BASICS OF EFFECTIVE WRITING You have been writing on a variety of subjects for years now. You may therefore wonder why a discussion on effective writing is desirable at this stage. The reasons are not far to seek. One, there is no end of the road leading to excellence. Two, writing, like any other skill, requires sustained and disciplined practice. Three, there is always a need to bear in mind the basic principles of effective writing. If you ponder for a while, you will realise that basically there are two situations in which you have been writing. One, in which you expressed your own thoughts as, for example, in an essay or a term:paper and two, in which you communicated the thoughts of others as, for example, in a precis or in an explanation of a poem. Whatever be the situation, you may have often been advised to improve what you had written. This is so because, to be effective, the writing that results in both the situations should have more or less the same qualities. So the discussion that follows focuses attention on what it is that makes writing effective. The writing process, as you are aware, consists of the following four steps: * Choice of words and phrases. * Organisation of words and phrases into sentences. * Arrangement of sentences into paragraphs. * Sequencing of paragraphs into a composition. But then the composition has several forms such as essay, term paper, precis, book review, letter, etc. And each form has certain unique features according to the function it has to perform, the purpose it has to achieve and the kind of audience it has been written for. Our focus 8 in general, all forms of writing are expectet discussion the four steps mentioned earlier, one by one. (139) hall be on those basic features which, d to have. Let us then take up forEll munication Skills — Semester-I we pict (i) CHOICE OF WORDS AND PHRASES wally oP pot abstr ‘An angry wife once said to her husband, “Can’t you say “we've been ; w zp ine 25 years’ instead of 8 quarter of @ century” a As you can see, the choicg ' oo ng 9° is not merely a matter of conveying meaning but eee) a matter of aan oes whet! judgement. It is well known that we have hardly any choice in the uge otha @ soe words. Their use is determined by the rules of grammer and usage. For x pe “3 of i a in the sentence, “International sport generates goodwill among nations, or peor no choice for “among” put for the content word generates’ we have a «y. we ove ‘, using’produces’ or creates’ ‘The fact is that to express one idea there are g we nl of content words and we have to choose the ones that are most appropriate, e ear situation. Our choice depends mainly on two considerations, viz., the mea: » ce ope we wish to convey and the requirements of usage and context. For example 9) 33 a vit cannot use ‘beautiful’ and ‘handsome’ interchangeably, though both neal pipe? “attractive, pleasing to the senses”. The use of ‘handsome’ for women is restric rao it can be used only for those attractive women who have large, strong featura| sak Similarly, usage restricts the use of ‘beautiful’ for men. by oF s that a word has several meanings. fy} a Another fact that we have to remember i example, the word thead’ does not merely refer to & part of our body. Among it other uses are ‘the head of an institution’, ‘the head of river’, ‘the head of a cai! etc. The dictionary, as we know, lists a number of meanings and examples usage of words. You may wonder how then a choice should be made to mai writing effective. There are no rules-of-the-thumb to guide us in the matter. Bul a few suggestions are given below to help you choose the right word. © Prefer concrete and specific words to abstract and general words. ¢ Prefer short and familiar words to long and unfamiliar words. © — Use jargon, foreign words and cliches only when unavoidable. ©” Use only acceptable abbreviations and acronyms. Prefer Concrete and Specific Words to Abstract and Genera A concrete or specific word generally conveys a definite meaning were abstract or a general word refers to ideas, emotions, feelings or classesleto™™ things. If you use ‘house’, ‘book’ or ‘chair’, the reader would easily be ableto® 1, WordsWriting Skills 14, the picture of some house/book/chair and understand what you are referring to. But abstract words like ‘democracy’, ‘progress’, ‘excellence’ or general words ike ‘puilding’, ‘publication’ or furniture’ may not convey to the reader the specific meaning you have in mind. It is therefore, advisable to use concrete and specific words, wherever possible. Obviously, the use of abstract and general words cannot pe altogether avoided. Their number is very large and it has to be because the world of ideas and imagination is an important part of human life and most of the theoretical and intellectual discussion demands the use of such words, Moreover, a proper context often brings out their meaning clearly. For example, even in short phrases like ‘the functioning of democracy in India’ and ‘progress in learning English’, the meaning of words ‘democracy’ and ‘progress’ becomes more specific. Other ways of making the meaning of such words clear and specific are giving examples, defining, or explaining them. You .may have observed that inimportant documents, key words are often explained or defined in the beginning ora glossary at the end. Look at the following example, in which by replacing abstract and general words by concrete, and specific words the reader's imagination can be touched more successfully. Abstract/General Words Concrete/Specific Words Shyam bought new furniture on the occasion of Diwali. Prof Parulkar has a number of Publications to his credit. Shyamal has gone to Delhi by road transport. The head of our institution made an important announcement today. Shyam bought a new sofa set on the occasion of Diwali. Prof. Parulkar has published 7 books, 31 research papers and 28 articles. Shyamal has gone to Delhi by bus. The Principal of our college made an important announcement today.142 KLS Communication Skills — Semester-I Abstract/General Words * The broken parts of the iron rod Concrete/Specific w, ordy ¢ The broken part: Parts of the ito were joined. were welded. ty © The bedrooms in this flat are quite | * The bed rooms in thig flat big. spacious. ate iy * The decision would be conveyed to | * The decision would be eon, the employees in the near future. the employees within a oe 4 * Pour the milk into a glass, : ¢ — The opinion poll indicates that persons would prefer a change; the government. Q © Pour the liquid into a vessel. © The opinion poll indicates that a vast majority would prefer a change in the government. ¢ The Executive Committee is actively considering the proposal. « The Executive Committes , studying the proposal, : Here are a few more examples of abstract and general words which can be replay by concrete and specific words in certain contexts. Abstract/General Concrete/Specific Activate Start Aggregate Total Compensation Pay/salary Demonstrate Show Endeavour Try Expedite Speed up Illumination Light Main meals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Ornament Jewellery Reside