2. Effective Introductions, Coherent Paragraphs, and Powerful Sentences Step6: Prepare the First Draft

Once you have completed the planning process for your written or spoken message and selected an inductive or deductive approach for your outline, you are ready to prepare the first draft. The process as well as the style you use will determine the success of your message.

When you are composing the first working draft, writing can be frustrating and may diminish the quality of your finished work.

Read the scenario about the composing process, and then answer the question.

Maricela writes slowly. When preparing a first draft, she spends a good deal of time formatting and choosing the correct font. Maricela doesnt like to move on to the next sentence until she has perfected each one. She rarely has time for revision.

What advice would you give Maricela to help her allow more time for revision? Check all that apply.

Dont perfect each sentence before moving on. Compose quickly.

Use a thesaurus to help perfect each sentence as you compose.

Spend your time writing, not formatting.

As you improve your working draft, craft powerful sentences by using active voice. Which is the best definition for active voice?

A sentence in which the subject is the receiver of the action

A sentence in which the indirect object is the doer of the action

A sentence in which the object of the preposition receives attention

A sentence in which the subject is the doer of the action

Which of the following sentences uses active voice?

Caitlin was informed by Jim that she would have to take furlough this week.

Caitlin was told that she would be expected to take furlough this week.

He told Caitlin that she would have to take furlough this week.

Read the sentence, and then answer the two corresponding questions.

The financial statements will be reviewed by the accountant.

Does this sentence use passive or active voice?

Active

Passive

Which is the best revision for this sentence? If the sentence effectively uses active voice, select No revision needed.

The accountant will review the financial statements.

The financial statements are reviewed by the accountant.

No revision needed.

Although active voice conveys ideas more vividly, there are instances when passive voice can be used effectively. When is passive voice useful in business communication?

When placing emphasis on who completed an action

When you want to reinforce the subject

When placing emphasis on what was done

As you continue to develop your draft, keep in mind that emphasis and coherence will affect how your message is received. For example, you may want to emphasize or de-emphasize certain ideas depending on what you want to highlight for the reader. You can do this through sentence structure and paragraph organization. Keep in mind that well-constructed sentences and paragraphs make your message more effective.

When you use sentence structure to de-emphasize an idea, place the idea you want to de-emphasize in a .

Which of these sentences is the most emphatic?

Despite the fact that Maria completed the report, she forgot to attach the letter of transmittal.

Maria completed the report, but she forgot to attach the letter of transmittal.

Although Maria forgot to attach the letter of transmittal, she completed the report.

Read the sentence, and then answer the question.

Our teams greatest asset is its productivity, which I attribute to our shared goals and good communication.

Which technique is used to add emphasis in this sentence?

Repetition

Position

Words that label

Coherent paragraphs can positively influence the way your message is received. Which of the following techniques are used in effective paragraphs? Check all that apply.

Position the topic sentence appropriately.

Keep paragraphs unified.

Link ideas to achieve coherence.

Link sentences with semicolons for emphasis.

Read the paragraph. Consider how the paragraph is organized, and then answer the question.

One well-known fast-food restaurant uses 3-D simulations to help new employees learn and practice necessary job skills. This is a growing trend in corporate training. Many corporations are using online courses with digital learning tools for organizational training and orientation. Digital media are at the forefront of 21st-century learning.

Does the previous paragraph use a deductive or an inductive approach?

Inductive

Deductive

Which techniques can you use to achieve coherence in your paragraphs? Check all that apply.

Repeat a word or phrase used in the preceding sentence.

Use a pronoun that represents a noun in the previous sentence.

Use connecting words.

Paragraph length can affect the impact of your message. Which of the following statements about paragraph length is true?

Paragraph length should be kept short and appropriate to the document type.

Paragraph length is inconsequential in business documents.

Effective paragraphs in business documents always contain bulleted lists.