You can improve your message by using mechanical emphasis, parallelism, voice, and well-placed descriptions. One way to achieve emphasis is through mechanical devices. Complete the following sentence. You can draw the reader's eye to a word by You can also improve your messages through stylistic emphasis in sentence structure and word choice. Which of the following stylistic devices can be used to achieve emphasis? Check all that apply. Use passive voice. Position important ideas in the middle of the sentence. Label the main idea. Give important information the spotlight. Avoid general words. In some cases it is necessary to de-emphasize an idea, such as bad news. Does the following selection emphasize or de-emphasize the bad news? While we are unable to renew your contract for the upcoming year, we hope to have the position reposted once the funds are available. De-emphasize Emphasize When you compose messages, you may use the active or passive voice to convey meaning. Most business messages use the active voice. Which of the following are instances when you would use the passive voice in a business message? Check all that apply. To create confusion for your reader -To conceal the doer of an action To emphasize an action instead of the recipient of an action To avoid beginning the sentence with it Does the following sentence use the active passive voice? Refreshments will be served. Active Passive Parallel sentences are balanced and easy for readers to understand. Choose which sentence has the better parallel structure. Although the presentation was extremely long, it outlined the research, analyzed the data, and provided clear recommendations that will be useful in the future. outlines the research, analyzes the data, and provides clear recommendations that are Although the presentation is extremely long, useful in the future. Choose the best revision to the following sentence. When beginning the meeting, the fire alarm went off. When we were beginning the meeting, the fire alarm went off. The fire alarm went off when beginning the meeting. Effective business writers use various techniques to improve their messages. How could the following selection be improved? Because of the snowstorm, the roads are closed and the trains aren't running, the office will be closed today. The problem in this ineffective selection is: Not emphasizing important ideas Passive voice Sentence length/comprehension rate Writers should use words carefully and construct sentences skillfully to emphasize main ideas and de-emphasize minor ideas. Choose the best response Which of the following labels the main idea for the reader? First, please make the changes to the second section of the proposal changes, and then have Jane proofread the entire proposal. Janes needs to proofread the proposal and changes need to be made