Live Terminate End There are three more points which you need to remember to make your wai concrete/ specific. First, be specially careful in using adjectives and ave These classes of words generally express the subjective judgement of the ' For example, what you consider to be ‘good’ may be ‘bad’ for others. Bye idoN Writing Skills 143 eryday use such as ig, ‘small’, large, ‘short’ ete. reflect the judgement ord of ev! y Obviously you can not avoid using such words. To bring out their of the user ; «ng clearly provide proper context and wherever possible, use in their place s re concrete and specific words. om second point to remember is that the use of certain phrases containing noun for of verbs make the meaning abstract. You should therefore use verbs instead ofsuch phrases. A few examples are given below: phrases Verbs gubmit an application Apply Have @ confrontation confront take into consideration Consider Make @ suggestion Suggest Tender resignation Resign Make @ formulation Formulate Make an investigation Investigate Make a selection select The third point to remember is that the use of words with -wise as suffix tends to make the writing foggy. So avoid using suc! (1) He cannot help you money-wise. Revised: He cannot help you financially. (2) The purchase of the machine is all right cost-wise. Revised: The cost of the machine is all right. '(8) This institution enjoys good reputation research-wise. Revised: This institution enjoys good reputation for its research work. (4) The Trust has been doing a lot of work charity-wise. Revised: The Trust has been doing [Link] charitable work. (5) Time-wise the proposal is feasible Revised: The proposal can be implemented within the time required. Prefer Short and Familiar Words to Long and Unfamiliar Words The use of short and familiar words is likely to make your writing crisp and clear, making it easier for you to catch and sustain the attention of the reader. Usually such words are used in everyday transactions. For example, doctor (instead of ‘medical practitioner), advocate (instead of ‘legal practitioner’), get h words. A few examples follow: gy apt:» ON 144 KLS Communication Skills — Semester-I (instead of ‘procure’) are more commonly used. Remember, yoy, Write a \ and not to impress the reader with your vocabulary. There ig 10 po a difficult and unfamiliar words, compelling the reader to consult the an’ again and again to understand the meaning. Choose your words, keepin, , the background, the age, and the intelligence level of your reader ty vocabulary is rich, you would have a greater choice and the chanceg Of yoy dy suitable short and familiar words would be greater. Ty Given below is a list of a few long and unfamiliar words which can be rep those in the second column to make the writing easy to understand, Wed h however, suggest that the words in the first column should not be Used at all fact, in certain contexts they can be used for proper effect and or for th : Sey variety. Long/Unfamiliar Short/Familiar Ameliorate Improve Commence Begin Conflagration Fire Delve Dig Dwell Live Effectuate Effect Envisage Foresee Indisposition Illness Perusal Study Purchase Buy Ramification Branch, sub-division Residence House Transmit Send Verbose Wordy Viable Worthwhile Use Jargon, Foreign Words and Cliches only When Unavoidable ; Jargon is specialised or technical vocabulary used by the members of 4 profess? or discipline for communication. In physics, chemistry or mathematics ° : you will find the language full of jargon. Similarly, you may have noti " when a doctor or an advocate interacts with his colleagues, he use meWriting Skills 145 er In fact, for proper communication of abstract concepts or complex 106? “n such situations the use of jargon is essential. Its use is also necessary 17 id08® ed fields of human activity For example, neither cricket commentary pe nor the nuances of a raga discussed without the use of jargon- " sho0lds avoid using jargon for communication with the reader who yo ot belo to your discipline or profession or who is not familiar with the we cal aspects of the topic you are discussing. To the extent possible try to apres your jdeas, using words from the general vocabulary. If you can not help ysiné chnical words, explain them at their first occurrence in your writing either in the text/footnotes or list them in the glossary if their number is large er, never Use jargon to establish your superiority or to exhibit the richness of your yocabulary. Remember, the merit of a communication lies in its easy and quick comprehension by an audience larger than that for which it is meant. So, use a plain word instead of a technical word, wherever the meaning is not truncated, distorted or lost. English, as’ you know, has a large number of words of foreign origin. In fact, English has become rich, strong and widely used language because of its generosity in borrowing and assimilating words from other languages. There are, however, a few foreign words and phrases and their short forms which have retained their original form and meaning. A few which are used frequently are made listed below: Short form Full form Meaning am. ante meridiem before noon cf. confer compare etal et alibi and others ee. exempligratia for example | etcetra and so on ibid ibidem jn the same place loc. cit. loco citato in the place cited [Link] opere citato in the work cited - post meridiem afternoon 2 videlicit namely versus against, in contrast with146 KLS Communication Skills — Semester-I = alma mater fostering mother fy. = bonafide in good faith "eh _ post mortem after death _ status quo as it is _ status quo ante as it was before a Teeent _ via through - vide see You may use expressions such as the ones given above because they arg 7 understood. But there is no point in deliberately using foreign Phrases vide supra, infra dig, tete-a-tete, raison d’etre, etc. for impressing the es when their English equivalents see above, below dignity, personal talk, ints for can convey the same meaning. Cliches : A cliche is a worn out phrase which has lost its « effectiveness because oforen Its aptness in the context in which it was first used had mad Popular, ty now it is often used without proper thought in unsuitable contexts, TE you reg critically today’s writings such as articles in newspapers, magazines, Popul books, etc. you would find a number of. inapt cliches. A few exam below: ples are five Burning question, conspicuous by absence, by leaps and bounds, part and pared, bolt from the blue, play in the hands of, iron hand of the law, fish in troubld waters, acid test, in the last analysis, an axe to grind, goes without saying, kit perusal, last but not the least, ete. As far as possible, keep your writing cliche-free. Use a cliche only when (a) ya are unable to coin a more effective phrase and (b) in your judgement it would bt express your thought. In fact, there aré some cliches which are so telling that would be difficult to replace them by more effective expressions. For exampl cliches such as at a stone’s t hrow, hit the bull’s eye, wear and tear, a drop int pon. Ocean a to improve upo (ii) ORGANISATION