Unit 6 And Now What? Perhaps we shouldn't call this "Unit 6." It's really an epilogue. You've completed the workshop course. Perhaps you learned nothing new. But hopefully you reinforced what you already knew and sharpened your planning, writing, and editing skills. And now what? Of course, you will not lack opportunities to practice your skills your job provides these opportunities in abundance. Here are some suggestions made by other students who have completed the course. They suggest that for a while you have the typist make an extra copy of each piece of writing you do. Then edit that copy, marking it "Next time." The edited copy becomes a draft for the next letter-memo—or report of that type. But don't just accumulate carbons; look back through them from time to time and note the improvement in your writing. Another back-on-the-job exercise is to consciously practice one writing principle for a few days. You might, for instance, concentrate on using active verbs. For several days, in all your letters or memos, make an effort to use active verbs whenever you can; you will soon find it easier to apply this principle. Ask another employee who has finished the course to be a disinterested reader of your writing. This "partner" technique helps both of you see the letters objectively. If your partner does nothing more than point out sentences that are not clear to him, he is providing you with valuable criticism. If at the same time he can question the logic of your solution, point to excess words that cloud the meaning for him, and ask you to explain why you decided upon a certain sequence of paragraphs, then he is indeed a valuable partner. But will these practices be enough to help you master these skills you have used in the workshops? Did the intensive course simply whet your appetite? If so, there are several self-developmental activities available to you: 1. You can continue to learn how (and how not) to write by 2. You can enroll in the Effective Revenue Writing I correspond- This is a basic course that gives a brief, practical review of 3. You can obtain a copy of the Effective Revenue Writing 2 4. You can take part in a program for self-instruction by using 5. You can read books that deal more comprehensively with To introduce you to the kind of reading you may do on your own, we are including, by permission, an article, "Courtesy in Correspondence," published by the Royal Bank of Canada in their Monthly Letter. Because of the importance of appropriate tone in our letters, you may find the topic both timely and helpful. In addition, although some of the spelling and language are not the same as we would use, we believe you will appreciate the way in which it is written. Courtesy in Correspondence [Reprinted by permission of the Royal Bank of Canada, Montreal, Canada.] Writing letters is a skill; writing courteous letters is a social art worth developing. Courtesy means that you refuse a favour in so considerate a way as to keep a friend, and do not grant credit in so grudging a way as to kill all hope of future business. Consideration of manner and demeanour cannot be dismissed as frivolous or unimportant. They are significant elements in the lives of everyone from a statesman engaging in international diplomacy to the husband and wife making a go of marriage. In business, our accomplishments are enhanced by our observance of decorum and manners. Every individual is required to operate within the symbol system of his culture. He uses recognized patterns of behaviour to demonstrate that he has the qualities that are respected by his fellow men. Confucius said: "It is good manners which make the excellence of a neighbourhood. No wise man will settle where they are lacking." It may be true, as some people say, that manners have progressively deteriorated as society has receded from the patriarchal stage through industrial revolution to the affluent age. One of the dangers in the growth of the democratic spirit is that people come to take bad manners as a demonstration of freedom from the discipline of non-democracy, having not yet learned that the power of the people has its duties as well as its liberties. How can we define good manners? To be well-mannered is to do the thing you should do although you are not obliged to do it. This means being considerate of others, taking no unfair advantage, avoiding personalities that hurt people, and never being intentionally impolite. Manners are of more importance than laws. The law touches us only here and there and now and then; manners vex or please us, exalt or debase us, constantly. Moses is known as the "great law-giver", particularly because he inscribed the Ten Commandments, but he entered the field of manners, too. He went beyond the "musts" of a well-organized society, and prescribed the conduct of a gentleman: to be gentle with those who are afflicted, to refrain from gossip, to respect the aged, and to be kind even to strangers. No matter at what station in life you belong, or how highly educated you may be, you owe courtesy to your fellow men. Here is an illustration from the life of Sir Winston Churchill: On a day in May 1941 when he had already been on his feet in the House of Commons with hard news about the fighting in Crete, he rose for a second time with a piece of welcome news, but he apologized all the same for interrupting the House: "I do not know