Download Chapter 4

Chapter 4
By
Nicole Tripp
What is Collaborative Writing?
People working together to create a
document.

Proposals, reports, memos, books, and
manuals
Advantages of Collaborative
Writing
Improves communication among
employees.
Greater skill base
Greater knowledge base
Disadvantages of Collaborative
Writing
Takes more time
Can lead to groupthink
Can create unequal workloads
Setting Group Agenda’s
Define the task
Choose a group leader
Define tasks for each group member
Establish working procedures
Establish a procedure for resolving
conflict
Establish a work schedule
Conducting Efficient Meetings
Arrive on time.
Stick to an agenda.
Record the important decisions made at
the meeting
Summarize the meeting
Communicating Diplomatically
Listen carefully
Let the speaker finish; don’t interrupt
Give everyone a chance to speak
Avoid personal remarks and insults
Don’t get emotionally attached to your
ideas
Critiquing Group Members
Drafts
Start with a positive comment
Talk about the writing, not the writer
Focus on how the document will fit into
the group’s document
Communicating Electronically
Use the comment, revisions and
highlight feature on a Word Processor
Use e-mail to send files
Use Groupware
Groupware
A software that lets people plan, draft,
revise and track a document
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Sharing files
Carrying out discussions with team
members
Distributing announcements
Creating automated change notifications
Summary
Collaborative Writing
Set Group’s Agenda
Conduct Efficient
Meetings
Communicate
Diplomatically
Critique Drafts
Communicate
electronically
Groupware
Chapter 5
By
Michelle Denham and Lisa Obenauf
Analyzing an Audience
Thinking
Listening
Classifying
Identifying Primary and
Secondary Audiences
Primary Audience – have a direct role in
responding to your document
Secondary Audience – will not directly
act on or respond to your document
Basic Categories of Readers
Try to classify your readers according to
their knowledge of your subject.
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The
The
The
The
Expert
Technician
Manager
General Reader
Individual Characteristics of
Readers
Who is your reader?
What are your reader’s attitudes and
expectations?
Why and how will your reader use your
document?
Writing for Multiple Audiences
Modular Report
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Abstract – primarily for the technical reader
Executive Summary – primarily for the
manager
Body of Report – for any interested
readers, including technical readers,
managers, experts and others
Appendices – Primarily for technicians and
experts
The Audience Profile Sheet
Template available at:
http://bedfordstmartins.com/techcomm
in the “Forms for Technical
Communication” section.
Communicating Across Cultures
1
Requires understanding of culture
Requires understanding of cultural
variables
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What language(s) should you use?
What political, social, and economic factors
will influence how readers interpret what
you write?
Some “On the Top” Cultural
Variables to Consider
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2
3
4
5
6
7
Political
Economic
Social
Religious
Educational
Technological
Linguistic
Understanding what “Beneath the
Surface” Cultural Variables Mean
1
2
3
4
There are also six “Beneath the Surface”
variables to be considered.
Each represents a spectrum of attitudes
They do not line up in a clear pattern
Different organizations within the same
culture can vary greatly
Cultural Values are fluid, not static.
Understanding cont.
Variables do not offer answers, instead
questions to be considered.
Can help you study the communications
from people and become more aware of
underlying values that affect
communication.
Cultural Variables “Beneath the
Surface”
1
See Table 5.1 for details
Focus on individuals or groups
Distance between business life and private
life
Distance between ranks
Nature of truth
Need to spell out details
Attitudes toward uncertainty
Considering Cultural Variables as
you Write
The challenge with communicating with
a person from another culture is that
you are communicating with a person,
not a culture.
You cannot be sure which cultures have
influenced that person.
Considering Cultural Variables
cont.
To the person you’re communicating
with, you are the one from another
culture.

You cannot be sure how much they are
trying to accommodate your culture
patterns.
Communication between the two of you
creates a hybrid of the two cultures.
Considering Cultural Variables
cont.
Research what you can about the
culture you are writing for.
If possible, ask for assistance by
someone native to the culture.
Seek examples of the type of writing
you will be doing so you can study the
format.
Strategies for Intercultural
Communication
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2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Limit your vocabulary
Keep sentences short
Define abbreviations and acronyms in a glossary
Avoid jargon unless you know your readers are
familiar with it
Avoid idioms and slang
Use the active voice whenever possible
Be careful with graphics
Be sure someone from the target culture reviews
your document
Generating Graphics and Design
for Multicultural Readers
Graphics and Design – One way to
overcome the language barrier.
Graphics and design can differ from
culture to culture.
Study samples of documents written
from the culture to learn important
differences in document layout.
Generating Graphics and Design
cont.
Documents from different cultures are
becoming more unified.
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3
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International Business is increasing each
year
The use of the Web is increasing
dramatically
Most communicators around the world are
using the same word processing software.
Determining your Purpose
Ask yourself: “What do I want this document
to accomplish?”
What do you want your readers to
know/believe?
What do you want your readers to do?
Your document should help your readers
carry out a task, understand a concept, or
hold a particular belief.
Determining your Purpose cont.
Think of a verb that represents your
purpose.
Is your real purpose different from your
expressed purpose?

Many readers don’t want to be
“persuaded” but are willing to learn new
facts or ideas.
Determining your Purpose
Examples
Communicating Verbs
To describe
To explain
To inform
To illustrate
To review
To outline
To authorize
To define
To summarize
Communicating Verbs
To assess
To request
To propose
To recommend
To forecast
To evaluate
Gaining Management’s Approval
Consider gaining your manager’s
approval before proceeding too far into
the project.
It is wise to make sure that you are on
the right track before investing too
much time and effort into it.
Questions
Please feel free to ask any questions
you may have at this time.