OF WORDS AND PHRASES INTO SENTENCES Acollege advertised for a music teacher who could teach drawing also. One of candidates wrote: “In response to your advertisement for a teacher for musi drawing, either male or female, I say that I have been both for several ye#*| 1am sure I can handle both”. The reader must have felt amused and formed @ poor impression about the communication ability of the writer. To communicate well one must acquire the ability to construct proper sentences. Ifyou ponder for a while, you would realise that most of the sentences you write in your composition (essays, articles, reports, letters, ete.) are statements and that each text is a mixture of simple, compound and complex sentences. Now we shall draw your attention to the following points which you need to bear in mind while constructing such sentences. « Prefer short sentences « Vary the length and structure of sentences « Prefer active voice e Avoid redundancy Prefer Short Sentences Both simplicity and clarity can be attained by using short sentences, that is, sentences having only one clause and a few essential qualifiers and modifiers. The reader may find it difficult to understand the meaning if your writing has a large number of. compound and complex sentences and is cluttered with a number of modifiers/qualifiers. The use of too many ‘ifs’, ‘buts’ and ‘althoughs’ can suffocate meaning and your thought may be lost in the maze of words. We, however, do not suggest that all the sentences of your composition should be short and simple. In fact, conjunctions which are often used to construct long sentences perform a useful function. They are, as you know, used for adding one thought to another, for contrasting one idea from the other, for modifying a statement made in another clause of the sentence, and so on. Youcan not, therefore completely avoid the use of compound and complex sentences. There are masters of prose who use long sentences without confusing the meaning. Since the ultimate aim of all writing is clear communication, do use long sentences if they are necessary to convey the meaning effectively. But, while doing so, bear the range of reader's intellect. You may have noticed that generally the length of sentences in books and magazines for children is shorter than that of sentences in reading material for adults. It has been found that sentences having more than 35 words148 KLS Communication Skills — Semester-I and more than three conjunctions are difficult to understand. Look at they examples: ™* 1. The candidate should have the prescribed qualifications and Teceiy, in teaching mathematics and at least five years’ experience of teay vy schools that enjoy good reputation and in which the medium Of ing ta is English. . me Revised: The candidate should have the prescribed qualifications trained in teaching mathematics. He should also have at lea; experience of teaching in a reputed English medium school, 2. This reputed publishing company brings out not only books but also pub three research journals on behalf of well-known academic insti as a result its income is almost two times more than that of the com, a which are engaged in a business of this kind. ai Revised: This reputed publishing company brings out not only booky also three research journals on behalf of well-known academic institut, As a result, its income is almost two times more than that of other Sinily companies. 3. As Sudhir approached his house, he paused to talk to Hari, his nei who had gone to Delhi to attend his younger brother’s wedding ce, that took place at the Taj Hotel which is run by the Del Department. Revised: As Sudhir approached his house, he paused to talk to his neighbor Hari, who had gone to Delhi to attend his younger brother's wedding ceremo y. The ceremony had taken place at the Taj Hotel run by Delis Tourism Department. Vary the Length and Structure of Sentences Ifall the sentences you construct are more or less of the same length and havethe same structure, the reader may find it difficult to continue to read what you hare written. Look at the following extract: T have been given two assignments. I shall complete them today. Then I shall submit them to the instructor, He will evaluate them within three days. He will thereafter convey his comments in the next class, \ ang st tna Thi Tours, To make the above extract more readable we may revise it as follows: va Revised: I shall complete the two assignments that have been given and svthem to the While varying the length and structure of Sentences ensure that they have the desired focus and emphasis. In the following examples notice how the focus is changed in the revised versions. After heated discussion the issue was resolved Revised: The issue was resolved after heated discussion. The General Manager first faced stiff opposition from the workers but with his persuasive skills he ultimately won them and was able to implement the new system. Revised: The General Manager was ultimately able to win the workers with his persuasive skills and implement the new system, though at first he had to face stiff opposition from them. Prefer Active Voice ; The use of active voice, generally makes writing direct and lively. Moreover, the passive construction often requires more words and reduces the impact of communication. A few examples are given below to illustrate this point. All the members have been informed about the meeting by the Secretary. Revised: The Secretary has informed all members about the meeting, From the Report it is clear that the prescribed procedure for processing the deal was not followed by the Accounts Department. eparment didnt Revised: From the Report it is clear that the Accounts Dep:150 KLS Communication Skills — Semester-I follow the prescribed procedure in processing the deal. * Yoga classes are held by Pandit Shivram on Sundays. Revised: Pandit Shivram holds Yoga classes on Sundays, It is not, however, suggested that passive voice oi not be used at all, it is advisable to use it in situations where the action is more important t person who performed it. That is why you will note that in objective Wing wt as scientific papers, research reports, etc. there is a Preponderance of ‘ constructions. Look at the following examples in which the event . important than the agent of the event: Uy, * The recommendations were implemented with immediate effect, * The law-breakers were arrested. * The notorious dacoit was shot dead in the encounter. * He was promoted to the post of General Manager with effect frog 16 December 2005. The Annual Function was held on 20 January 2006. * Id would be celebrated tomorrow. Avoid Redundancy Redundancy is the use of more words than you need to communic: As you know, even one extra nail or nut in a machine can working. So is the case with extra words. They can weaken must therefore ensure that the sentences you construct superfluous words-words that neither perform any gramm: add any meaning to the expression. While revising, ate your though | hinder its smo, Your writing. Ya) do not have ay atical function na take extra care to remove ay Look at the following commonly use d