The topics discussed in this chapter are writing genres . On completion of this chapter students will know how to: identify key features of academic and business texts; recognise the difference between formal and informal register; use language appropriate to business settings, taking into account issues of power.
Chapter Writing genres ‘How we are expected to write affects what we can write about.’ Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 6-1 Learning objectives On completion of this chapter students will know how to: • identify key features of academic and business texts • recognise the difference between formal and informal register • use language appropriate to business settings, taking into account issues of power Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 6-2 What does ‘genre’ mean? • ‘Genre’ means style, kind or type • Usually, ‘genre’ refers to a type of art or literature • It can also refer to ways of speaking, types of movies or plays, or any written document • In this context, ‘genre’ refers to the various types of texts that students need to learn and master Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 6-3 Academic genres • The most common genre (type of text for assessment) at Australian universities is the essay • In business there are other genres which are just as important: – reports – business letters – email communication Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 6-4 Context and genre • Factors that impact on genre: – – – – context situation audience purpose of the text • Consider each factor in relation to the essay genre • Now think about the business context How is it different to the academic context? Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 6-5 Business context • Business reports written in workplace: – audience = supervisor or ‘superior’ – usually someone with power – much at stake for the organisation • All documents have ‘regular, predictable patterns of organisation’ (Swales & Feak 1994, p 10) Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 6-6 Activity • See Activity on pp 133–140 of your textbook • Work in pairs • Divide your page into five columns with the headings ‘personal email’, ‘business email’, ‘business letter’, ‘essay’ and ‘report’ • Examine each text and identify the different features List the features of each text, using the suggestions in the annotations and at the bottom of the activity Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 6-7 Applying knowledge of genres • In your business studies you will need to write in different genres, depending on the course, assessment and preference of your lecturers • Sometimes the genres will be ‘mixed’ • Always be very clear about which genre is expected before submitting work for assessment Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 6-8 ‘The vocabulary shift’ • Need to move from informal to formal writing (academic and business contexts) • Choice between verb + preposition or a single verb (single verb is more formal) • Example: – The manager looked at the way tension builds up during performance review meetings (less formal style) – The manager investigated the way tension develops during performance review meetings (more formal style) Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 6-9 Activities and • Complete activities and on pp 141–142 of your textbook Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 10 6-10 More advice on formality • Avoid contractions (e.g won’t = will not) • Use the more appropriate formal negative forms Example – Do not write: The analysis didn’t yield any new results – Write: The analysis yielded no new results • Avoid run-on expressions such as ‘and so forth’ and ‘etc’ • Avoid using the first person ‘I’ and not address the reader as ‘you’ Focus on the information rather than the writer or reader Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 11 6-11 More advice on formality (cont.) • Avoid asking rhetorical questions such as ‘What can be done?’ – Use statements instead, such as ‘X needs to be considered’ • Do not place adverbs at the beginning or end of the sentence Examples – Do not write: Then the solution can be discarded – Write: The solution can then be discarded – Do not write: The profits have increased slowly – Write: The profits have slowly increased Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 12 6-12 Summary • Different genres (texts) have distinct requirements in terms of structure, development, formality and acknowledgment of sources • By learning and using the particular features of texts, writers can produce easy-to-read documents • The context, particularly the power relations between the writer and receiver, affect the formality of the document Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 13 6-13 ... reports – business letters – email communication Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 6- 4 Context and genre • Factors that... organisation’ (Swales & Feak 1994, p 10) Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 6- 6 Activity • See Activity on pp 133–140 of your textbook... McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 6- 9 Activities and • Complete activities and on pp 141–142 of your textbook Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill