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Writing Tips
11 Ways to Improve Your Writing and
Your Business
is a booklet written for and distributed to participants in Sherry
Roberts' business writing seminar. Use these tips to get a faster,
more confident start when working with your memos, letters,
reports, and news releases. For more comprehensive information,
see our
Books on Writing page.
Contents
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Begin with one grain of sand.
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Give the who, what, when, where,
and why.
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Step up to bat and take a few
swings.
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Adopt a plain writing style.
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Keep it short.
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Give the reader a map.
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Be active.
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Cut unneeded words and prune
windy phrases.
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Watch out for these four commonly
misused words.
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Stress benefits, not features.
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Give your writing the
conversation test.
Introduction
Clear, effective business writing is more important
than ever. Thanks to the facsimile machine, our skill (or lack of
skill) with words is beamed around the world in black and white.
In a survey of Fortune 1000 executives, 80 percent
said they've decided not to interview job candidates solely
because of poor grammar, spelling, or punctuation in resumes or
cover letters.
Of those same executives, 99 percent also said poor
writing and grammar hurt an employee's chances for promotion.
In another study, the U.S. Navy determined it could
save $27 million to $57 million a year if officers wrote memos in
a plain style. Navy personnel spent more time reading poorly
written memos than those written in a plain style. Similar savings
could be realized in the private sector if corporations stressed
good writing in the workplace.
But the best argument for good writing is simple
logic: People won't buy what they don't understand.
Try some of the following tips the next time you
write a letter, memo, report, proposal, press release, or other
business document. Then distribute your work with confidence,
because good writing is good for your business.
1. Begin with one grain of sand.
Before you start to write any business document,
identify the single idea you're trying to get across. Jot it down
in one sentence on a note pad next to your typewriter or computer
keyboard. If you were writing a news story, this would be the
headline. Or if you were writing a movie, this would be the
one-line description in the TV Guide. Here are some
examples.
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You want an appointment to explain your new product. (sales
letter)
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Using computers to track inventory will save thousands of
dollars. (report)
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The janitorial crew will be working new hours. (memo)
Your one-line synopsis is a grain of sand; it will
help you begin. Large projects can be built from it, but the grain
of sand itself is neither overwhelming nor intimidating.
As you write, reread your one-line reminder. It
will keep you grounded, focused, on target. Know what you want
before you begin to write, and the writing will come more easily.
2. Give the who, what, when, where,
and why.
Be a reporter. There is basic information all
people want to know — no matter the subject. Train yourself to
answer in your writing all the questions your reader might ask.
Everything you write may not have a who, what, when, where, and
why, but at least ask yourself if it does. In good writing,
omission of information is by plan, not mistake.
John (who), please study the cost of fish
(what) for the next three months (when) at our Seattle
facility (where). I believe we can save money by purchasing
fish for our performing dolphins from a new Alaskan source
(why).
Thinking of your reader's questions before you
write helps you organize your writing and makes your memos,
reports, and letters as complete as an article in the New York
Times.
3. Step up to bat and take a few
swings.
All writers have asked, "How do I begin?" You begin
by switching your brain into a writing frame of mind.
Athletes often develop rituals to signal to their
brain that it's time to perform: Baseball batters dust their hands
with dirt, dig in their heels, and take practice swings. Tennis
players bounce the ball a few times before winding up for the
serve.
You can develop rituals that put you in the mood to
write. Some writers use a special pen. Others write better in a
particular place, such as looking out a window or not looking out
a window. Try some of these rituals:
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Deep breathing. Close
your eyes and take several deep breaths to center yourself.
Listen to your breathing. Shut out the ringing of the phones,
the conversations of your coworkers, the buzz of your computer.
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Visualization. Close
your eyes and imagine you are staring at a blank billboard in a
snowstorm. The purpose of this trick is to clear your mind of
thought, to wipe the slate clean. The mind can't stand a clean
slate and begins to compose.
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Affirmation. Look in
the mirror and say "Good morning, writer." Repeat this until you
believe it.
Rituals simply focus your inner attention on a task
to come. Find one that triggers your writing self.
4. Adopt a plain writing style.
It takes longer to read and comprehend a memo
written in a bureaucratic style than one written in plain style.
Bureaucratic writing buries meaning under run-on sentences, big
words, and long paragraphs.
On the other hand, plain writing:
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States the purpose clearly
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Lists major points
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Includes headings and lists
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Uses short sentences and paragraphs
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Seeks to express, not impress
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Avoids jargon
In writing, plain is beautiful. The next time you
want someone to understand your writing put away the fancy words
and convoluted sentences. Say it simply. It will save your time,
the reader's time, and your company's money.
5. Keep it short.
Effective writing avoids long sentences and long
paragraphs for the same reason you avoid the long-winded
conversationalist at a party. Like the party bore, long sentences
and paragraphs don't hold your interest. In run-on sentences and
paragraphs, the reader struggles to keep from getting lost. Clear
writing doesn't throw up detour signs; it offers shortcuts to
understanding.
No: We have long
yearned to create a marketing program full of energy and pizzazz
that would remain in the minds of the customers and position our
product as the product to end all products in our industry which
should give us a good competitive edge since everyone else in our
industry has cut their marketing budgets which means this is a
good time for us to forge ahead and make some new customers now
while everyone is either sleeping or afraid.
Yes: Now is the time
to create a marketing program full of energy and pizzazz. This
program would keep our name in the minds of our customers,
position our product as the ultimate product in our industry, and
give us the competitive edge.