expressions, from which the underlined words can be removed without ch: anging the meaning: * Gathered together, * In the month of March, * Enclosed herewith. * Returned back. Few in number. * Exactly identical. * In point of fact. * — Green in colourFe _—. Past history . Humorous joke. gometimes the use of round about expressions leads to superfluity. Note how the revised versions of the following sentences are relatively more effective: (1) The spirit of cooperation is essential and necessary for anyone to have in order to get along with the people. Revised: The spirit of cooperation is necessary for getting along with people. (ii) The driver must have knowledge of how various parts of a car engine work. Revised: The driver must know how the engine of a car works. He covered the distance from Pilani to Jaipur by a bus which had air- conditioned facility. Revised: He travelled from Pilani to Jaipur in an air-conditioned bus. ) For the final completion of this work, a total of 300 manhours are required. Revised: For the completion of this work 300 manhours are required. (v) After deliberation and discussion in the meeting held yesterday, it was decided to create two posts for employing assistants with technical knowledge. Revised: In yesterday's meeting it was decided to create two posts of technical assistants. (i) ARRANGEMENT OF SENTENCES INTO A PARAGRAPH For effective communication it is necessary to divide a text into well-structured paragraphs. Usually a paragraph deals with one unit of thought related to the topic of discussion. Obviously, therefore, all the sentences it contains are closely ii) (iv. connected in some way or the other. POINTS TO REMEMBER . Basics of Effective Writing Choice of words and phrases Prefer concrete words to abstract words. Prefer short and familiar words Avoid cliches, jargons Use short sentence Prefer active voice a Cohesive paragraphsON 152 KLS Communication Skills — Semester-I 2. GUIDELINES FOR EFFECTIVE WRITING Following are some of the essentials that are needed for effective —t Clarity : The writer must convey his message in very clear terms, If to convey some information, the information must be stated Yet ean should be no ambiguity, no confusion about it. The receiver of the hey, Communication must understand clearly the conveyed information, the cony, message. (ii) Language : Command over langauge is another essential of. Writing gi The writer must write the whole thing in a very appropriate languap Language should be simple but appropriate. Sentences should Not be drawn-out or involved or complicated. That way, short sentences are very uy for making the meaning clear. The grammar and the spellings should be coma The whole communication should be divided into short paragraphs, Wheneve there is a shift in thought or idea, you should go in for a new-paragraph. (iii) No verbose style : Verbose style means the use of too many words. It meay using more words than are necessary. ‘This verbose style should be avoideti is said that too many words are like too many leaves on a fruit tree. The dens growth of leaves hides the fruit. In the same way, the presence of too mary words hides the message. The message gets lost in the jungle of too many words So the purpose of communication gets defeated. (iv) Simple, not difficult words : Simple words should be used. Simple wort are easily understood. Difficult words cloud the mes: written communication gets lost in deci the message. The receiver of tt phering the meanings of the diffic! words. Hence the message conveyed is lost. Our aim is not to impress othes with our show of learning or scholarship, The aim is just to get the mess clearly across to the other person. (vy Conciseness : The message should be concise, brief, to the point. No digression or irrelevant things should be written. Nobody has the patience or the time! read pages and pages of writing. The receiver of your message is interested” know what exactly you wish to convey. So write briefly, concisely, to 4" home your point. Even if you have to Pack too many facts and figures in we communication, do it as concisely and briefly as possible. But the concise™™ Should not be at the cost of clarity. The clarity of the message should in 20% iaereeee ene eeeSrseaE ea> Writing Skills 153 be sacrificed. Completeness : The message conveyed must be complete in all respects. All the relevant facts and figures must be written down. Nothing of importance should be omitted. An incomplete message leaves the reader confused. His mind js filled with various doubts for which he would have to seek clarifications. That would lead to the wastage of time, wastage of his time and wastage of (vi) your time. Politeness : Politeness and courtesy are other essentials of effective writing. (vii) : ‘The tone of your writing should be pleasing. This tone is possible only if you are polite and courteous to your reader. Nobody likes to listen to a rude, rough person. It is the pleasing style and tone that wins the hearts of others. The other person then likes to pay attention to what you have written. Even if you are pointing out the improper behaviour of your subordinate, your tone should be polite. Severe castigation or criticism won't do. Nobody likes to be rebuked or reprimanded. The aim is to correct the subordinate, and that can best be done through politeness. (viii) Level of Readership : While writing a communication, the character of the reader must be constantly kept in mind. The message should be written keeping jn view his mental and intellectual levels, his academic qualification. If possible, due care should be taken about his emotional make-up. If the reader belongs to an alien culture, the norms of his culture should be taken care of. The message must make the right impact on the reader. After all, it has been written for him, and for none else. 3. DIFFERENT TYPES OF WRITTEN COMMUNICATION There are various types of written communication. The most prominent among them are the following : 1. Letter (a) A Personal Letter (b) A Business Letter (or Commercial Letter) (c) An Official Letter (d) A Letter to the Editor of a Newspaper 2. An Application Letter 8. A Resume or Curriculum Vitae (C.V.) SS7. A Memorandum (or Memo) A Report A Notice An Agenda The Minutes . A Fax (Facsimile) 10. A Telex 11. A Telegram 12. Electronic Mail (e-mail) Here is a brief description of each type of written communication : Letter : Letter is a written or a printed communication. It is sent to an indivi in or an organisation. Broadly speaking, there are two types of letters — forma) i informal. Formal letters are the business letters or official letters. Informal letten are the letters written to relatives and friends. The letter, however, is put in. envelope and the envelope is sent by post. Application Letter : An application letter is written to apply for a post. Ip are already employed in a firm, you would write an application to your boss irr leave or for some other such request. Resume or Curriculum Vitae (C.V.) : It is a neatly typed document that sent along with an application letter for a job. This document enlists th 4, 5. 6. 7. 8. 