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Fundamentals of effective business writing
By Goke Ilesanmi
There are four different skills of communication. These are listening, reading, speaking and writing. Listening and reading are technically referred to as”receptive skills” because they are about assimilation; while speaking and writing are called “transmitting skills” because they are about articulation or dissemination. Mastery of all these skills is very important. But our main conceptual attention here ison writing skills, given the thematic focus of this discourse.
Business writing, especially for external communication to customers, suppliers, investors, etc., needs to be handled professionally. This is because when it is done properly, it will enhance corporate image, boost business, among others. But when it is done otherwise, the impacts can be so unpleasant. We will therefore examine some of the essentials of effective business writing here.
Good and effective business writing must have the following qualities: conciseness, completeness, correctness, clarity, consideration, courtesy, concreteness, etc.
Conciseness: Conciseness refers to the idea of being brief and direct to the point. You avoid redundancy, wordy expressions, repetitions here. However, being brief does not mean that completeness must be compromised.
Completeness: Completeness involves giving the recipient all the information needed. For example, if a (prospective) customer has written to you to know some things about your product(s) or organisation, you have to include the answers to all his or her inquiry in your reply.
Correctness: A business letter, for instance, must be correct in information, style/tone and structure. That is, you use the right language, format and factual information.
This is one of the most important attributes in business writing. It involves more than freedom from errors. A writer’s credibilitydepends on the accuracy of the message. If a writer misleads readers, his or her credibility will be eroded.
Clarity: Here you avoid ambiguous statements such as “Give us more brilliant staff of yours”; “Supply us more expensive Tantal”, etc. which reflect double meaning. For example, “Give us more brilliant staff of yours” in a situation where some have already been sent by a service company can either be interpreted as “Give us staff that are more brilliant” or “Give us more of your brilliant staff”. The same applies to the second example.
Avoid a complex choice of words and lengthy sentences. Avoid using wordsthat have more than a meaningsuch as “referee”, “coach”, etc., in a way that can lead to lexical ambiguity. In other words, the context in which they are used should be detailed enough to make their meaning specific. Do not vaguely say “He is a good referee”.
To ensure that you write clearly, first sit down, think about what you want to write and arrange everything well. It is good to acquire good knowledge of grammatical concepts like Tenses, Reported Speech, Word Order, etc., to be able to write flawlessly. Word Order is very essential because the way you arrange your words has a lot to do with meaning in spite of using the same number of words. For instance, “Non-regular supply of goods” is different from “Non-supply of regular goods”; while “Your product qualityalmost alwaysmeets our expectations” and “Your product qualityalwaysalmost meets our expectations” are different in meaning.
In the statement “Your product qualityalmost alwaysmeets our expectations”, the quality has met expectations many times, while in the second example, that is, “Your product qualityalwaysalmost meets our expectations”,the quality has nevernet expectations once but always remains a little to do so. You should try as much as possible to avoid spelling errors. Also avoid punctuation errors, as they can affect meaning.
In a nutshell, a business letter that is not clear can cause misinformation and negatively affect the corporate image of the company writing it.Even though misspellings are not the same as low intelligence, misspellings can mar your business writing at least on paper, e.g., “complaint” instead of “compliant” (Word order). Avoid jargon (technical vocabulary), slangs (expressions identified with a specific group), cliches (over-used words/expressions), etc.
Courtesy: To create or sustain goodwill, good business writing must show respect. Even in the face of provocation from a customer or seller, politeness must not be sacrificed. One of the best ways to do this is to use passive voice and sound impersonal by not mentioning the seller’s name. So you can say, “We write to notify you that most of the goods WE WERE SUPPLIED yesterday are not in good condition” (passive voice and impersonal).
Apart from the traditional notion that passive voice is used for courtesy, courtesy can also be conveyed by sounding impersonal through active voice, e.g., “We write to notify you that most of the goodsWE BOUGHT yesterday are not in good condition” (Active voice and impersonal).
The two active and passive voice examples are impersonal and courteous because we do not say, “We write to notify you that most of the goods WE WERE SUPPLIED BY YOU yesterday are not in good condition” (passive voice and personal) or “We write to notify you that most of the goods YOU SOLD TO US yesterday are not in good condition” (active voice and personal). Also you avoid using the second-person personal pronoun “you” in negative comments, hypothetical illustrations, etc.
To be continued
PS: For those making inquiries about our CV/Profile Writing and Speech Writing Services; Political Persuasion and Presentation Course; General Public Speaking and Business Presentation Course; Professional Writing Course, etc., please visit the website indicated on this page for details.
GOKE ILESANMI (FIIM, FIMC, CMC), CEO of Gokmar Communication Consulting, is an International Platinum Columnist, Professional Public Speaker, Career Mgt Coach and Certified Mgt Consultant. He is also a Book Reviewer, Biographer and Editorial Consultant. Tel: 08056030424; 08055068773; 08187499425
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.gokeilesanmi.com.ng
Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), on Friday inaugurated some new projects at the 3 Division of the Nigerian Army, Rukuba, near Jos.
Some of inaugurated projects include; 2,000 capacity sports complex pavilion, two blocks of 30 flats for personnel from ranks of corporal and below, accommodation for the division’s garrison Regimented Sergeant Major, remodeled quarter guard, among others.
