. lost.

• Helps Audience Easily Grasp Meaning I recruited seven Seven engineers

engineers last were recruited last
• Supports the “You” Attitude
month. month.
• Shows Respect for Audience
We are The high rate of
• Increases Productivity investigating the failures on the final
• Helps Diverse, Global Audiences high rate of failures assembly line is
on the final being investigated.
Selecting the Active or Passive Voice assembly line.

Composing Your Message: Choosing

Powerful Words
In general, avoid passive voice to make your
writing lively and direct. Three Levels of Writing
However, passive voice is helpful when you • Strong Words
need to be diplomatic or want to focus
attention on problems or solutions rather • Effective Sentences
than on people.
• Coherent Paragraphs
Accusatory or Self- More Diplomatic Understanding Denotation and Connotation
Congratulatory in in Passive Voice
Balancing Abstract and Concrete Words
Active Voice
 • Abstract Words: Concepts, Quality, • Wording Key Ideas
Characteristic
– Devoting More Words to Key
• Concrete: Touch, See, Visualize Thoughts

Finding Words That Communicate Well – Sentence Style

• Choose Strong, Precise Words – Characteristic

• Choose Familiar Words • Placing Key Ideas

• Avoid Clichés and Buzzwords – At the Beginning or End of a

Sentence
• Use Jargon Carefully
– Making Key Thoughts The
Composing Your Message: Creating Effective Subject
Sentences
– In Dependent Clauses
Choosing From the Four Types of Sentences
Composing Your Message: Crafting Unified,
Coherent Paragraphs
Simple Compound
Sentence Sentence Creating the Elements of a Paragraph

One Two Main

Main Clauses Topic Support Transitions
Clause Sentence Sentences

Objects Joined by Summary of Support and Help

and Conjunction the General Expand the Readers
Phrases Idea Topic Move
Between
Sentences
and
Complex Compoun Paragraphs
Sentence d
Complex Reminds Clarify and Creates a
Sentence Reader of Justify the Smooth,
the Purpose Topic Even Flow
One Main Two Main of Each
Clause Clauses Paragraph
(Independe
nt Clause)

One or At Least
Choosing the Best Way to Develop Each
More One
Paragraph
Subordinate Clause
Clause Contains a • Five ways to develop paragraphs:
(Dependent Subordinat
Clauses) e Clause – Illustration

– Comparison or contrast

Using Sentence Style to Emphasize Key – Cause and effect

Thoughts
 – Classification

– Problem and solution

• Use Linear Organization

• Prioritize Information

• Write Shorter, More Focused

Messages

• Use Shorter Subject Lines and

Headings

• Use Shorter Paragraphs

Writing Messages for Mobile Devices