9 candidate’s particulars, including his qualification, his experience, bi achievements in a particular line, etc. Memorandum (memo) : It is a short note written as a reminder. The aims" remind the receiver of the earlier communication on the subject. Report : A Report conveys factual description of an event or an incident. It also contain an opinion of the writer on a particular subject. This opinion he arrived at after conducting some business investigation. Notice : It is a written or a published document which is displayed and ism for all to see. It carries an announcement of some important decision oF event Agenda : It is a list of topics to be discussed in a meeting. Agenda is suppl the members before the meeting is held. y Minutes : It is a summary of the important things that have been disous : decided in a meeting. It is recorded by the secretary of the particular —_> Writing Skills 155 organisation, and is kept as a record for any future reference. 4 Fax : It is the exact copy of a document that is sent through the fax machine. Besides the written documents, the fax machine can send exact copies of drawings, gral phics or pictures etc. It is the quickest way to send or receive the documents. Telex : It js a mode of communication in which a typed message is sent toa distant place with the help of a teleprinter. It is a fast and accurate method of sending messages. Telegram : A telegram is a short message sent through a code language. It is ances through wires that carry electrical signals. ugh the internet or 10. 11. sent to long dist: 12, Electronic Mail or e-Mail : It is a written message sent thro computer network from one computer to another. CORRESPONDENCE KEEPS ALIVE THE WARMTH OF HUMAN _” RELATIONSHIP LETTER WRITING (i) Nature and Formation of letters Aletter has been described as a conversa’ meet a person or even speak to him on the phone for transacting day to day s. Out of necessity you will have to take recourse to a letter. Of all letters are the most common and the most ily to a person than writing a tion by post. Obviously, you cannot busines: forms of written communication, personal. Writing a letter comes more eas! or a report. Correspondence, infact, is touch with those separated by venient ways of transmitting human sound distance. Quicker and more con’ are available; still letters are as important today as they were centuries ago. With the growth of commerce and industry, their usefulness has increased. Types of Letters technical proposal, a scientific paper, one of chief means of keeping oneself in Personal Letter We write letters to our frien ters is to establis ds and relatives. Broadly speaking, the main h or sustain a bond of personal purpose of such let! relationship. These letters are called personal letters. The style of such dly and intimate. Asuccessful personal letters is informal and the tone frienYF letter gives the receiver the feeling of a personal interaction, in the matter of both language and format there is no ri Business communicators have noted a number of factors which one} keep in mind while writing letters. These have crystalizeg into 4 " principles which can help a person write successful letters, (ii) Basic nature and function of personal letters A letter is really ‘a piece of conversation by post’. If you think for ) will remember that you started ‘conversing’ with your friends and rel by post at a very young age. And you will continue to write letters throug your life. Such letters are called personal letters. The objective of sup, letter is to establish a personal contact or to keep alive a Person relationship. It is a means of contact between you and your reader andha| certain intimacy, even ‘privacy’ about it. A personal letter must, theretn! evoke in the reader the sensation of an acute meeting. It must be frankai intimate, lively and interesting and should be written in an informal sj! Formality has no place in personal letters. Do not write to your friend: relatives as though they are audience you are addressing. When such let bears the hallmark of the writer’s character and personality. Read the br correspondence between Barrie and A.E. Housman. You will find how tte personalities are manifested in it, qa) 156 KLS Communication Skills — Semester-I at ig Bidity ‘ ‘iy a while Dear Professor Houseman Tam sorry about last night, when I sat next to you and did not say ant You must have thought I was a very rude man. I am really a very sym Sincerely yours J. M. Barrie NS (2) V Dear Sir James Barrie : | a I am sorry about last night, when I sat next to you and did not 847 hy You must have thought I was a very rude man. I am really a very ° Sincerely yours A. E, Housman wr on P.S. And now you've made it worse, for you have spelt my name> Writing Skills 157 Both above letters reflect politeness, simplicity and a sense of humour. Barrie must have felt amused to read the same words which he had written. Note also how politely Housman indicates that his name was not spelt correctly. ‘Another thing is the simple manner in which both have shaken off the sense of ‘guilt’ that must have weighed upon their minds because of behaviour that night towards each other. (ii) Basie nature and function of a Busienss Letter When you enter a profession, you will have to write a number of letetrs everyday as a part of routine work. Many of these letters will be written to persons you have never met, You will be writing letters to other firms and companies, customers, suppliers, government offices, credit agencies, employees, etc. Such letters are called Business Letters. Their aim is to achieve a definite purpose such as selling a product, making an enquiry, seeking information or advice, creating goodwill, mollifying the hurt feelings of a customer, etc. A business letter must appeal to the reader’s interest jt should have the necessary built-in attraction. ader to the message. There is one sure way and induce in him the proper mood. To achieve this, It should open the mind of the re of doing it. Place yourself in the po: his feelings and reactions. A good letter writer, after having written the letter, asks himself, “Tow would I react to this?” “What would my feelings This test enables him to look at his letter from sition of your correspondent and anticipate be if I received such a letter?” d make the necessary changes. the reader’s point of view an Sir Ernest Gowers gives the following advice about handling official correspondence : “If he (the person you are rep If he is muddle-headed, be specially lucid. If he is pig-headed, be patient. If he is helpful, be appreciative. If he convicts you ofa mistake, acknowledge it freely and even with gratitude.” Much of ill-will created by unimaginative letters can be eliminated. The lying to) is rude, be specially courteous. ability to adapt ourself to the reader’s point of view is basic requirement of a good letter.Writing Skills _159 pRINCIPLES OF BUSINESS AND OFFICIAL LETTERS Ww Courtesy and Consideration eee * ike the oil which removes friction, It makes life smooth and helps win friends. It softens the sting of an unpleasant pi F ; piece of information or remark, creates