January 10th, 2011
The Jan. 9 NY Times featured a story, “Champion of Plain English” (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/business/09view.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=Alfred%20E.%20Kahn&st=cse) on renowned economist Alfred E. Kahn, who died in Dec. at age 93. Kahn, whose commitment to clear language was probably ahead of his time, was known as one of the profession’s “clearest thinkers and a leading authority on the economics of regulation,” according to the article. For example, Kahn urged those on his staff to use the simpler “there” instead of “therein.”
The lesson: If one of the leading economists of our time recognized the power of clear business writing in achieving the best results, then so should we in our professions.
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November 15th, 2010
While we can usually control our tone when we speak, it’s far more difficult when we write. The wrong tone can thwart our goals and make us look unprofessional and unprepared for the many curve balls that business throws at us. See the difference in these two approaches.
Panic
We have big problems! Our keynote speaker for tomorrow’s seminar just canceled due to illness. The attendees may be very upset. We’ve only got 12 hours to fix this. What about the breakout session presenters? Can you call them—immediately? Get back to me ASAP!
Control
Our keynote speaker for tomorrow’s seminar just canceled due to illness, so I suggest you ask one of the breakout session presenters to fill in. Please reach out to them right away and get back to me later today with an update.
Remember, part of successful business writing is coming across professionally, demonstrating to others that you’re in control.
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November 3rd, 2010
Who doesn’t check emails during a phone conference? Who doesn’t check the Blackberry during a meeting? Very few people today can answer “never.” Many of us believe that the more we multitask, the more productive we’ll be—but not so fast. Studies indicate that when we never fully focus on one task, we lose our ability to reason.
What about writing? Are you cranking out text during a phone conversation? Successful business writing, or any type of writing, requires critical thinking skills. Consider how lack of focus affects your ability to write documents that achieve the desired results.
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October 27th, 2010
Communication was among the four c’s identified as essential for business success by the American Management Association in its Critical Skills Survey (http://www.amanet.org/news/AMA-2010-critical-skills-survey.aspx). Employees need to communicate more effectively at every level within an organization, according to the survey.
The need for better communication—and to improve business writing—has come to the forefront in a big way over the last few years. Today, the corporate world is starting to understand that poor writing wastes time. And time is money!
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October 22nd, 2010
Let’s hear it for plain writing!
Earlier this month, President Obama signed into law the Plain Writing Act of 2010 (http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-946), “promoting clear government communication that the public can understand and use.” Kudos to the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) and all who supported its passage.
In addition to government agencies, corporations, non-profit organizations—and everyone should focus on simple and straightforward writing. The result would be much less time wasted trying to figure out what’s being said. That’s what successful business writing is all about.
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September 17th, 2010
Instinctively, many of us believe writing more is better, maybe because of what we learned in grade school, which was then reinforced in high school and college (essays of at least 500 words!). But adding text is never a good idea, unless you’re adding substance. For example, instead of the wordy, “We need to make an effort to improve our employees’ well-being,” say: “We need to improve our employees’ well-being.” The phrase “make an effort” contributes nothing to your message!
Successful business writers aren’t word compilers. So resist the urge to add text without adding substance. Remember, there’s no teacher counting your words—only impatient readers who want to get through your message as quickly as possible.
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September 7th, 2010
Too many choices waste our time. The other day, for my graduate business writing course, I went to post the required text, my “10 Steps to Successful Business Writing,” onto the Blackboard system that colleges use. No problem. I easily found the “Assign textbook” tab. But then I noticed this same tab in three places—under “Assignments,” “Course Information” and “Course Documents.” Which one should I use to post the required book? And will students find it?
Sure, there could be a different book for each of those categories (really?), but it’s not worth the confusion. For the sake of simplicity, let’s choose one place to assign a textbook—or post other information for that matter.
The same goes for figuring out how to convey a message. Should I use plain old email, a text message, a chat room, my linked-in group, Facebook or something else? Too many choices won’t work.
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August 24th, 2010
In helping working professionals improve business writing, I often review their emails. Too many of them continually ask questions instead of writing complete messages—and waste time. See how much time is wasted with these back-and-forth questions:
Al: “Do you need help with the operations report?”
Sue: “Yes, are you available to assist me?”
Al: “Sure. What specific help do you need?”
Sue: “The executive summary is giving me problems. Could you help with that?”
Al: “Absolutely. Will you email me a time so we can schedule a call?”
Here’s how Al and Sue could have written more complete messages and saved time:
Al: “If you need assistance with any facet of the operations report, I can help.”
Sue: “I need help with the executive summary, so let’s schedule a call on Sept. 1.”
A critical aspect of successful business writing is using the fewest words—and the fewest number of emails—to convey your message.
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July 25th, 2010
Today, we’re so fascinated by new communication technology, from the IPod and the IPad to the Blackberry Bold and whatever new device will be introduced next year—or even next month. What about the message? If we can’t convey what we want to say—especially in the business world, then the medium can be irrelevant.
This is hardly a new concept. In the 1960s, writer and philosopher Marshall McLuhan said that with the “new” mass communication vehicles, “The medium is the message.” Forty-plus years later, we still need to remind ourselves that conveying the right message is essential. It will help us improve business writing and enhance business communication so we can generate the desired action from readers.
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June 28th, 2010
Emulate how news writers grab attention by starting with the most important points, which sums up the story. See how this concise and compelling summary of this article on consumer spending in today’s (6/28) Wall Street Journal lures readers into the rest of the story. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703964104575334562265693580.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTWhatsNewsCollection
One of the keys to successful business writing is to use a journalistic approach. Start with a bottom-line message, like this: “By Sept. 1, we need to increase revenues 15%.” In the next few sentences, you can explain how and the next steps.
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