LESSON 10.docx

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