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Learn how to write for the results you want every time, in every medium!

Do you wish you could write better? In today’s business world, good writing is key to success in just about every endeavor. Writing is how you connect with colleagues, supervisors, clients, partners, employees, and people you’ve never met. No wonder strong writers win the jobs, promotions and contracts. Business Writing For Dummies shows you, from the ground up, how to create persuasive messages with the right content and language every time—messages your readers will understand and act on.

This friendly guide equips you with a step-by-step method for planning what to say and how to say it in writing. This sytem empowers you to handle every writing challenge with confidence, from emails to proposals, reports to resumes, presentations to video scripts, blogs to social posts, websites to books. Discover down-to-earth techniques for sharpening your language and correcting your own writing problems. Learn how to adapt content, tone and style for each medium and audience. And learn to use every message you write to build better relationships and solve problems, while getting to the “yes” you want.

Whether you’re aiming to land your first job or are an experienced specialist in your field, Business Writing For Dummies helps you build your communication confidence and stand out. 

  • Present yourself with authority and credibility
  • Understand and use the tools of persuasion
  • Communicate as a remote worker, freelancer, consultant or entrepreneur
  • Strategize your online presence to support your goals
  • Bring out the best in people and foster team spirit as a leader
  • Prepare to ace interviews, pitches and confrontations

Good communication skills, particularly writing, are in high demand across all industries. Use this book to gain the edge you need to promote your own success, now and down the line as your career goals evolve.

Table of Contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Introduction
    1. About This Book
    2. Foolish Assumptions
    3. Icons Used in This Book
    4. Beyond the Book
    5. Where to Go from Here
  5. Part 1: Winning with Writing
    1. Chapter 1: Making Writing Your Weapon for Success
    2. Putting Strategic Writing to Work for You
    3. Planning and Structuring Every Message
    4. Applying the Goal-Plus-Audience Strategy to More Media
    5. Chapter 2: Planning Your Message Every Time
    6. Adopting the Plan-Draft-Edit Principle
    7. Fine-Tuning Your Plan: Your Goals and Audience
    8. Making People Care
    9. Choosing Your Written Voice: Tone
    10. Using Relationship-Building Techniques
    11. Chapter 3: Making Your Writing Work: The Basics
    12. Stepping into Twenty-First-Century Writing Style
    13. Energizing Your Language
    14. Employing Reader-Friendly Graphic Techniques
    15. Chapter 4: Self-Editing: Professional Ways to Improve Your Work
    16. Changing Hats: From Writer to Editor
    17. Reviewing the Big and Small Pictures
    18. Moving from Passive to Active
    19. Sidestepping Jargon, Clichés and Extra Modifiers
    20. Energizing What You Write
    21. Chapter 5: Fixing Common Writing Problems
    22. Organizing Your Document
    23. Catching Common Mistakes
    24. Fielding Pronoun Challenges
    25. Fixing Common Word Confusions
    26. Reviewing and Proofreading: The Final Check
  6. Part 2: Applying Your Skills to Business Messages and Documents
    1. Chapter 6: Writing Email and Letters That Get Results
    2. Fast-Forwarding Your Agenda with Email
    3. Starting Strong
    4. Building Content That Achieves Your Goals
    5. Structuring Your Middle Ground
    6. Closing Strong
    7. Polishing Your Email
    8. Using Email for Marketing
    9. Composing Effective Letters
    10. Chapter 7: Creating High-Impact Business Materials
    11. Creating Valued Reports
    12. Fast-Tracking Your Proposals
    13. Writing an Executive Summary
    14. Writing Tips for All Business Documents
  7. Part 3: Writing to Present Yourself Effectively
    1. Chapter 8: Building Persuasion into Your Writing
    2. Connecting with Your Readers
    3. Strategizing in Many Dimensions
    4. Planning Your Persuasive Message
    5. Using Persuasive Language
    6. Finding Your Core Business Message
    7. Finding, Shaping and Using Stories
    8. Translating Words into Visuals
    9. Chapter 9: Speaking Well for Yourself
    10. Building Your Elevator Speech
    11. Preparing and Giving Presentations
    12. Composing Talking Points for Live Interaction
    13. Chapter 10: Writing for the Job Hunt
    14. Knowing and Expressing Your Value
    15. Assessing All Your Skills
    16. Writing Résumés That Win the Race
    17. Styling Language for Résumés
    18. Succeeding with Cover Letters
    19. Networking with Messages
  8. Part 4: Writing for Online Media
    1. Chapter 11: Writing for the Digital World
    2. Positioning Yourself Online
    3. Understanding Visual Platforms
    4. Choosing Your Platforms
    5. Writing for Digital Media
    6. Using Social Media Platforms
    7. Networking with Twitter
    8. Working with LinkedIn
    9. Chapter 12: Creating Content for Your Online Life
    10. Creating a Website from the Ground Up
    11. Creating a Blog
    12. Telling Your Story with Video
  9. Part 5: Leveraging Your Writing Skills
    1. Chapter 13: Writing for the Workplace: Managing Up, Down and Sideways
    2. Communicating as a Manager
    3. Writing to Manage Up
    4. Writing to Colleagues, Collaborators and Teammates
    5. Using Backup Memos
    6. Language for Communicating Sideways
    7. Using Turnaround Techniques
    8. Communicating with a Team of Equals
    9. Chapter 14: Writing for Entrepreneurs and Virtual Workers
    10. Communicating as a Virtual Worker
    11. Teaming Techniques and Practices
    12. Using Everyday Communication Tools: Email and Group Chat
    13. Writing as an Entrepreneur
    14. Writing Challenges for the Entrepreneur
  10. Part 6: The Part of Tens
    1. Chapter 15: Ten (or So) Ways to Grow Your Personal Power with Writing
    2. Use Writing to Problem-Solve
    3. Write a “Pro” and “Con” List
    4. Handwrite to Spark Creativity
    5. Write to Take Charge of Your Emotions
    6. Take Notes about Your Work
    7. Take the Meeting Notes
    8. Take Notes of Your Anytime Ideas
    9. Prepare for Confrontation
    10. Write a Long-Range Career Plan
    11. Create Profiles of Your VIPs
    12. Write Gratefully
    13. Chapter 16: Ten Steps to Writing Your Own Book
    14. Envision Your Finished Book
    15. Create an Elevator Speech for Your Book
    16. Think about Marketing — Early
    17. Break the Writing into Pieces
    18. Create a Folder System
    19. Assess the Practicalities
    20. Write a Proposal
    21. Draft the Copy
    22. Liven Up Your Content
    23. Check Out Self-Publishing Options
  11. Index
  12. About the Author
  13. Connect with Dummies
  14. End User License Agreement
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