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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

Modern business writing is powerful and can be creative

Business writing is not the same as conversation.

‘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 and business writing, there are 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 at times.

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) can be confronting to some of us.

There is a relationship in business 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 our 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 underline 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.’

  1. ‘A woman, without her man, is nothing.’
  2. ‘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.

To be published www.flyingsolo.com.au February 2012.

business writing

Great business writing is a feather away

 Modern business writing is so powerful.

Good business writing is your communication success story

Good business writing means no waffle.  

Plain English is the key

Plain English is the key to good business writing

Are you the worst at business writing?

Snoopy knowingly and willingly plagiarised the first few words to a notorious and dreadful opening sentence for an even worse novel called “Paul Clifford”, written by Edward George Bulwer-Lytton in 1830. The words were “a dark and stormy night” and snoopy was sitting on his kennel rooftop with his typewriter.

Thirty ago, “A dark and stormy night”, sparked off a bad writing contest and over 30,000 wretched writers have aimed to claim fame with their winning bad sentence. Visit the website www.bulwer-lytton.com/  for further amusement.

So it seems there is fame and fortune to be found in writing bad sentences.

However, bad sentences are not that productive or rewarding in business.

Would you rather read:

It is incumbent upon management to display appropriate behaviour and verbalise what is consistent
with the messages that are being conveyed via your business communication
methodologies.
(James, N. 2007)

Or: As a manager, you should always demonstrate the communication methods of your business. (James, N.  2007)

Plain english is good business writing

I attended a short seminar on Plain English writing recently and it felt like the sun had finally shone  through my years of accumulated grey and dense cloud (or should I say fear and absolute dread) since my school days in fear-filled  grammar classrooms. Coming from an academic and health background, my burden with heavy writing has been tiresome.

Finally, I have a systematic structure on which to develop business writing that has clarity, efficiency, is readable and yet persuasive. It is called Plain English.

Writing is creative and meant to be fun; otherwise, why has it persisted since forever. Sometimes I think people would rather walk on hot coals than write words. Sometimes when they do write those words, the words and their meanings are so complex and obscure—and then there is the tone.

Yet the flexibility of words is such a powerful tool it can be utilised in business so successfully. We don’t necessarily want to be an Orwell, Greene or Austin. However, maybe not Bulwer-Lytton either, although he did coin a few well used cool phrases like “the almighty dollar” and “the pen is mightier than the sword”.

Written communication is a key business communication strategy, whether it is in reports, copy, newsletters, emails or websites. It  reflects the quality of your business product, attention to detail and emphasises quality management.

Clear communications can save time, stress and money in the workplace and in the business community, and contribute to improved processes and efficiencies.

What is Plain English?

Plain English is a flexible and efficient writing style that readers can understand in one reading. It combines clear,  concise expression, an effective structure and good document design. (Plain English Foundation)

Some easy plain english rules:

  • Think about your readership before you write and write to them. Focus on your reader and make it relevant, easy to read and  unambiguous.
  • Put your main message in the opening paragraph with supporting information.
  • Use a formal but friendly tone, and active voice rather than passive voice. ‘You can submit by Friday’ rather than ‘It is suggested that consideration be given to submitting by close of business Friday’.
  • Avoid jargon even if it is in-house communication.
  • Be direct and clear using short, familiar words. Sentences of around 15-20 words are good, but a variance in sentence length is good as well.
  • Correct grammar, punctuation and spelling.
  • Effective editing and proofreading processes.
  • A simple structure for a non-complex document is
    • identify the issue
    • discuss the implications
    • discuss your conclusion
    • identify a call to address the issue.

The Writing Shed. October 2011

© Copyright. No reprinting of article permitted without direct permission from R. Osborne.

 Good business writing makes great sense.

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