"I love being a writer. What I can't stand is the
paperwork." --Peter De Vries
From the looks of much of the business writing I encounter, many
people must share De Vries' sentiments. To be blunt, it would
seem most of us either have fallen in love with our own words or,
at the other end of the spectrum, perceive any business writing as
no more than a necessary evil.
Finding just the right mix between an economy of language and
personal style should be the quest of everyone who has to write
something on behalf of his or her company. The written word is a
powerful communication tool for anyone in business. Clear, concise
writing, however, is as endangered as the whooping crane. The few
surviving members of the "writerus exactus" species would
likely offer these observations:
- The ability to write well is not a luxury--it's a
necessity. Research has shown that being able to write clearly and
concisely, with a minimum of clutter and a dash of originality, can
not only save a company money, but it can also enhance the
writer's image and career. To be more specific, if you anguish
for hours over a memo or report, it can become costly, with no
guarantee that the reader will understand the point you're
trying to make. If, on the other hand, you can quickly organize
your thoughts and transfer them to paper or screen, you will be
more productive and have greater influence over customers,
employees and prospects.
- Many business writers fall into one of two camps: 1) the
Androids and 2) the Overkillers. As you might expect, the Androids
show no feeling in their writing. Their memos, letters, reports and
summaries have all the warmth of an MBA textbook. They forget the
courtesies that belong in good business correspondence and may
unintentionally distance themselves from the reader by using
impersonal jargon.
Content Continues Below
Conversely, Overkillers, in an attempt to explain themselves and
impress the reader, undermine their efforts by being verbose and
unclear. Thoughts get tangled and ideas become obscure when they
are camouflaged by too much verbiage or flowery language and
buzzwords.
Maybe you see yourself as fitting into one of these camps, or at
least needing to polish your own writing. If you want to improve
your business writing, eliminate costly errors, increase
productivity and generally boost your business image, here are some
tips:
1. Decide what you want to say before you say it. What is the
main point you want to make? What are the minor ones? Put them in
order.
2. Aim for simplicity. Try to restrict your sentences to 25
words or less and use short, specific words. The more your writing
resembles clear conversation, the easier it is to read.
3. Don't ignore readers' needs. The time you spend
organizing, simplifying and personalizing will save readers time
and frustration. Most people want to be able to scan something
quickly to find out what it's about, what it means to them and
what they should do about it.
4. Use powerful words that get right to the point. For example,
use now instead of at this point in time. Use many instead of
numerous, first instead of initial, do instead of implement. And
avoid using these puffy, inaccurate terms: impactful, irregardless,
empowerful and so on. Drop the buzzwords and metaphors. It's
refreshing to read something that is said simply.
5. Pay careful attention to grammar, spelling, sentence
structure, tense and the general appearance of your written pieces.
Using the active voice and personal pronouns also makes
correspondence easy to read. And make an effort to keep your
writing positive, professional and non-sexist.
Leann Anderson is the owner of Anderson Business Resources, a
Greeley, Colorado, company specializing in customer service,
marketing and business etiquette. E-mail her at landerson@ctos.com.