Effective Business Writing & Presentation (Participants Manual)

Part I: Email
Am I writing clear and effective Message? Here are some important points and tips in writing effective
emails.
1. Subject Lines
It is important to understand that the subject line is a necessary and important part of every
email. This is because the subject line appears as an indicator in the inbox, even before one
opens an email.
Additionally, the subject line of an email needs to be indicative and precise. Long subject lines
create redundancy, whereas an unclear subject line would serve to have no additional value. In
fact, it may mislead the receiver into believing that the email is on some other matter, therefore
reducing its priority for him/her. So too, certain top authorities, especially of the old school rely
on secretaries, to go through their email. A vague subject line would mean that the secretary
does not bring the email to the notice of his/her boss.
2. Improper and Informal Salutation
Some very common modes of salutation, used even in formal emails, are Hi!, Hey! or Dear All.
However, all these are inappropriate for different reasons. While the first two are very casual/
informal and therefore do not befit a formal email and would also clash with the tone of the
content, making it lose its seriousness; the other (Dear All) is incorrect. One can use Dear
Mr./Ms. First Name or Surname depending upon the etiquette followed in the organization to
which one belongs, the country of one's origin or the relationship shared with the receiver of
the email. More so, one could also use just the first name, without the title Mr./Ms., if one is
writing to a professional friend/junior. Similarly, Dear All can be replaced with either Dear
Colleagues or Dear Team Members. 'Colleagues' is a term that includes people at the same level
as well as those who are senior or junior. However, due caution must be exercised, while
spelling the word 'colleagues'.
3. Tone of the Message
All official email is of necessity formal. One should therefore maintain an appropriate tone,
while drafting such an email. Often, people draft emails, as if they are holding a casual
conversation with the other person. This is not acceptable, as per email etiquette. Moreover,
use of slang and colloquialisms should also be avoided, while drafting an email.
It is important to realize that there is no non-verbal communication available, to supplement
what one is saying in an email. So too, one has enough time to draft, edit and check the draft of
an email before sending it. A poor tone therefore becomes unacceptable. For example, instead
of See Ya! one could use Hoping to see you or Looking forward to seeing you, depending upon
the level of formality one wishes to bring in.
While small letters are considered acceptable in emails, where one is corresponding with those
one is regularly in touch with in formal situations, using all caps i.e. all capital letters is a
complete no-no. If one needs to draw attention, one can make a couple of words/sentences
bold or formulate the content in such a way as to draw attention to certain information. All
capital letters are considered equivalent to 'shouting', while speaking, and therefore cannot be a
part of formal official communication.
4. Use short Clear Sentences and Simple Punctuation

5. Write an Informative Beginning
Introduce yourself in the first paragraph (if necessary). Also include why you're writing, and how
you found that person's e-mail address, or the opportunity you're writing about
6. Use Paragraphs
Write the actual message. Be sure to get your point across without rambling; if it's fluffed up,
the reader may glance over the important details. Try to break up the message into paragraphs
by topic to make your message more logical and digestible.
7. Write a Cordial, Informative Conclusion
Use the correct form of leave-taking. This will depend on your level of intimacy with the
recipient.

Sign with your full name. If you have a job title, include that in the line after your name, and
write the company name or website in the line after that. If you do not have a job title but you
have your own blog or website related to the content of the e-mail, include a link to that below
your name.
8. Proofread your message for content.

Make sure you havent omitted any important details (or repeated yourself). Reading your email
aloud or asking someone to proofread it is a great way to get a different perspective on what
youve written.

Proofread your message for spelling and grammar. If your email provider doesnt already
provide spelling and grammar options for you, copy and paste your email into a word processor,
revise it if necessary, and copy and paste it back into your email.

ACTIVITY

Re-Write the following Email:
Subject: Partnership

Joan Doe,

thanks for your interest in a trading with partnership Ray International. But we are mainly looking for trading partners
in europe, so we are unsure about how to make the right fit with your offer at present. U can call me in a month to talk
further about possibl deals..


later,
robert ceo
ray International

How to Write It:
Subject: Partnership

Dear Joan Doe,

Thank you for your interest in a trading with partnership Ray International. However, we are mainly looking for trading
partners in Europe, so we are unsure about how to make the right fit with your offer at present. You can call me in a
month to talk further about possible deals.


I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Robert Neat
CEO
Ray International

Compose your own email base on the following information:
1. What projects are you working on at the moment? Make a list of the different tasks included in a
project. Which tasks have you finished? Which tasks are not ready yet?
2. Write an email to your boss to update them on the project you are working on.





