OABC and Effective Business Writing

There are several aspects of writing in the business world, including organization, grammar, spelling, punctuation, formatting, and style of writing (i.e. direct and indirect). While all of these items are very important, organization is, in my opinion, the most important mainly because it makes messages easier to follow and remember. Without organization, the message gets lost in a sea of words. One of the most important principles of organization is described by the acronym OABC, which stands for Opening, Agenda, Body, and Closing. This blog post will describe each of these and why they are important.

Opening: A document’s opening, or introduction, is what initially catches a reader’s eye and persuades him or her to keep reading. It also introduces the topic by presenting preliminary information. It should be tailored to the type of message being conveyed. For example, an email conveying bad news would be less direct than a letter selling a product.

Agenda: This section is comparable to a thesis statement in a research paper. It provides both the focus of and a basic outline for the rest of the document; additionally, it gives readers a general idea of where to find specific information. It generally includes a list of topics to be covered in the order they will appear.

Body: This is the bulk of the article. It is organized in sync with the agenda provided in the introductory paragraph. Each of the items listed in the agenda then becomes a paragraph or section of its own.

Closing: The closing paragraph or section often summarizes what was said, and links the main ideas together, but most importantly it ought to fit the purpose of the document. This isn’t the place to provide new information about the topics covered in the agenda, but it could include requests for action, contact information, and any other appropriate closing statements.

OABC is a very effective acronym for organizing pretty much any form of business correspondence. Businesses thrive on efficiency, which is a result of effective organization. People are busy, and often do not have time to read lengthy, unorganized messages. Without organization techniques like OABC, business correspondences run the risk of being ignored. Organization helps improve communication because it allows the reader to (1) decide within the first paragraph if the correspondence is relevant, (2) know generally where to look for information specific to his or her needs, and (3) scan the document and obtain an idea of its content. 

There are many other important tools to remember when writing business correspondence; this great video by Chris Amorosino gives a brief overview. His website is another good resource for business writing tips.

Reflective Listening

I work at a residential treatment facility for teenage boys who have Asperger’s syndrome and other learning and social disabilities. As a mentor, a significant part of my job consists of helping these boys learn social skills, how to build and maintain positive interpersonal relationships, and how to express themselves in appropriate ways. Part of this learning process includes conflict, which is often mediated by staff members. Reflective listening allows staff to understand the nature of the problem, find out what the student is feeling and thinking, and develop a relationship of trust.

One afternoon at work, one of the students (I’ll call him John, to preserve anonymity) hurt himself while he was playing around in a manner that could have been construed as threatening. He was visibly upset and blamed me for his injury, which was a minor (but painful) scratch on the inside of his lip. We sat down in the hallway and started to talk about what had just happened. While reflective listening works best when both parties of the conversation are using it, the next best thing is if one person is at least trying, which is what I was doing (and not necessarily doing a spectacular job of it, I might add). I felt bad that he was hurt, and he appeared to be feeling worse than what the situation seemed to call for, but I couldn’t get all of the reasons out of him. At that moment, John’s therapist came into the hall and provided a masterful example of reflective listening, asking the right questions and responding to the feelings and thoughts that were racing through John. In a matter of minutes, John was able to express what he was going through, and we were able to attain an understanding with each other.

This experience has been followed by other, less dramatic instances where John and I have been able to talk to each other and build our relationship through reflective listening, even in casual conversations about the books he likes to read. I have been much more attentive to reflective listening in our conversations. Even though he does not open up to me as much as he did to his therapist that day, our relationship has improved to the point where we are able to have fun with each other and get the things done he needs to do. Most significant to me is he is willing to do things I ask and listen to what I have to say because he has learned I am willing to listen to what he has to say. Generally, I have found this principle to be true in any kind of relationship; there is always give and take, and you only get what you put in. 

This link leads to a blog post that describes reflective listening in much greater detail.

The First Post: Small and Simple Things

Since this is the first post, I thought it somewhat significant because it will essentially set the tone for this blog. This morning, I heard the sounds of songbirds outside my apartment, the temperature was close to warm, and the feeling of spring was definitely in the air! It never ceases to amaze me how change comes about so gradually, almost imperceptibly, but there is always a turning point. It's how the seasons change, it's how situations change, and it's often how people change. With this thought in mind, I hope this blog can be one of the small and simple things that produces a positive change in the world. Since I am a man of diverse interests, it will also be somewhat random in its scope.