goodwill ane produces a favourable response. We should always remember that writing discourteous letters is often very costly. We may lose both friends and business. It always pays to be courteous in business. If you get a rude letter, do not be angry and try to hit back. Send a courteous reply and, in all likelihood, the other person will respond more favourably. Goodwill is a great asset-for an organisation and courtesy in correspondence is one of the most natural and economical means of building it. In addition, use of words like ‘please’, ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry’ are the golden words of courtesy because they embody spirit of politeness, gratitude, and regret. However, the basic acts of courtesy embody in replying promptly to the letter received and maintaining a considerate behaviour towards the sender. Use personal pronous like ‘I, me, you’, wherever possible and develop ‘you-attitude’, that is, placing yourself in the reader's place and visualising how you would respond if the same letter came to you. After all, it is the individuals who formulate, write, read and respond on behalf of the organisation. Practical Hints Some of the phrases underlined in the following sentences have been found useful in pleasant correspondence : ¢ Many thanks for your letter of 12 September ...... * Thank you very much for your letter ......- * Weare glad to note that you are now ina positive ...... * We appreciate your writing to us so promptly. * We regret to inform you that we cannot ...... © Weare sorry that you did not receive the book in time. Some of the following phrases jrritate the reader because they look unpleasant : You state160 KLS Communication Skills — Semester-I You are wrong in saying...... We find it difficult to believe ...... Your claim that ...... " We must firmly state ...... Your complaint that ...... We are forced to refuse ...... We demand Sometimes brevity leads to courtesy. But in a bid to be brief you should ny become curt. Curtness implies that the letter writer is impatient ang Tacky consideration for the reader. Example : With reference to your application of 14 August 2016, I am to infor you that you cannot be granted the leave applied for. | It would have been better to explain to the employee the reason for refusing leave and also to suggest some time in future when it would be possible y grant him leave. All business organisations advertise posts and in almost all cases the numbe of applicants is much longer than the number of posts. Organisations which | care for their goodwill send a polite letter of refusal to those who were nt selected. Some firms notify through newspapers that the posts have bea filled, if the number of applicants is very large. One courteous letter could be : Thank you very much for your application of 14 May 2017 for the post a Assistant Manager in our Production Department. We are sorry that we are not able to offer you this position at present. 4 have noted your qualification and experience. If there arises an opportu! in future, we shall certainly consider you again. Consideration for the reader’s interest, needs and desires is also know? 7 the you-attitude in the business world. In advertising and public relations it helps to be humane. In letter-writing pays even more. A common violation of the you-approach is if one writes addressing a crowd and not an individual. Just see the following table :Writing Skills 161 Crowd-approach Your-approach We are pleased when we receive | We are grateful for the suggestions you such suggestions from our | have made. @ customers. i) This book will help the readers in | This book will help you in writing good writing good English. English. ‘As you know, a letter reflects the personality of the writer. Try to visualise the person who has written it. Read the famous Jetter written by Abraham Lincoln to Mrs. Bixby and notice how the you-attitude is reflected in it. Dear Madam I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of. Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battles. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the republic they died to save .... and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom. Yours very sincerely and respectfully A. Lincoln So remember, you write a letter in a given situation with a specific purpose in mind and this should help in determining the tone of your letter. Whatever be the situation, the fact that your letter is a piece of communication form one human being to another is invariable. (ii) Directness and Conciseness Your aim in writing a letter should be minimum words for transmission of maximum words. If you clearly and easily write what you wish to say, you will get the attention of the reader and focus it on the message. Avoid unnecessary details and roundabout expressions and come to the point directly. Keep in mind that people are busy and they receive dozens of letters daily. So long introductions etc. will be irritating. Remember that a letter is eS SS rl lll162 KLS Communication Skills — Semester-I a means of contact between two persons. When you Meet g Pe, greeting him you straight way come to the point. Adopt the oe a when you write a letter. My The following excerpt from a letter suffers from a fault of Unncessry We are in receipt of your esteemed favour of 14th instant Mh and in reply beg to advise you that we have written to our head office in Bombay. On hearing from them we shall be in a position to communicate to you our exact decision, This information can be put in a much better way as below : Thank your for your letter of 14 October. We have written to our Head Office in Bombay and shall let you know our decision after hearing from them. Avoid Verbosity : A lot of deadwood and verbosity is found in business correspondence, Ofte phrases and clauses are used without thinking. Given below are su expressions and their suitable substitutes. Verbose Direct and concise (i) .as advised in our communication As stated in our letter (ii) At all times Always (iii) As per your instructions As instructed (iv) At the time of writing At present, now (v) Attached herewith Attached (vi) At your earliest convenience As soon as you can, soon (vii) Beg to acknowledge Acknowledge Beg to assume Assume Beg to inform Inform Beg to state, State vand so on (only verb will do) (viii) By reason of the fact that Becaause (ix) Enclosed you will find Enclosed (x) For the month of July For July (xi) For the purpose of For(xii) Ina satisfactory manner Satisfactorily (xiii) In the case of Te (xiv)In view of the fact Because (xv) In the event of this occurrence If this happens taking place (xvi) It is desired that we receive We want (xvii) Taken into consideration Considered (xviii) This is to thank you Thank you (xix) Wish to acknowledge Acknowledge (xx) Wish to suggrest Suggest (xxi) Wish to thank , Thank Participial Ending These are trite expressions which hardly convey any meaning. They should be avoided : Assuring you of our prompt services always ..... Trusting you will find this information satisfactory ....... Positive and Direct Statements It is more polite to