whether I might venture, with great respect, to intervene for one moment. I have just received news that the Bismark is sunk." Good manners include tact, the art of all arts. Tact means taking pains and some trouble to see that others are not neglected, and doing the kind thing in a pleasant way. Great leaders are tactful in dealing with people, taking many precautions which lesser men neglect. When writing letters Have you ever stopped to think how self-revealing your letters are? Socrates said to a young man who was introduced to him to have his capabilities tested: "Talk in order that I may see you." In their letters people reveal and picture themselves in all their individuality. Much of business today is done by correspondence. We may close the biggest deal without meeting the person with whom we transact the business. We must read his letters carefully so as to get his point, and write our own letters carefully so as to convey our meaning. More than that, we need to write letters of good will. It is courteous to make it evident to your correspondent that you are writing him cheerfully and not as a chore. Congeniality makes an important contribution to your happiness, even if it is expressed in face of hostility. You belittle your dignity if you allow a discourteous correspondent to set the pattern for your reply. There is no surer sign of a great mind than that it refuses to notice annoying expressions and the cross-grained humours of fellow citizens and colleagues. As the Superman boasted in Nietzche's doctrine: "I have to carry what is heavy; and what matter if beetles and May-bugs also alight on my load!" Nothing is so disarming to an angry opponent as composure. Dogs bark at the slightest stir, before they have seen whether it be caused by friend or foe, but man's reason gives him the chance to deliberate. Instead of dashing off an out-of-temper letter with its sarcastic phrases and blunt aggressiveness we can analyse the situation, take command of it, and avoid a shabby display of peevishness. When a man loses his temper he also loses his sense of dignity, his common sense, and his feeling for justice. It is a good rule, when you are so exasperated that you simply must get something off your chest, to hold over your letter for a second look tomorrow. Respect others and yourself Tune in on people. One of the surest ways to win a man is to show respect for his knowledge and deference to his person. There is no more evident sign of intellectual ill breeding than to speak or write slightingly of any knowledge you yourself do not happen to possess. Your urge to show yourself superior will dig a hole for your pride. Men are fighting a constant battle against oblivion, and do not like being taken for granted. The craving of people for personal recognition is a deep and fundamental human need. Your letters should be written so as to make your correspondent feel important and capable. Courtesy demands, therefore, that you treat your correspondent's name and position and title with respect. Some people, but they are few, do not care what you call them so long as they get the information they want. Most people respect their names, and expect you to do so too. Your letter, though it be truthful, must not rub your correspondent the wrong way. Give him nourishment for his self-esteem. It is well to keep in mind that the letter you write may be read by others than the man to whom you address it: his secretary, his assistant, the person who will have to deal directly with the matter about which you write, and the filing clerks. To humiliate your correspondent in the eyes of these people is to impart a grievous wound. Every letter, even the most official, is capable of a peculiar dignity in the form of it, peculiar in that it is fitting to your correspondent, to its subject matter, and to you. It is void of arrogance and yet not condescending. A good letter There is general agreement that if a letter is worth writing it is worth writing well, and no excuse should be allowed to interfere. A firm may spend millions of dollars to advertise its products, only to have some untrained, uninterested, or thoughtless clerk spoil the effect by writing an uninspired or shoddy letter. There is room for honest pride in the successful communication of ideas. Despite all the imposing titles he won in a lifetime of service to humanity, Franklin described himself in his Will: "I Benjamin Franklin, Printer...' To be good communication, your letter ought to have a tendency to benefit the reader; it should be written distinctly and clearly. Your words should be the most expressive that the language affords provided that they are generally understood. But there is more to it than that. Good letters are not merely the written record of information we desire to reach someone else. We are losing their greatest effectiveness unless we use them to influence people. Very few propositions are decided by pure logic, but involve the imagination and feelings. Good composition in letter-writing does not mean using rhyme or alliteration, but the graceful expression of a creative spirit. It changes the writing of letters from a dull grind to an exciting exercise in which your mind gives life to your words. The basis of all this is to find out the dominant interest of the person to whom you are writing, and include in your letter some appeal to that interest. |