In these tough times, our competitors are cowering
in their offices and cutting their marketing budgets. By being
aggressive and forging ahead, we will make new customers and
corner a greater share of the market.
6. Give the reader a map.
If you want your readers to navigate the road of
your writing and reach the proper destination, make the going easy
for them. Use these devices to make your business documents more
readable
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Paragraphs. Start a new
paragraph as often as it is logically possible. What is easier
to read: a newspaper or a law tome? Readers will muddle through
long paragraphs and pages of unending text only when they
need the information. Newspapers learned long ago that they
have only seconds to grab the reader's attention and keep it; a
story composed of several short paragraphs appears more
accessible than one that resembles a scientific paper.
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Bullets and lists.
Bullets are typographical symbols (boxes, circles, asterisks,
dashes) that draw attention to a particular piece of text. These
are excellent for lists, which are wonderful signposts
themselves. Any information that you can boil down into an
easy-to-grasp listing boosts the readability of your writing.
Bulleted lists work well for outlining the steps in a process.
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Subheads. Use
mini-headlines to break up the copy in memos and letters and
direct the reader through your writing.
Don't lose your reader. Remember it's not only what
you say, but how you say it.
7. Be active.
If you were one of those people who yawned when
your eighth grade English teacher began her lecture on active and
passive voice, wake up. What you don't know about active and
passive voice may be putting your readers to sleep or making them
suspicious of you and your ideas or product.
A sentence written in the active voice is the
straight-shooting sheriff who faces the gunslinger proudly and
fearlessly. It is honest, straightforward; you know where you
stand.
Active: The committee
will review all applications in early April.
A sentence written in passive voice is the shifty
desperado who tries to win the gunfight by shooting the sheriff in
the back, stealing his horse, and sneaking out of town.
Passive: In early
April, all applications will be reviewed by the committee.
Passive writing is popular in business because it
helps the writer avoid responsibility and remain anonymous.
Customers are suspicious of writing that evades responsibility.
Employees and managers distrust ideas that appear more vague than
strong.
8. Cut unneeded words and prune
windy phrases.
If your readers respond with "say what?" after
finishing one of your memos or reports, you may be using
businessese and doublespeak. Businessese is language we use not
because it is clear or effective, but because we get into the
habit of using it. Businessese promotes lazy, self-important
writing. Consider these precise, everyday substitutes for
businessese words
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Find out instead of
ascertain
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Send out instead of
disseminate
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Use instead of
utilize
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Plan instead of
strategize
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Best instead of
optimum
Doublespeak is finding a complicated, highfalutin
way of saying a simple phrase. Doublespeak also cares more about
self-importance than clearly communicating with the reader. Here
are some ways to simplify your language.
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Janitor instead of
sanitation engineer
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Apparently instead of
it would appear that
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Explain instead of
furnish an explanation for
Be a ruthless gardener when it comes to weeding
words. To paraphrase a popular commercial, "just say it."
9. Watch out for these four
commonly misused words.
Some words in the English language take a constant
beating in business correspondence. Be one of those writers who
use them properly and pleasantly surprise your readers. Your
conscientiousness may sell your next idea or product.
The report, which is twenty pages long, is
mandatory reading. (Which
introduces additional, but unnecessary, information.)
The report that is twenty pages long is mandatory
reading. (That points out a
characteristic of the report and distinguishes it from a ten-page
report.)
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Hopefully. This doesn't
mean I hope. Hopefully, I'll finish the report by noon.
Do you mean you'll finish the report in a hopeful frame of mind
by noon? Or do you mean you hope you'll finish the report by
noon? Say what you mean: I hope to finish the report by noon.
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Very. Avoid this
lukewarm, unspecific adverb. I'm very happy that you elected
me chairman of the Society for People with Super Sensitive Feet.
Is very happy happier than just happy? Why not overjoyed
or: I'm tickled to be the new chairman of the Society for
People with Super Sensitive Feet.
10. Stress benefits, not features.
Everything you write in business, from sales
letters to budget plans, is intended to elicit a response. You
want someone to do something. In the sales letter, you want a
client to grant you an appointment so that you can demonstrate
your latest product. In the budget proposal, you want the board of
directors to fund a new project in your department.
To be successful in business and in writing, you
must persuade. Persuasive writing stresses benefits instead of
features. Your reader doesn't care how many bells and whistles
your product has. The reader wants to know what your product is
going to do for him.
Consider the perfume industry. Perfumeries do not
sell stuff that makes you smell nice (the feature). They sell
romance — how he will court her after she sprays it on (the
benefit).
Feature: Our widget
has three new attachments — a cat feeder, a plant waterer, and a
thermostat controller.
Benefit: Buy our
widget with its three new attachments and, finally, relax on a
vacation. Our widget works while you enjoy yourself. There's no
need to worry; our widget will make sure your cat is fed, your
plants are watered, and the temperature of your home is maintained
at a constant, fuel-saving level.
11. Give your writing the
conversation test.
After you have finished writing your memo or
letter, read it aloud. Ask yourself if you would say to your
reader what you are writing. Trust your ear. Wherever your writing
is stuffy, wordy, or impersonal, rewrite it.
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Use contractions to warm-up your message and take the starch out
of stiff sentences.
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Delete words, sentences, and phrases that do not add to your
meaning.
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Make it personal. Speak directly to the reader, human to human.
Remember people don't do business with businesses; they do
business with people.
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