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Eight Rules for Good Writing2 |
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The following rules apply whether you are
writing a memo, a letter, or a report:
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Write with the reader in mind.
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Decide what your purpose is. Be
sure every sentence and every paragraph helps accomplish this
purpose.
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Say exactly what you mean. Use
small, simple words and sentences. Use "I" when you mean "I." Stay
away from the passive voice. Try a conversational style – write the
way you talk.
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Keep it as short as possible. When
you have said what you want to say, stop. Get rid of fillers and
wasted words.
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Make your point in the first paragraph.
Let your readers get the ton of staff from the very
beginning.
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Use a format that guides the reader:
title, summary, introduction, body of the report, conclusion,
appendices.
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Write quickly. Build your writing
speed by deciding the purpose of your writing before you begin, and
by using small words and simple sentences.
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Arouse the reader's interest.
Include thoughts and images that will capture your reader's
attention and get them involved in what you have to say.
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Tips on Correspondence to Prospects and Customers1 |
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Focus:
Get to the point in the first sentence and limit letters to one
page.
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Personal Touch:
Use personal, hand-written notes when
possible.
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Postscript:
Use a P.S; it's always read.
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Grammar:
Spell correctly.
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Thank-You Notes: In thank-you
notes, don't thank more than once. You could close with, "Thank you
again for your business." Once is enough.
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Sharpen Your Writing2 |
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Be
consistent.
If you begin a list with action verbs, use action verbs
all the way through. If you capitalize a term in one sentence do
it in all sentences. If you underline some headings, underline
all that are of equal value.
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Use
bullets
to set up points.
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Use
headings
in reports or long memos to tell the reader where the breaks are
and what's coming.
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Use charts
and graphs
wherever you can in the text to make things clearer.
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Stay away
from jargon
and technical words (unless your readers are all
technical people). Avoid acronyms (unless you are sure everyone
understands them).
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Humorous
Business Plan:
Great Communicator
Communication Management Skills: "Never
mistake legibility for communication."
– David Carson...
More
The Mechanics of Writing
Excerpts from
"1000 Things You Never Learned in Business School", William N. Yeomans
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Get Started. Think about your
reasons for writing and what you want your readers to do. Write down the
points that will get your reader moving in the right direction. Collect
any information you will need to flesh out your points. As you do your
research, you may discover new points. Integrate them into your list,
but make sure that everything in your list supports your overall purpose
and no extraneous items sneak in.
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Write Your First Draft.
Write down "whatever comes to you. Just get some words down to get
yourself into it. It doesn't matter what they are at this point. The
very fact of writing helps you to think of what and how to write, so
it's important to be doing it... Once you have gotten into it and have
built up some momentum, ideas will begin to flow and your writing will
come easier. You can always go back and do the beginning last."2
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Revise. Go back and revise your
first draft. "It helps if you leave it alone for a day or two, if you
have time, to get new perspective on it. It may look awful when you read
it, but that's how first drafts are supposed to look."2
Edit and write over. Clarify and shorten your thoughts. Take out
everything that doesn't fit or make you feel uncomfortable.
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Make a Finishing Touch.
Look at what you've written from the reader's point of view. Make your
writing simple and clear. Rearrange and improve the order and flow, if
necessary.
Use the Power of Mental Maps
People have different ways of
communicating
their experiences – some express themselves in pictures, others talk about
how things sound to them, and others speak about how things feel. These
different groups of people – visuals, auditories, and kinethetics – use
different preferred words and phrases (predicates)
when they communicate. Similarly, they feel more comfortable and you can
connect with them at subconscious level when you use their preferred words
in your writing...
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Punctuation Endnotes
Adapted from
Executive
Writing: American Style, Linda Diamond, Marisha Fahey, Harriet Diamond
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Hyphen – Joins two words that are used as an adjective when they
precede a noun; connects two or more words that form a noun.
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Comma – Follows introductory phrases and dependent clauses; sets
off words or phrases that interrupt the flow of a sentence and can be
omitted without changing the meaning; separates three or more items in a
series; separates two adjectives that modify the same noun; separate a
phrase that interrupts the flow of the sentence.
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Apostrophe – Shows possession, even in possessive-styled
adjectives (this year's summer; the team's job; the budget's total);
replaces the omitted letters in a contraction.
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NO Apostrophe – Don't use an apostrophe in possessive pronouns.
and don't confuse possessive pronouns with contradictions.
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Colon – Introduces a list; announces a key point.
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Semicolon – Connects two complete, related thoughts that could be
separate sentences.
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Italics – Show emphasis.
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Dash – Separates – strongly – a phrase from the rest of the
sentence.
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Parentheses – Used to insert supporting or explanatory
information into the middle of a sentence or paragraph. Place the
parenthetical phrase as close as possible to the word it describes.
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Quotation marks – Identify jargon or unfamiliar terms as well as
words directly quoted from some other source. Notice the placement of
the comma. Commas and periods always go inside quotation marks.
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Exclamation mark – Used at the end of a sentence that shows
excitement or strong emphasis. Exclamation marks are almost always
inappropriate in business writing. Use sparingly and only in informal or
promotional writing.
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