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Clear, Concise Writing (August 27, 2010) Why clear writing counts so much When dashing off your next memo, report or e-mail, cut right to the core points. Readers see your writing as a reflection of how you think, so keep it direct and logical. HR directors from half of the 120 major American corporations polled in a recent study said they consider writing ability when making promotions. "You can't move up without writing skills," one HR director said. And he doesn't mean only accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar. The academic writing style that served you well in school or college won't cut it in the workplace, where clarity and conciseness rule. Business Writing That Gets Results: Turn your words into a call to action Follow these guidelines to write more clearly and concisely:
2. Never use a long word when a short one will do. Go back through your memo or report and replace difficult-to-read multisyllable words with one- or two-syllable ones. Examples: Replace "illustrate" with "show" and "facilitate" with "run" (as in "run the meeting"). 3. Write in active voice, not passive. Example: Change "It was argued by the customer that an error was made by the shipping department" to "The customer argued that the shipping department had erred." Business Writing That Gets Results is your hands-on road map to clearer, more concise writing that gets you ahead. No matter what types of documents you produce in your job, you can increase your writing power and communicate more effectively. 4. Rescue "swallowed verbs." To many people, "business writing" means turning perfectly good verbs into noun phrases ... which may seem professional but only muddies your writing. Examples: Change "submitted an application" to "applied"; and "gave authorization" to "authorized." 5. Eschew "make" and "made." Technically, this falls under "swallowed verbs," but it's so common that it deserves a rule of its own. Examples: Change "make a decision" to "decide"; "made a recommendation" to "recommended"; "make a copy" to "copy"; "made an error" to "erred." 6. Abandon weak "there is/there are" introductory phrases. Most of the time, they're unnecessary and only obscure your sentence's subject. Examples: Change "There are four copies of this on your desk" to "Four copies of this are on your desk"; change "There is no one who loves his work like Mr. Deeds" to "No one loves his work like Mr. Deeds." With Business Writing That Gets Results, you'll find examples of effective (and ineffective) business writing, tips to getting the most out of few words and steps to follow so you can make sure every base is covered. Additional information in the paper:
The most common errors in style and usage How to structure a presentation or report to get the results you want When to use a table and when to use a graphic The best approach to revision and why it is so important What you need to check before you click "send" PLUS "13 Quick Tips to Polish Your Business Writing" Download a copy. Permalink . -. Todays Bugler . -. Send To a Friend . -. Readership Feedback
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Annual WITI Women and Technology Summit WITI (Women In Technology International), the world's leading professional organization for executive women in technology, will truly inspire "Collaboration, Strategy and Growth" through hands on speaking engagements and panel discussions at the Annual WITI Women and Technology Summit in San Jose, CA September 12-14, 2010. WITI represents the ideal market for business Networking - CIO's, executive women and men as well as leaders in technology from around the world converge at WITI's Annual Women and Technology Summit to discuss and collaborate on innovative solutions to common business challenges, and explore new business opportunities. Contacting Us: interbiznet Mill Valley, CA 94941 415.377.2255 colleen@interbiznet.com Copyright © 2013 interbiznet. All rights reserved. Materials written by John Sumser © TwoColorHat. All Rights Reserved. The Electronic Recruiting News Sign-up to receive this newsletter in email each day. The interbiznet Bugler Sign up and receive a concise, daily briefing on recruiting industry news. ERN | Bugler | Blogs | Candidates | Advertise | HR Jobs | |
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