Part II: Business Letters (Letter, Memo & Proposal)
1. Focus on your prospects need, not your abilities
Get to the point. Name a problem that is hurting your prospects bottom line. Concentrate on
their need and not on your company. Establish credibility not so much by demonstrating your
expertise as by showing your understanding of the prospects business. Be specific. Claude
Hopkins and George Gallop proved years ago that prospects are interested in themselves more
than they are in your product or service. Show me I have a problem thats costing me money
and Ill read to the end of your letter.
2. Show the benefits of solving that need
Hold your readers interest by demonstrating how they gain by addressing their need. Dont
confuse the benefits of meeting the need with the features of your product or service. Instead,
spell out how the prospect will improve productivity and profitability by addressing their need.
Describe possible consequences of inaction.
3. Recommend your solution
Make a clear recommendation accompanied by action steps. Dont describe the solution-
recommend it! Present your recommendation so persuasively that the prospect believes that
only your solution will meet their need. Example: We recommend that XYZ Corporation hire
The Gordon Writing Group to conduct a customized, one-day, on-site, hands-on workshop on
Effective Proposal Writing. Always link your solution to your prospects need. And stress what
makes your solution unique.
4. Provide details
Prove that you have the qualifications, experience and resources to deliver your solution on
time and on budget. Show that you understand the costs involved, particularly the return on
investment to your prospect. Provide a budget. Provide an implementation schedule. Always
return to your key selling point-your recommendation presented in terms of a quantifiable
benefit to the prospect. Close with confidence-ask for their business.
Some free writing tips:
keep letter proposals under 5 pages in length
arrange everything in the order thats most important to the client
accentuate the positive with underlining, fonts, headings and bullets
dont recycle resumes and corporate profiles from other proposals; customize them
be specific; quantify benefits whenever possible
write in the active voice
if you can cut a word and keep your meaning, cut
Finally, avoid hackneyed openings and closings that clients read every day. Instead of: I would
like to take this opportunity to thank you for considering the enclosed, write: Here is our
proposal. Also, If you have any questions, dont hesitate to call has been done to death. So
give it a funeral.
A letter is a form of written communication widely used across the world. Different types of
letters are used in different situations. For example, formal letters are used for official purposes,
whereas informal letters are meant for family and friends.



PART III: Business Presentation
Introducing the Presenter
Thank you for taking time off from your busy schedule to be with us. Ive asked you to be here
because I would like to introduce Mr. Howard Cha. Howard has been hired as our new project
consultant.
He has over 23 years of experience in this field. For the last 10 years, he worked for a company
called, ThreeStar. Howard is a Project Management Professional member and has a doctorate
from Drexel University in Philadelphia.
And now he is going to talk about how to manage a project efficiently. Lets all give a big round
of applause to Mr. Howard Cha.
Explaining the Procedure
As you all know, we are losing our market share in India. But we cant sit around doing nothing
about that. My goal is to increase it by 10-20% within 2 years. How can we possibly increase it
in a shrinking market? The subject of my presentation today is how we can do this.
My presentation is divided into three main sections.
Firstly, I am going to look at the current market situation. And then I am going to talk to you
about products and how they fit in. Finally, Im going to examine some advertising strategies.
The presentation will take around 30 minutes. Id be grateful if you could ask me your questions
after the presentation.

Useful Expressions:
Let me start my presentation by (famous quotes from famous people etc.)
Have you ever wondered
How many people realize that
Consider for a moment/ Think for a moment about



Lets turn to/ Shall we move (go) on to ?
Now its time to discuss
Lets direct our attention to/ Lets pay attention to
I want to return to/ Lets go back to

We cant emphasize the importance of too much.
The main point I want to make is that
It is no exaggeration to say that
I can speak with confidence that
I must mention that

ACTIVITY: (About YOU)
Present yourself in class, given the following guides.
Start:
1. Introduce yourself to us.
2. Favorite quotes as how it applies to you.
3. What you do for a living / or what is your job.
4. What is the importance of your job.
5. What other things or hobbies that you do on free time.
Conclusion:
1. How do you see yourself after 10 years?
2. What is your ultimate goal in life?



ACTIVITY: (Business)
Research and make a short presentation about the following topics.
(choose one)
1. The Samsung-Apple Rivalry
2. The LG Electric Cars
3. Hotel market in South Korea
4. The Asian Luxury Firms vs the Western Brands
5. Korea on alert over Chinese Dust
Source: Korean Herald