Inaugurating the projects separately, Lagbaja said the gesture was aimed at improving the welfare of army personnel and their families within the cantonment.
The COAS also explained that the gesture was part of activities commemorating the 2024 Nigerian Army Day celebration (NADCEL).
The Nigerian Army boss, who reiterated his commitment to the welfare of personnel, said that a conducive accommodation for personnel would promote optimal performance.
“I have moved round our barracks, accommodation for soldiers and their families is appalling; so we will continue to improve these facilities within available resources.
“When the thought of hosting this year’s NADCEL in this cantonment came up, we felt the need to use the occasion to kick-start infrastructure renewal here.
“Welfare of our troops and their families forms part of my command’s philosophy, and we will continue to pursue it vigorously,” Lagbaja said.
Similarly, as part of activities lined up for the NADCEL, the Nigerian Army also had organised a golf tournament holding at the Rhino Golf Club, Jos.
Speaking shortly after the tea-off (Golf tournament kick-off), Lt.-Gen. Lamidi Adeosun (rtd), who was the Special Guest of Honour at the event, thanked the COAS for organising the competition.
Adeosun, who reeled out the importance of golf game to the military, said that the tournament would afford both serving and retired military personnel and other golfers to interact.
Also speaking, Sen. Simon Lalong, the immediate past governor of Plateau and an ardent golfer, called on Nigerians to promote the game at all levels.
The Enugu State Government has vowed to arrest butchers selling dead animals and uninspected meats at Afor Awkunanaw Gariki Market, Enugu South Council Area of the state.
Dr Philip Ozoagu, Director of Veterinary Department, Enugu State Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Industrialisation, made the vow when he led his team to the market on Friday.
Ozoagu told the market’s chairman, Mr Kojak Egbonnaji, and his executives that the department discovered that some people were selling uninspected and dead animals as meat to the public.
He said meeting the market leaders was, therefore, important to prevent transferring diseases from animals to men through proper inspections.
“We have been here severally, and our major activity is inspection.
“We have made several attempts to stop them from carrying out these nefarious activities of selling unwholesome meat to the public, but they continued.
“Our findings showed that they pay some fees to you, and we are directing you to stop collecting these fees as Gov. Peter Mbah’s administration is more concerned about the health of Enugu residents.
“We are giving you a final chance to stop them from coming to sell in this market.
“We built an abattoir for them to stay, and the purpose of the place is to inspect their meat and those willing to sell wholesome meat can go to the place,” he said.
Ozoagu warned that in any attempt to disobey the simple rules, perpetrators would be arrested.
Dr Joy Onah, Officer-in-Charge of the Veterinary Department, Enugu South Council Area, described meats sold on roadsides as “condemned and unhygienic meats”.
She, equally, warned butchers engaging in the act to desist from it, saying their meats posed dangers to people’s health.
Mr Romanus Ezeh, Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Enugu Chapter, demanded butchers’ data in the state to differentiate real butchers from meat handlers.
Ezeh, who is also a government agent for the collection of butchers’ licences, said information at their disposal revealed that roadside meat sellers sell cows that died in transit from the North.
“We have invited them for a meeting, but they have refused to show up,” he said.
Responding, the market chairman said the issue was a big challenge to the market, noting that it started during the previous administration.
Denying being paid to look away from sellers of unhealthy meat in the market, he said, “What we collect from them is e-ticket fees, but now I will stop.
“However, the veterinary department needs to do its job by chasing them away from the market.”
Egbonnaji alleged that some people were sponsoring the bad eggs in the market, stressing that during the last administration, those arrested and handed to security agencies were released without informing anyone.
He appealed to the veterinary department to give him one month to address the matter with their leaders, calling them to order in the process.
Lagos State Governor and Chairman of the South West Governors Forum, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Friday, condoled with the newly appointed Chairman of the Governing Council of the University of Ibadan and former interim National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande, over the death of his son-in-law, Barr. Oyedele Clement Akintola.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, in a condolence message issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Gboyega Akosile, also commiserated with Chief Akande’s daughter, Mrs. Bolaji Akintola, over the demise of her beloved husband.
The Governor said the demise of Barr. Akintola on Wednesday, at age 60, is an irreparable loss, which would have created a vacuum in the family. He prayed that God would give the immediate and extended family of the deceased, the grace to bear the great loss.
He said: “On behalf of my family, the government, and the good people of Lagos, I want to express our heartfelt condolences to the family of our leader, Chief Bisi Akande and the late Barr. Oyedele Clement Akintola on this great and irreparable loss.
“The late Barr. Akintola was an epitome of humility and uprightness, and he was a pillar of support for his wife and children. His family will miss him greatly, because of the vacuum his death has created. I urge family of the deceased, friends, and associates to take the death of Barr Akintola in good faith, knowing that he lived a fulfilled life.
“I pray that God will grant the late Barr. Oyedele Clement Akintola eternal rest and grant the family, particularly his wife and children, the fortitude to bear the irreplaceable loss.”
COAS inaugurates new projects in 3 Division, near Jos
Enugu govt vows to arrest butchers selling dead animals’ meat
