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The write way
In the average office-based workplace, up to 70 per cent of all communication is written. There are client reports to compose, letters to send to customers, not to mention a daily deluge of emails to confront. You are frequently required to show your expertise and convey your corporate identity via the words you write. Through your writing, you need to be able to demonstrate a succinctly defined point of view, highlight recommendations and show that you are a person who thinks clearly.
The most powerful and influential people in the world are effective communicators. They win over audiences with their clear, charismatic style, and leave them wanting to hear more.
When it comes to your products and services, it is essential to be able to communicate clearly, and focusing on your written communication is a great place to start. You need to make each document the most direct route to get your thoughts from your brain to your readers.
Making the effort to ensure your writing is crystal clear in its meaning saves time in wasted explanations which, in turn, saves money. It has been suggested that UK businesses lose £6bn a year because of poorly-written letters. Effective written communication boosts employee efficiency and can add to a company's bottom line. Being able to put together a persuasive business case is essential for anyone with ambition to progress in an organisation. Plus, in this current economic climate, being more efficient and persuasive are both canny career moves that can help make you a vital part of any organisation.
But don't worry if you sometimes find writing a challenge – you are not alone. Business writing is a specialist skill to be acquired like any other. There is no reason why you should be able to, say, write a business report armed with little more than a keyboard and a GCSE in English, any more than you should be able to work on the European space programme using school-level physics. Many pharmaceutical companies – such as Amgen, Baxter and GlaxoSmithKline – have realised this and as a result provide specialist writing training programmes for their staff.
The fact is that effective business writing is about far more than proofreading to make sure that grammar and spelling are correct. Focusing only on these aspects is a little like a doctor looking only at the symptoms and failing to see the underlying cause of a condition. It's certainly a good idea to hit the 'spell check' and grammar tabs when you finish a document. But it is more important to ensure that your documents are effectively structured and written in clear, concise English.
Whether you want to gain more influence in your current workplace, or search for a new career opportunity, learning effective writing skills could turn out to be the smartest move you make. The tips below will help you use written communication that wins over clients, customers and colleagues.
Focus on your reader
Many people, when faced with a large or difficult writing task, focus on how hard they think it is going to be. They procrastinate and worry so much that, when it finally comes to putting pen to paper, the reader is far from top priority.
The secret to good writing is to focus on who will actually read it. Don't worry about structure or content initially. Just ask yourself:
• What is the document about?
• Who will read it?
• How much do they already know about the subject?
• What do they absolutely need to know?
• How important is the subject to them?
• How interested are they in the subject?
The answers to these questions help you to begin to create a document that is effective and is carefully targeted to your reader.
Build a clear structure
When it comes to planning, 'spidergrams' – where you write down the main theme in the middle of the page, then branch out from there – work well. The questions: what, where, when, how, why and who? are useful prompts for structuring any document.
Take as much time as possible to plan. Write down all your ideas and thoughts and then organise them into an order that you think will work best for your readers. Remember to decide what your main message is going to be. If you are writing a report with marketing recommendations, put the core idea first and expand on it in the rest of the document.
Use plain English
It takes confidence to tell it like it is. In our research, we've noticed that the higher up the corporate ladder executives are, the more plain-speaking they seem to be. Many people use flowery English to bolster their self-confidence and seem more assured than they really are. But this can have the opposite effect, diluting your message. This does little to build your company – or personal – brand.
Many people mistake plain English for 'dumbing down', but this is a misconception. On the contrary, it means choosing the right words and phrases to say exactly what you want to say in the clearest possible way. It actually gives your writing more impact.
Verbose writing, with too many adjectives and corporate-speak can be off-putting to readers. They can feel that you're trying to trick them. Aim to keep your sentences short and make good use of full stops – like good pals, you can never have too many. Aim for an average sentence length of 15-20 words and stick to the rule of one sentence, one idea.
Avoid clichés, such as 'thinking outside the box', 'actively reaching out' and 'resolving to build a consensus'. You don't want your readers to inwardly groan and think that they are dealing with David Brent from The Office.
Use jargon where necessary
Becoming a plain English writer does not mean that you have to avoid jargon at all costs. Despite its bad press, jargon isn't always the bogeyman of clear communication. It's all a question of understanding your audience. For instance, terms like 'closed-loop marketing', 'advertising metrics' and 'site stickiness', are all technical terms. However, among the marketing community they have moved into common usage and will be instantly understood and appropriate to use. However, if you are persuading a group of doctors to opt for your brand, you have to communicate to them on a level that they will understand. So it makes more sense to write in terms of customer benefits, perhaps using some medical terminology.
Be aware that most people overestimate how much their audience knows. Make sure you assess your readers' knowledge carefully before putting pen to paper. You don't want to alienate people with an array of abbreviations and obscure terms that leave them frustrated and confused.
Use the active voice
Breathe life into your written work by using the active voice. For example, say: 'We will introduce seven new drugs into the marketplace', rather than: 'Seven new drugs will be introduced into the marketplace'. The first option is more effective as it states exactly who is doing what. It is clearer and connects the reader directly with the writer's thoughts. Similarly, create action in sentences by opting for verbs over nouns. For example, 'It took several weeks to educate our clients about the product' is more effective than 'The education of our clients about our products took several weeks.'
Beware the yawn factor
Finally, nobody wants to be a bore, or to be bored! Attention spans are short and your readers are likely to have many other reports, letters or emails to consider. Use bullet points to highlight key information, but avoid making them too wordy. However, remember not to overdo it. A good report is more than endless lists of bullets; you need structured, logical prose too. And cut redundant words or phrases. Prune everything until you are left with the essentials.
Writing checklist
When you finish a document, ask yourself:
• Have I focused on the needs of my reader?
• Is my main message completely clear?
• Does my work have a logical structure?
• Have I used active language?
• Have I used mostly plain English?
If you cannot honestly answer 'yes' to these questions, revise your work. It is better to put the effort in now rather than risk being bombarded with questions, or being misunderstood by your reader, later. This can lead to lack of trust and your future communications having less impact. Remember that your reader should understand you instantly and feel compelled to take whatever action you are recommending.
The Author:
Rob Ashton is chief executive of Emphasis, the specialist business-writing trainers. www.writing-skills.com
