Business Writing

The Basics...

The difficulty is not to affect your reader, but to affect him precisely as you wish.

-Robert Louis Stevenson

The Foundation Principles...

What do I want the reader to do?

Clarify your purpose

The Foundation Principles...

Explain or justify actions

Convey Information

Influence readers

Deliver good or bad news

Request action

The Foundation Principles...

Take a reader-centred approach

The Foundation Principles...

Connect with readers

Keep attention span in mind

The Foundation Principles...State your key message clearly/Bottom Line

Stated at or near the very beginning.

Rest of the document fleshes out the details.

Stick to one topic per document.

What one message must the reader remember?

The Foundation Principles...

Keep the message short and simple

The Foundation Principles...

Economy of words

Use Simple Sentences

The Foundation Principles...Confirm your delivery strategy

At the right time

And in the right format

The Foundation Principles...

Deliver the message

Scope your Project...

Broad versus limited scope

Start-Up Strategies...Questioning

The traditional outline/logical structure

The brainstorm outline

Freewriting

Writing the First Draft...

Get it down first

Writing the First Draft...Begin where you feel most comfortable

Write in categories

Writing the First Draft...

Build on strong paragraphs

Writing the First Draft...Begin with whats familiar, and end with whats new

Limit the number of subjects in each paragraph

Make the Audience the subject of key sentences

Include an Issue, a Point and a Discussion

Alternatively, begin with a general statement

Writing the First Draft...

Create smooth transitions

Writing the First Draft...

Use Design Elements to lighten the readers load

Writing the First Draft...

Use headings and subheadings

Break up long blocks of text

Let graphics tell part of the story

Dont get carried away by design elements

Getting it Right...

Editing for content

Getting it Right...

Check the Beginning

Look for compelling logic in the middle

Give it a tight wrap-up

Getting it Right...

Editing for style

Getting it Right...

Forceful/Compel action/Active

Passive

Personal OR Impersonal

Getting it Right...

Tighten and Sharpen those sentences

Getting it Right...

Economy of words

Use jargon and technical language with caution

Sentence Structure and Length

Getting it Right...

Editing for accuracy

Getting it Right...

Spelling and Grammatical errors

Misstatements of facts

Written CommunicationAre all written communications the same?