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From NetSpeed Leader Volume 21, February 2005
If you’d like an up-to-date book on business writing, find Deborah Dumaine’s Write to the Top: Writing for Corporate Success. Published in an updated version this summer, the book covers topics typically missing from older volumes. It includes fresh, new chapters on writing presentations, e-mail, web content, and persuasive proposals, along with sections on standard topics such as analyzing your audience and defining your purpose. Write to the Top provides good ideas on writing for high-speed readers. The chapter “Energize Your E-mail” offers these questions to include on your e-mail editing checklist: Content Does the message cover a single topic? Will the subject line compel the recipient to read? Are action requests, next steps, and deadlines clear to the reader? Design and Structure Did you use headlines? Do action items and deadlines stand out? Are paragraphs a maximum of 6 lines? Are sentences limited to 20 words? Style and Tone Are words short and simple? Is your prose free of jargon? Have you limited your use of abbreviations, acronyms, and emoticons (smiley faces)? Is your style appropriate for the audience, informal yet professional? Did you use the active voice, a positive approach, and the “you” attitude?
Final Proof Did you proofread? Did you spell-check? In the chapter “Write as a Team,” Dumaine includes a very useful section on how to critique writing that has been created for your signature. She emphasizes the importance of being a coach rather than an editor. Using the coach approach will build a writer’s independence. An independent writer, in turn, will be able to create documents that don’t require changes. Use these methods to give feedback: · Allow writers to critique their work before you do. For instance, ask, “How did the first section go for you?” By asking open-ended questions, you give the writer a chance to discuss a challenging section rather defending it. · Instead of rewriting, ask questions or comment. For example, ask, “What tone did you intend here? It sounds a bit formal.” · Instead of making changes, ask the writer to make them. Use words like these: “Please add descriptive headings in this section.” · If you see an error, name it rather than fixing it. For example, write, “Dangling modifier” rather than restructuring the sentence. · Avoid judgmental comments such as “This is incomprehensible.” Instead say, “Please simplify this section with shorter sentences and simpler words.” · If you are writing comments, be sure to include at least one positive comment on each page. If you are talking, intersperse positive comments with constructive ones. · When a document is perfect, don’t just sign it. Give lots of positive feedback.
Write to the Top: Writing for Corporate Success is a comprehensive guide. It features crisp, clear do’s and don’ts; excellent methods for organizing complex information; realistic before-and-after versions of documents; and straightforward self-tests on grammar, sentence structure, and punctuation. Published by Random House and priced at just $14.95, the 280-page paperback is a first-rate writing resource. |
