Did you REALLY mean to say that? Clear Business Writing Tips
Writing is a fascinating exploration into the human mind – the right words can move you to tears, make you want to buy, or turn your insides to warm and gooey as caramel custard. But the wrong words can turn you off a person or a company, send you into a rage, or laugh hysterically.
Case in point. This week I received an apology email from a company. Good thing to do, except the person writing the email obviously had a poor grasp on English – so it was full of spelling errors and then "I apologize for any incontinence this might have caused you." Well, I had to be scraped off the floor I was laughing so hard – never in my wildest dreams had I considered the link between poor service and the creation of incontinence.
Everybody has days when their brain works faster than their fingers. Words are completely missed, typos occur and mistakes are made. The problem is that these mistakes can cost you business. So here are my top 10 tips to improve your writing:
1. Work out what you are trying to say first. Each piece of writing should have at least one clear message in it. Work out what that message is before you start writing.
2. What action do you want them to take? Make the actions you want people to take after reading your document crystal clear. This is not a time to go all shy – loudly shout the actions you want.
3. Spell check EVERYTHING. Every email, every document, every piece of correspondence. Set your systems to automatically run spell check before sending or exiting.
4. Read it out loud. One of my best writers has a minor flaw. Her sentences can go on and on and on and on. Her record was one that went on for eight lines. By reading it out loud if you run out of breath before you run out of sentence, your sentence is too long and you need to take the pruning shears to it.
5. Cut the fluff. When you read your words back, have you said exactly the same thing only different ways? In business communication, once is generally enough.
6. Delete jargon and acronyms. Each industry is known for its jargon and those little letters that represent words. Psychologically it is a way to show belonging and keep out strangers. Do you really want to shore up your ramparts and repel invading armies? If not, then do a jargon busting scan through your business documents before hitting the print or send button.
7. Keep it simple. Using complex language in documents is tiring to read and creates a brain fog, which means you are losing readers and understanding. Keep your reading level to a late primary school student level. If you aren't sure if you are hitting the right level, find a tame kid and ask them to read it. Do they understand what you are trying to say? If there are no kids available, you can also run a scan on the Flesch-Kincaid readability of your document.
8. Get active. Write in an active involved way, not a passive couch potato style. "The selection panel reviews all applications" is better than "Once received, applications for positions are reviewed by the selection panel".
9. Get up close and personal. Put the "you" back into your writing rather than third person impersonal language. It's more interesting to read and people will respond better to your writing.
10. Watch your words. If you can't define out loud to someone what a word means – don't use it. If in doubt, use a dictionary to double check a word's meaning.
The bottom line is you want to avoid the most glaring problems in your writing. Someone once said you want to write to express not to impress. What this means is you want people to "get" what you are saying more than for them to marvel at your use of perfect prose.
The best writing is the writing where people are not even aware that they are reading your words, they are so focussed on your message. If someone trips over long sentences, stuffy words or padded language then they lose the focus on what you are trying to tell them.
HR Tip of the Week: Employee writing
Writing is a crucial part of many jobs. Even the most simple roles need some form of writing. Taking phone messages accurately with the person's name and number; responding to email questions; writing down the name of products or queries all require basic writing skills.
But a good education is no guarantee of clear writing. Many is the PhD graduate I have worked with that struggled with simple tasks like phone messages.
As an employer you are within your rights to provide all applicants with directly job relevant work sample tests as part of your recruitment process. It may sound dumb, but having a person jot down names and numbers during role plays may save you days of annoyance and lost opportunities down the track.
With existing employees, periodically review your requirements in relation to clear writing. Teach them how to write in an clear and compelling way. Don't just comment on content, provide guidance on style and approach while you are at it. What you say and how you say it is important in business.
I know I am eternally grateful for one of my early managers who covered my work with red pen. It felt horrible at the time, but that level of honesty made me a much better writer.
With most world economies starting to turn to more positive times, job opportunities are now opening up again. People are starting to look at their options and reach out for something better.
One of the best times to prepare for the job hunt is during the Christmas break, when you have time, energy and focus to review your resume, work out what you are looking for in a job and get set for a brilliant New Year.
Does your resume stand up? Are you confident that your resume will make it through the first round of reviews? Do you know what to say in a resume (and things to avoid). Should you include your photo on your resume or leave it off? What about cover letters - what gets your application to the top of the pile?
One of my colleagues Beverly Neil is an award winning resume writer - resumes she has written for people not only have given them the jobs they have been after, they have won awards against all other resume writers in the world.
Beverly has put together a short course packed full of templates, tips, strategies and ideas to make your next application a success.
Start your job search in 2010 on the right foot - get Beverly Neils DIY resume course and stand out from the crowd! And at only $47AU - the course is a real bargain!
Open a newspaper anywhere or switch on the news and one of the lead stories will be Tiger Woods and his "indescretions". But not too many months back Letterman was in exactly the same situation. By looking at how the PR companies for each person has advised them on how to deal with their situations, businesses can learn a lot about how to deal with negative press.
Legal stuff: This newsletter is intended only a general guideline for Australian businesses. You should seek specific advice for your situation rather than relying only on this newsletter
Earnings disclaimer. Some of the content may include advertorial information, which means I may receive financial compensation for the products I recommend. But - unless I know and trust the product, I will not recommend it.
I make this mistake all the time and what you're saying is so true. Having people comment on mistakes in an article that I have spent a great deal of time writing just ruins me. These 10 tips will help me greatly. Thanks Ingrid. Now I just have to reread this comment to ensure no errors are showing.
email
6. Delete jargon and acronyms. Each industry is known for its jargon and those little letters that represent words. Psychologically it is a way to show belonging and keep out strangers. Do you really want to shore up your ramparts and repel invading armies? If not, then do a jargon busting scan through your business documents before hitting the print or send button.
With most world economies starting to turn to more positive times, job opportunities are now opening up again. People are starting to look at their options and reach out for something better. 
