In our business
writing seminars, we help employees and managers
improve their business writing skills. We
share tools, tips, strategies, job aids, and
follow-up resources to help them write better—guaranteed.
Here
are five business writing tips guaranteed
to help you write better immediately.
Get Organized by Listing
Your Reader’s Questions
 When
you’re wondering what to cover
in a message, how to organize your thoughts,
and what to leave in and out, forget about what you have
to say. Instead think about your reader: What
does your reader want to know? What are your
reader's questions?
It helps to imagine a conversation with your
reader. For example, if you are writing
to announce a meeting, imagine telling someone face-to-face
about the meeting. That person would ask:
• Why are we meeting?
• When is it?
• Where?
• What’s
the agenda?
• Who will be there?
• Do
I have to attend? What if I can’t?
• Do I need to prepare? How?
List all the questions your reader may
have. Then consider the order in which
your reader would ask them. If you have listed
any of the questions in a different order, rearrange
them to meet your reader’s needs.
Now,
one by one, write the answers to your reader’s
questions. For example:
• Why
are we meeting?
We are meeting to decide whether
to hire a
part-time
permanent employee or a summer
intern
to work on the winter marketing campaign.
• When is it?
The
meeting takes place on Monday, April 25,
at
2 p.m. for no more than 45 minutes.
Go through each
one of your reader’s
questions and answer it. When you’re
finished, you’re not only finished organizing—you’re
finished writing! Just edit, proofread, and send.
Be Positive!
Child-rearing books advise readers
to communicate positive messages to children. They
counsel parents to avoid the negative “Don’t
slam the door” and to say instead “Close
the door gently.”
Why?
In this case, the child needs to learn
what’s right—not just
what is wrong. Also, if we say what
children can do, they see options
rather than roadblocks, and they are apt
to respond positively.
Adults are grown-up children. They need positive
messages too. If you want to get an affirmative
response from your readers, try these tips
for focusing on the positive.
State what to do—not
what to avoid. |
Yes: |
Always process orders
within two days. |
No: |
Never take more than two days to
process an order. |
| Say what you can do—not
what you can’t do. |
Yes: |
We can meet first thing Monday morning. |
No: |
We can’t
meet now. It has to wait until Monday
morning. |
Use neutral rather
than blaming language. |
Yes: |
Let
me clarify what I meant. |
No: |
You misunderstood what I said. |
Use words that
create a positive feeling. |
Yes: |
At this company we value natural
resources. |
No: |
At this company we don't waste natural
resources. |
Take every opportunity
to communicate positively. |
Yes: |
Thank
you for your letter. |
No: |
We
have received your letter. |
Don’t
be negative! Be
positive.
Know Where Passive Verbs
Belong
If you use a grammar-check feature,
your sentences probably get flagged at
times for a fault called “Passive Voice.” This
flag is typically accompanied by advice to “Consider
rewriting with an active voice verb.”
Is this fault serious? If
your sentences get flagged often, should you
call a psychologist to work on passivity issues?
No! In fact, our grammar-checker has already
flagged three of our sentences at the beginning
of this Business Writing Tip, and we aren’t
worried a bit.
 We aren’t
worried, but we do pay attention.
That’s because
there is a lot of good advice about limiting
the use of passive verbs. For instance, we
are told to change:
“The
surface should be primed” (passive)
to “Prime the surface” (active). This
change makes sense. Readers need precise
instructions.
“Your
gift is appreciated” (passive)
to “We appreciate your gift” (active). This
is another fine suggestion. “Is appreciated” sounds
impersonal, whereas “We appreciate” feels
warm.
When we make these changes, we are
replacing wordy, vague phrases with
concise, direct words. That’s excellent.
But
there are four places where passive verbs
fit just right:
| 1.
When you don’t know who performed
the action. |
|
Her car was stolen twice. |
|
Someone stole
her car twice. |
| 2.
When it doesn’t matter who
performs the action. |
|
The boards are
pre-cut. |
|
A worker pre-cuts the boards. |
| 3. When
we want to avoid blaming someone. |
|
The
drawings were lost. |
|
Andy lost the drawings. |
4.
When we want to soften a directive.
|
|
This
paragraph could be shortened. |
|
Shorten
this paragraph. |
Passive
verbs are perfect in these four instances.
Likewise, the passive verbs in our opening
sentences also work well (“get
flagged” and “is typically accompanied”).
Know
where passives verbs belong, and you
won’t be intimidated by
your grammar-check software again. Our grammar-checker
just flagged the previous sentence, but we
know the passive verb there suits our purpose
and sounds just right!
Do More With Less!
For
over a decade, the message at work has
been “Do more with less!” As
writers, we have this challenge too. And
we can be much more efficient if
we use less wordiness. By cutting
down on extra words, we cut down on both
writing and reading time.
The paragraph below contains 70 words. Can
you cut it down to 35 words or less?
This document is for the purpose of giving
the reader a detailed explanation of the inventory
process. It describes the activities we currently
do in the majority of instances on a daily
and weekly basis. In order to provide an introduction
to the process for employees who work on a
temporary basis, we also have prepared an overview,
which describes the highlights of the inventory
process in just two pages.
Here is a 30-word revision:
This document explains the inventory process
in detail. It describes our usual daily and
weekly activities. We also have prepared
a two-page overview to introduce the process
to temporary employees.
Which paragraph
above is clearer—the 70-word version
or the 30-word revision?
To
lighten up your sentences, watch for heavy
phrases like these:
for the purpose of |
= |
for |
the majority of |
= |
most |
in order to |
= |
to |
provide an introduction |
= |
introduce |
on a daily basis |
= |
daily |
on a regular basis |
= |
routinely |
Do you think you can do more with
less? Try this experiment:
When
you finish writing a paragraph or a
page, imagine it needs to be one-third
shorter because of space constraints. Then
see how many words you can cut. You’ll
probably be surprised about the excess
baggage your sentences are carrying. And
your readers will thank you.
It’s true—we can do
more with less!
Every now and then we get stuck. The
blank screen or empty page just stares at us
dully. Meanwhile, the digital clock shifts
through the minutes. We fidget.
Need
to break through writer’s
block? Then do it—break out
of what you are doing and try something different.
Here are a few techniques.
Imagine that you are talking with
your reader. Think about the
things your reader wants or needs to
hear. Then “tell” (write)
any part—beginning, middle, or end.
Don’t worry about the perfect
opening.
Write without censoring yourself. Pay
no attention to whether the writing is
good. Just let the words and ideas flow.
Then choose your “keepers” and
build from them.
Review some of your past writing that
makes you feel proud. This look will build
your confidence and may give you specific
ideas.
Talk with coworkers. Don’t
wait until you’re done to tell
about your struggles. The screen is blank now.
For a project that takes several
sittings, end a sitting when
you know what comes next, and make
a note of it. That way, you won’t
face a mental block when you begin
the next time. (This idea is courtesy
of Ernest Hemingway.)
Take a break that includes
a change of scenery, or shift to another
activity.
When you’re stuck near the
end of a piece and have covered
everything, quit. Enough is enough!
For more ideas
on better writing at work, read our articles, visit our blog, and sign up
for our ezine, Better Writing
at Work.
|
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