directly state the information you need or the action you require than suggest by a negative statement :- Negative Positive and Direct 1. Your failed to tell us. Please let us know. 2. We cannot help you unless. We shall be pleased to help you if. 3. You have not cared to pay Please look into our complaint. attention to our complaint. iii) Clarity and Precision Aristotle once said that for writing well in any tongue one should speak as the common people do and think as wise men do. This piece of advice still holds good A single expression and clear thinking are the two most important virtues of effective writing. What is needed is a clear and plain style. The reader should have no difficulty in understanding what you mean. Mathew Arnold rightly advised : "Have something to say and say it as clearly as your can. That is the only secret of style". Here are some suggestions that will help in achieving clarity and precision.IN 164 KLS Communication Skills — Semester-I Practical Hints : (i) Before writing down a thought on paper, roll it in Your mj 4 crystallize. Cear thinking and cear writing go together, ‘Uy (ii) Choose short, common and concrete words. Avoid jargon and g, word should help in conveying the meaning you have in mind, The,” 4 be effectiveness. If two words convey the same meaning, select the hy is more common. ‘Buy’, ‘house’ and ‘free’ are more common than » ‘ ‘residence’ and ‘release’. Again ‘Received your letter’, is mo: Received your communication’. There are many forms of comm "4 What you have received is ‘a letter’. (iii) Arrange your words properly. Very often you will find that, Chasen the words can be arranged easily. Put words or phrases carryin, B the de emphasis in the beginning without breaking the rules Of sent construction. (iv) Do not irritate the reader with long and involved sentences. Do ot thay challenge to him : "Understand if you can." This attitude is discourtany you find you have written long sentences, revise your draft, Rewrite into several short sentence. (v) Normally, a business letter contains only one main idea. However, i! letter deals with a number of points, use a paragraph for each of then. Above all, remember that writing effective business letters is an ati skill. It needs hand work to acquire this skill. Practice gives that natu ease of expresion which marks effective correspondence. A successful business letter is marked by courtesy, clarity and coms Writing letter is a necessity for business transactions. While wrtits reader's interest should be kpet in mind-develop ‘you-attitude.. This™ attract desired response. Each letter should have one main point 2g expresed in. plain and easy language. Negative attitude, and curtaes verbosity must be avoided, STRUCTURE AND PLANNING OF A BUSINESS LETTER ret just as the apparel often proclaims the man; the appearance of letter or the character of the writer and the organisation he belongs to. Busi i which care for their reputation and goodwill make sure that all outg™- (7) FORMS OF LAYOUT ° ; i) Stationery : For making a good impression it is necessary to use good quality paper. extra expense on this account is more than compensated by the impress)Writing Skills _ 169 it creates on the reader. White paper should be preferred as letters stand out clearly on it and make easy reading. qhe standard size of paper used for business letters is 8% by 11 inches. Typing ¢ Most busineess letters are typed. Typing saves time and gives a tidy look to the letter. Care should be taken to get the letters neatly typed. (ii) Margins : Margins in a letter add to its attractiveness. Usually, a one inch margin is left on the sides and one and half inches left on the top and the bottom. The letter should present a picture-frame appearance. ‘ (iii) Punctuation : The modern tendency is to omit unnecessary commas and full stops and to use what is called ’open’ punctuation. In this style no commas and full stops are used in any part of the letter except in the body. Then there is the mixed the house number, the salutation style In it a comma is put after the date, at the end of the last line of and the complimentary close. A full stop is put _ , the inside address.Writing Skills 171 ‘CE OF PLANNING s helps in many matters. So it does in writing letters. Every letter ORTAN » fanning alway’ oe P jn a particular situation. Many situations are relatively simple and is written they c22 be ved such and freshne! jhandled by more or less a set pattern of letters with some variations. letters should be planned carefully. This will help in adding grace gs even to a routine correspondence. Now compose the two letters written by a firm in reply to an enquiry about microphones : Inreply to your letter of 4 July 2017 we are sending a copy of our catalogue. We shall be able to supply immediately the make you wish to buy. We are waiting for your order. Amore sensible reply would be as follows :- Thank you for your letter of 4 Jyly 2017. We are sending a copy of our catalogue. On page 4 you will find the make you are interested in. You are most welcome to visit us anytime during working hours (9.30 a.m. to 7p.m.) on week days and we shall be pleased to demonstrate its working without any obligation on your part to buy it. But we do hope you will love to buy it. There are three kinds of letters : The letters you initiate, the letters you write in reply to another, or the letters you write to follow up some communication. If you are initiating the correspondence, your plan should take into account the following two factors : () Your letter must immediately arouse the reader’s interest in what you write. (i) It should mention clearly what action you wish him to take. In planning a reply letter your must ensure that every point raised by the Correspondent is great with. Anything you add must be related to what he wants, Follow-up letters are of two types : ® * confirm a telephonic or an oral message and w to remind the correspondent about something on which he has to take action. Five Steps to Planning : - ows steps should help you plan your letters. et Aside Specific for Handling Your Correspondence The very first thing most executives do in the morning is to look at the day’s172 10. — Introduction : ON mail. They sort out letters needing immediate attention, Letters bunk some relevant information are put aside. The first hour in the aa more suitable for writing letters as visitors and telephone calls start ae : in later in the day. (ii) Ask youself ‘What is the Main Purpose of Each Letter’? Put in your letter as early as possible the material which will achieve it t the letter is a reply to an inequiry, write it in the very beginning What needed. (iii) Gather Relevant Information At times the relevant information may not be available immediately, Y may have to collect it from other sections. You may do so by telephone orty writing a memo. (iv) Arrange the Material in Logical Order If the letter is a reply to another, write down the points in the margin inth order in which you are going to deal with them. (v) Select the Right Tone Ensure that the letter has the qualities discussed earlier. Make sure yor