Can Do Writing E-Book

Daniel Graham

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 179

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2009

Beschreibung

A simple, ten-step system for mastering the art of effective, persuasive business or technical writing "The Grahams' system is the best way to transform data and ideas into meaningful information necessary to make profitable decisions. Their system works every time." --Steven Laposa, PhD, MBA, Loveland Commercial Endowed Chair in Real Estate, Colorado State University "The Grahams' straightforward program helps my teams create clear and concise reports, letters, and other documents with minimal effort. I want this program to become the standard for my teams." --Bill Walter, Senior Vice President, Government and Infrastructure Division, KBR "The Can Do Writing system made my career! I used it to write a winning business plan and proposal, and now I use it every day for all communications. Can Do Writing provides valuable insights into business and management as well as writing techniques." --Christian Robey, President, DC Progress You may be an expert at what you do, but if you can't communicate effectively in writing it may not matter. For scientists, businesspeople, and professionals in fields from engineering to public relations, the art of writing well can be a vital key to professional success. Luckily, you don't need an English degree to produce top-class writing. If you're one of the millions of people who have to write clear, persuasive, understandable documents for your job, Can Do Writing is for you. Whether you're writing a business plan, a scientific paper, a press release, or anything else, this simple, straightforward guide will show you how to do it quickly, with style and confidence. You'll learn how to: * Understand your audience and subject matter * Develop a simple, five-part purpose statement to keep you on track * Organize your main points into a coherent, sensible order * Edit your work for clarity, coherence, organization, and logic * Economize your words to craft a concise, powerful document * Make your documents easily readable for any audience

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Praise

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Preface

About the Authors

Introduction

Overview of Can Do Writing System

Skillset: Analysis

STEP 1 - Analyze Purpose and Audience

1.1 What Result Do You Want from the Document?

1.2 Who Is the Audience?

1.3 What Does the Audience Do with the Information?

1.4 What Information Does the Audience Need?

1.5 Does the Audience Know Little or Much About the Information?

1.6 Does the Audience Need Proof?

1.7 Plan How to Write to Multiple Audiences.

STEP 2 - Write Your Document’s Five-Part Purpose Statement

2.1 Decide the Type of Document or Oral Communication to Use.

2.2 Pick a Verb That Describes What the Document Does.

2.3 Assemble the Five Parts into a Purpose Statement.

2.4 Use the Purpose Statement to Settle Controversies.

Purpose Statements Make History.

Practice Steps 1 and 2 Using a Case Study.

STEP 3 - Select Facts

3.1 Use the Purpose Statement as You Select Facts.

STEP 4 - Organize Your Points in a Sentence Outline

4.1 Write Your Points Using Short Words in Short Sentences.

4.2 Evaluate Points to Eliminate Irrelevancies and Redundancies.

4.3 Order the Points.

Practice Steps 1 through 4 Using a Case Study.

