Business Writing

[...]... 2: The Business Writer’s Alphabetical Reference ■ Section 3: Sample Business Documents xxv xxvi Introduction The book also includes a detailed table of contents and index that will assist you in quickly finding what you are seeking The Sample Business Documents section includes guidelines, tips, and a wide variety of business documents, including annual reports, brochures, business letters, business. .. 630 Kennedy, 594 Figure 3.102: White Paper, 632 I N T R O D U C T I O N The AMA Handbook of Business Writing is a desktop job aid for all corporate communicators The book is a collection of easy-to-find information on style, grammar, usage, punctuation, language construction, formatting, and business documents In writing three editions of the Administrative Assistant’s and Secretary’s Handbook, we have... consulting business with over 25 years’ experience working for many Fortune 500 companies like IBM, AT&T, Sony, Chevron, Hewlett Packard, and Cox Enterprises In our work, we’ve developed hundreds of business documents including Web sites, brochures, reports, presentations, marketing plans, policy manuals, video programs, software tutorials, and training materials In The AMA Handbook of Business Writing, ... corporate business writing guidelines and organize them in a way corporate writers will find useful We’ve written the book so you can easily find information on a particular topic and quickly get back to your writing project We have alphabetized most of the book and included cross-references to assist you in finding alternatively worded entries The book is organized into three sections: ■ Section 1: The Writing. .. Report, 437 Memorandum, 511 Application Letter, 444 Mission Statements, 512 Brochures, 446 Newsletters, 513 Business Letter, 451 Newsletter Articles, 515 Business Letter Writing Style, 454 Notices, 517 Business Letter Format, 454 Permission Letter, 521 Business Plan, 459 Policies, Rules, or Guidelines, 524 Collection Letter, 468 PowerPoint Presentations, 526 Commendation Letter, 470 Planning a Presentation,... Center for Writing Studies, 2009 Purdue University The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL), 2009 UsingEnglish.com, English Glossary of Grammar Terms, 2009 xxvii This page intentionally left blank S E C T I O N 1 The Writing Process This page intentionally left blank Section 1 The Writing. .. statements, newsletters, policies, press releases, proposals, résumés, surveys, speeches, training manuals, user guides, and white papers We believe The AMA Handbook of Business Writing is an essential desk reference for the following business writers: ■ Corporate communications writers and managers ■ Marketing writers and managers ■ Human resources administrators and managers ■ Sales representatives... Writing Process This page intentionally left blank Section 1 The Writing Process 3 AUDIENCE ANALYSIS When planning to write a business document, the most important consideration is to understand your audience You must adapt your writing to the needs and interests of the audience For most business documents, the audience falls into one of the following categories: ■ Subject matter experts—individuals who know... to look up information when it is needed? ■ What are the demographics of your audience? ■ Consider the age, sex, location, and other characteristics of your audience 4 The AMA Handbook of Business Writing Your writing may have more than one audience or an audience with a wide variety of backgrounds With an audience of both experts and laypeople, it is best to organize your document into sections with... matter? ■ Can you draw any conclusions about the subject matter? 6 The AMA Handbook of Business Writing ■ Do you have any recommendations? ■ What are the alternatives to the subject matter? ■ What tests and methods are used? ■ Can you use relevant statistics? ■ Are there any legal issues? ■ Should you consider applicable business situations? After brainstorming, the next step is to narrow the list of ideas .