letter is courteous and precise. S IN BUSINESS WRITING KLS Communication Skills — Semester-I Much of the success of your business depends upon the way you write you business letters. With changing times, business writing too has underg™ changes. What was thought appropriate by our ancestors has now been dis by the new generations. That is but proper too. Life today has become fast al we have no time to waste on useless things. Habits, as everybody knows, die hard. So many people even in this modern 2 carry on with the age-old practices in business writing. But, according a modern standards, those practices are looked down upon as flaws, a8 drawbe® 6 Certain experts have given them the name of the weakest links in writing sel? Some of the weakest links have already been discussed by us. These ar * (i) Old fashioned expressions (ii) Difficult words (iii) Long-drawn-out, convoluted sentences od> Writing Skills 173 Besides these, following are the other flaws in business writing : Excessive use of ‘thank you’ Business letters, of course, should be polite. But a glib talk, a sort of oily tongue, is never desirable — at least not in the modern age of harsh realities. Sycophancy has no place in today’s life. Discard it. Be sincerely kind and noble. Centuries back, Shakespeare said that a person could smile and smile and yet be a villain. Smiling unnecessarily, parroting ‘thank you’, looks/ sounds jarring. Our ancestors made repeated use of ‘thank you’ in their iness letters. Today the practice stands out of favour with the experts. Jusion of a letter. (iv) busi An expert has criticised the use of thank you’ at the conc He questions : Thank you for what? Is it for reading the letter?’ To the expert jt looks simply ridiculous. Attention : stors invented the attention line, so that the letter could reach the person Our ance: ry with the attention line, to whom it was addressed. Today’s trend is to do awa: and address the person directly by name (along with his company address). For example, Don’t write Attention : Mr. R. K. Raghav Marketing and Sales Manager Excel Auto Works Auto Market Hisar (Haryana) Excessive use of punctuation marks : Modern business letters have already done away with the excessive use of punctuation marks. We no longer put too many commas in the receiver’s address e experts have grown impatient with too many colons a letter with too many colons looks so cluttered and ld get rid of all the clutter in our business an and well organized. Thus Write Mr. R. K. Raghav Marketing and Sales Manager Excel Auto Works Auto Market Hisar (Haryana) and other places. Now th also. According to experts, messy. They believe that we sho writings, and make it look neat, cle:174 11. ON KLS Communication Skills — Semester-I Don’t write Write Time : 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Time 10 am to3 pm Venue : Grand Hotel Venue Grand Hote] No need for a line to sign your name on The custom has been to put a line below ‘Yours faithfully’ where the Manager some authority writing the letter is required to put his signature, The i according to experts, looks so childish. Surely, the letter writer can seg the between ‘Yours faithfully’ and his designation, and has the common 8eN8e top his signatures there. Don’t write Write Yours sincerely Yours sincerely S. K. Das S.K. Das Manager Manager Conclusion : A writer of business letters should avoid these flaws in his business writings, That would make his letters very effective. KINDS OF A BUSINESS LETTER There are various kinds of a business letter. Some of the prominent ones are tte following : Inquiry letters Quotation letters Order letters Complaint letters Sales letters Goodwill letters Memorandum or memo Reports Job application letters SP ANAapwn pe> UU 10. 1. 2. 3. i Writing Skills 175 Personal Resume (Curriculum Vitae) Inquiry Letter Inquiry letter is written to a business firm, to make enquiries about the items available, the rates, quotation, terms of payment, etc. Quotation Letter Quotation letter is sent in response to the customer's query about rates etc. Quotation is a sort of commitment from the seller to supply the required goods at a specific price and under clearly defined terms and conditions. Quotation however is only an offer and the customer is under no obligation to buy the things. The buyer can place an order only if the. quoted rates terms and conditions satisfy him. Order Letter This is the letter in which the buyer sends an order to the seller for goods or services. Normally it is written after a buyer is satisfied about rates in the quotation letter. Since the letter of order is a legally binding document, the buyer must write it very clearly, so that there is no scope for confusion in the mind of the supplier. Complaint Letter In business dealings complaints are a common occurrence. The buyer often writes complaints to the seller for reasons like delayed supply, supply of sub-standard goods, or the supply of goods different from the ordered ones. The seller too has complaints. This is mostly about the delayed payments. So complaint letters are frequent in business correspondence. Sales Letter The aim of a sales letter is to promote the sales. It is often written by the business firms to a circle of selected customers. A sales letter is a personal approach where the business company persuades the customers to buy certain things. We can call it a personalised form of advertisement.176 10. KLS Communication Skills — Semester-I Goodwill Letter Goodwill letters, as the very term shows, are meant to build goodwit the buyer and the seller. Goodwill messages include letters of Congrats, 8 sympathy, condolence, etc. This brings in a personal and human in between the business parties. It certainly helps in Promoting busine " Zz Memorandum or Memo Memorandums or memos are written messages exchanged by empl within an organisation. They are sent by boss to subordinates to Conve new rule of the company or to express displeasure over an employ, misconduct. They are also exchanged between employees of equal rank, Mey are brief and to the point. Reports A report is defined as ‘a communication from someone who has informati, to someone who wants to use that information.’ It is written mostly by, subordinate to his superior in response to his demand for a certs information, like reason for declining sales, working conditions of the facta the scope for opening a new branch, etc. A report must reflect the pas taken by the subordinate in carrying out the research and findings. Job-application Letter A job-application letter is the letter where you apply to a company forajii The covering letter should only convey to the prospective employer that)! possess the necessary qualification for the job for which you are applying! is just a covering letter for your resume. Personal Resume (Curriculum Vitae) . Resume is a written summary of an individual’s personal details, edu employment background and job qualifications. It is sent along with we application letter which serves as a covering letter for the resume. mi of resume is to arouse the prospective employer's desire to invite ¥ ba interview.