End of the Story

Skillset: Composing the Draft

STEP 5 - Compose the Draft

5.1 Compose the Draft Body.

5.2 Compose the Draft Conclusion.

5.3 Compose the Draft Introduction.

5.4 If Necessary, Compose the Draft Executive Summary.

5.5 If Necessary, Compose the Draft Abstract.

Skillset: Editing

STEP 6 - Review the Draft for Organization and Logic

6.1 Test Organization by Answering Three Questions.

6.2 Use Sentence Outlining Techniques to Improve Organization.

6.3 Test Logic by Answering Five Questions.

STEP 7 - Edit for Coherence

7.1 Repeat Key Words throughout Your Document.

7.2 Ensure That Each Paragraph Begins with a Point.

7.3 Use Transition Words.

7.4 Use Vertical Lists for Series of Like Items.

7.5 Ensure Your Graphics Make a Point.

7.6 Apply Visual Devices.

STEP 8 - Edit for Clarity

8.1 Use Concrete and Specific Words.

8.2 Use Active Voice.

8.3 Simplify Tense: Stay in Present Tense When Possible.

8.4 Avoid the Helping Verbs Would, Should, and Could.

8.5 Identify and Replace Ambiguous Pronouns.

8.6 Use Standard English Words.

8.7 Check Sentences for Misplaced or Dangling Modifiers.

STEP 9 - Edit for Economy

9.1 Cut Useless Verbs.

9.2 Cut Useless Prepositions.

9.3 Cut Who, Which, and That.

9.4 Cut Useless Repetition.

9.5 Cut Redundancy.

9.6 Cut Useless Comments.

9.7 Cut Useless Modifiers.

STEP 10 - Edit for Readability

10.1 Measure Readability Using the Gunning Fog Index.

10.2 Replace Long Words with Short Words.

10.3 Break Long Sentences.

Conclusion

Index

Praise forCan Do Writing

“Can Do Writing is excellent for scientists who write to managers and clients. The specific techniques especially help writers like me who write technical English as a second language.”

—Cindy Xinguang LiPhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology

“I have transformed my writing after using the Grahams’ methods. Now, my managers applaud my writing. I recommend strongly this logical, ten-step approach to anyone who writes for business, government, or non-profit organizations.”

—Padmaja MummaneniPhD in Biology and Life Sciences, Delhi University

“Can Do Writing’s friendly design and practical examples ease the reader into an intimate look at written communication. We implement the Can Do Writing system into our curriculum worldwide.”

—Skip Pettitpresident, International Training Consortium, Inc.

“Can Do Writing is the finest book on writing I have read—the essence of writing well. Time-pressed people who read this book on a cross-country flight will be far better writers when they land.”

—Larry Tracypresident,Tracy Presentation Skills

Copyright © 2009 by Daniel Graham and Judith Graham. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Published simultaneously in Canada.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone], or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty:While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Graham, Daniel, 1952-

Can do writing : the proven ten-step system for fast and effective business writing / by Daniel Graham and Judith Graham.

p. cm.

Includes index.

eISBN : 978-0-470-47009-1

1. Business writing. I. Graham, Judith, 1952- II. Title. HF5718.3.G73 2009 651.7’4—dc22 2008045571

We dedicate this book to our clientswith sincere thanks to them all.

Engineering, Manufacturing, Business

AKZO NOBEL - Intervet, Inc.Applied Ordnance Technology, Inc.BAE Systems, Inc.Barrett Penan & CompanyBooz Allen HamiltonBureau of National AffairsCelfocus, PortugalCGI-American Management SystemsChristopher Consulting, Inc.Computer Sciences CorporationConstellation EnergyCovance LaboratoriesDatabase Management, Inc.DCI Group, Inc.Dialogic CorporationErnst & YoungEvans, Inc.Forrester ConstructionGlobal eXchange ServicesGoodman & CompanyHechtsHeckler and Koch U.S.A.JAYCORLockheed-MartinMitchell Systems, Inc.MITRE CorporationMitretek SystemsNorthrop GrummanPharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)Price Waterhouse LLPQinetiQReznick GroupRGS, Inc.Slone PartnersSOVRAN BankSterling SoftwareT. A. CarlsonTeledyne Brown EngineeringTESS, Inc.The Discovery ChannelTouchstone, Inc. - SRA, Inc.TRW, Inc.Vector Research, Inc.

Government

Department of Health and Human Services

Health and Human Services University

Health Resource and Services Administration

Administration for Children and Families

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Asst. Secretary for Resources and Technology

Environmental Protection AgencyFederal Aviation AgencyJoint National Integration Center (JNIC)NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterNational Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) National Institutes of Health

Center for Scientific Review

National Cancer Institute

National Library of Medicine

Naval Surface Warfare CenterPrince William Co. Criminal Justice AcademyU.S. Food and Drug Administration

Office of the Commissioner

Office of Management

Center for Drug Evaluation and Research

Center for Devices and Radiological Health

Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research

Center for Veterinary Medicine

U.S. Government Printing OfficeU.S. Patent and Trademark OfficeU.S. Public Building Services-GSAVeterans AdministrationVirginia Department of Transportation

Nonprofit Organizations

American Public Transportation AssociationBaltimore-Washington Information Systems EducatorsCenter for International Private EnterpriseCenter for Smart Business PolicyGeorgetown University Foreign Service ProgramINROADS, Inc.Leadership InstituteNational Housing PartnershipThe National Rifle Association

We also thank our agent Lila Karpf—wisdom is priceless.