Improve Your Business Writing

 

Here is another valuable Management Tip of the Day from Harvard Business Review. To sign up for a free subscription to any/all HBR newsletters, please click here.

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Clear, relevant writing keeps people coming back for more.

Complicated, dull writing does the opposite: People tune out, switch off, and stay away. So whether you’re drafting emails, reports, blog posts, tweets, or articles, make sure to write like a human, not a business.

o Start by writing in the first person whenever you can. It feels personal and inviting. For example, “We’ll give you the clear, friendly home-buying advice you need,” is much warmer than “Humbert & Herbert is a residential estate agent offering customers friendly, clear, and straightforward advice.”

o Don’t be afraid to start sentences with imperatives like “Get,” “Download,” or “Join.” It makes for clearer, more engaging writing — and it’s how we speak in real life.

o Visualize your reader and write specifically for them. Warren Buffett famously writes his company’s annual letter with his sisters Doris and Bertie in mind.

o Finally, read your writing out loud to weed out “corporate-speak.” If it sounds awkward to you, it’ll probably sound the same to your readers

This tip is adapted from Writing About Business (Without Being a Bore),” by Mike Reed

Here’s a direct link to dozens of other Management Tips.

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