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Business writing is Plain English

Modern business writing is powerful.

‘How did you find your steak?’

‘I moved all that lettuce and there it was. What! You asked how I found my steak. Well, say what you mean.’

We get away with a lot in conversational language as environmental context, body language and eye contact are there to support our intended meaning.

However, in written communication, there is only the words, tone and the context created in that document.

I very much like a term I heard recently, ‘the living language’. Whilst there are different interpretations of the term, I feel it describes the development of language.  Language is alive, changing all the time, and yes, it can be challenging.

Social media is changing the language and grammar of young minds and who knows where it will end. N. James (2007) says about language development that one generation’s ‘barbarism becomes the next generation’s common usage’. Mmmm.

The move away from history’s very formal, stifling and overdressed language (which perhaps still is used to bewilder and maybe bully readers) to the concise writing of plain English, where we say what we mean (persuasive though it maybe)

There is a relationship in business writing and communication between shorter words, clear sentences, document presentation and an improved response and efficiency. Why? Because the message is clear and people understand. It makes sense.

Creative design in business writing

Creative design is now available to us in the preparation of our everyday documents and it does impact on communication strategies in business. Good design is very influential in written messages and a wise writer uses it to full advantage.

  • Typefaces, spacing, white space, layout, headings, formatting, bulleted lists, hyperlinks, graphics and images are all part of document design and we have them at our fingertips.
  •  Then there is the choice of words, grammar and punctuation. Have you seen the words ‘advance planning’ in promotional documentation?  What planning is retrospective? What is ‘alternative choice’? Is not choice about an alternative? Overdressing words is a false economy and merely adds to the heaviness of the document’s tone by introducing clutter.
  •  Some writers use clutter to impress readers. Clutter relates to unnecessary detail or unnecessary words in your document and serves to hide or diffuse the impact of a message.
  • Instead of saying ‘the purpose of this report is to outline’, try ‘this report outlines’.  ‘John is responsible for managing the department’ reads better as ‘John manages the department’.
  • A useful tip to separate contributing words from clutter words is to get that red pen and read your document quickly; intuitively underlining words you think are important or central to your argument. This should give you an outline on which to develop up an improved paper with no clutter.
  •  Promote integrity and trust in your business communications. Say what you mean but be respectful. People read between the lines and honest communication rings very true.
  •  Personally, I like punctuation. It is so powerful. How would you punctuate this unassuming and lame sentence?

‘A woman without her man is nothing.’

‘A woman, without her man, is nothing.’

‘A woman: without her, man is nothing.‘

I like the 2nd one personally. The unassuming sentence is now powerful.

But then I have motive, agenda and am being a little bit of a bully.

What are your communication strategies to influence your readers?

Rosemary Osborne

Business writing is a skill

Business writing is a great marketing strategy

www.thewritingshed.com.au

Published in www.flyingsolo.com.au

 

Business writing

Business documents need to look great too!

February 28, 2012 by Rosemary Leave a Comment

Business documents are part of your branding and style. Look after them and give them some time.

Creative design in business documents is much overlooked and it does impact on your business profile and professional branding. You can have the greatest content, but if it is not easy to read, it will be a waste.

You have the resources at your fingertips – all you need is a little extra time to make that document shine. It makes that much difference.

Modern technology has given us the resources to develop great design in our documents.  This means you have to lift your game and make your reader’s experience easy with no interruptions or distractions. The key is consistency.

Here is a quick checklist for great business documents.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Document presentation Tagged With: business documentation, business documents, copyediting, copywriting

Formatting – the shine your document needs

January 31, 2012 by Rosemary Leave a Comment

Formatting – the final touch

 

Formatting your document is like dressing it before it goes out (or published).

Formatting is creative design and is much overlooked. But it will say heaps about your business, your branding and your committment to your product.

The resources are right there at your finger tips. All you need is time and knowing what your computer can do.

Some quick formatting tips:

  • If your document is a business document use business fonts.
  • Use a font size that can be easily read, e.g. 11 pt or 12 pt.
  • Check the space inbetween each line. If you are using a 11 pt, make your line spacing 14 pt or 15 pt.
  • Make sure your letters don’t run into each other.
  • The length of your lines should be about 40 – 70 characters.
  • Avoid block bold or block italic. Either one used individually is fine for highlighting a word or phrase, but never both together.
  • If using dot points, try and get some logic or hierarchy into them.
  • Don’t let your text go over images. This can be successful in the hands of a professional, but often it hides the text and looks sloppy.
  • Keep the alignment to the left and unjustified is best for business document. Some businesses choose to have right and left alignments with your computer program adjusting the space inbetween letters and this can create a clean look.  However, do not use central alignment in business documents. It is hard to read and looks messy.
  • Keep your headings relevant to your body text and use a heading format, not just bold.
  • White space is always nice, but use it wisely to create an overall feeling of calm.

Your document must be pleasant to the eye, be easy to read and give the reader your information without it feeling like a hard task just to read it.

 

Good formatting – great creative design

 

 

Filed Under: Formatting Tagged With: business documents, edit proofreading, formatting

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