Praise for The Truth About the New Rules of Business Writing

“The Truth About the New Rules of Business Writing is filled with insights into improving all your written business communications. From everyday letters, e-mails, and reports to Web site content, proposals, and new media, you’ll discover what it takes to make every written word count. A valuable resource, written in a concise and easy-to-read format, that you’ll turn to again and again.”

—Jerry Allocca, President, CORE Interactive

“An Elements of Style for our time…accessible, step-wise advice for communicating ideas to modern readers, whether of e-mails, promotional materials, or the printed page.”

—Susan Gilbert, President, Interactive Elements Inc.

“The essential skill of today’s businessperson is the ability to communicate clearly and persuasively. We are now often judged solely on the basis of our written communications. The Truth About the New Rules of Business Writing will make you a much better communicator. It’s packed with examples, checklists, and easy-to-follow guides. This book has plenty of smart ideas you’ll immediately apply to e-mails, letters, reports, Web, and social media. If you want to instantly improve the quality of your writing, this is the book to read.”

—Victor Urbach, President, The Optran Group; Publisher, The Urbach Letter

“Times have changed. Business has changed. The Truth About the New Rules of Business Writing really does speak the truth for today’s marketplace. It covers all the ground, including things like e-mail and social media. It should be required reading for people starting careers, looking to move up the ladder, or even when they start a business. It will be required reading for my sales team!”

—Jim Josephson, Vice President, U.S. Sales, Energy Advantage Inc.

“Filled with clear, practical principles and examples, The Truth About the New Rules of Business Writing is an essential guidebook for businesspeople who want their writing to get results. This useful reference book takes the fear out of putting fingers to the keyboard. Keep it on your desk because you’ll refer to it often.”

—Julie Freeman, ABC, President, International Association of Business Communicators

“All my clients are getting a copy of The Truth About the New Rules of Business Writing. It’s packed with practical tips that even the most experienced writer can use. It’s an easy read, but don’t let that fool you. My new mantra is, ‘Is it say-able?’”

—Karen Susman, The Networking Toolbox™, Speaker, Trainer, and Author

“Business is about communication, and Natalie and Claire have given us a crucial and invaluable tool. Whether you’re writing a simple e-mail or a multimillion dollar proposal, The Truth About the New Rules of Business Writing is a must read!”

—Jeff Goldberg, Professional Speaker, Trainer, Coach, and Author

“The authors of The Truth About the New Rules of Business Writing understand that your true business abilities are transmitted to your colleagues and clients through your e-mails, memos, documents, and reports. If your writing is drab and old-fashioned, confusing or conflicted, you’re in need of a writing makeover. This sharp, concise, and useful book gives you a step-by-step guide to making your writing shine with the clarity and impact that’s demanded in today’s competitive business environment.”

—Deborah K. Herman, Founder and Publisher, Building Long Island

“Good writing starts with good thinking. This book shows you how to do both—and in a way that’s effective for our electronic present.”

—Peter Krass, President, Petros Consulting LLC

“The Truth About the New Rules of Business Writing is a masterfully crafted guide of best practices for effective and practical business writing in the 21st century. A dynamic writing duo, Canavor and Meirowitz provide an eloquent communication tool for print and digital media in today’s evolving, fast-paced global society.”

—Jessica McAleer Decatur, Director of Public Relations, St. Joseph’s College, Long Island Campus

The Truth About
The New Rules of Business Writing

Natalie Canavor and Claire Meirowitz

Contents

Introduction

Part I The truth about what makes writing work

TRUTH 1 Most people aim for the wrong target

TRUTH 2 If you can say it, you can write it

TRUTH 3 Forget yesterday—write for today

TRUTH 4 Planning is the magic ingredient

TRUTH 5 To achieve your goal, look below its surface

TRUTH 6 Cut to the chase: Put the bottom line on top

TRUTH 7 “Me”-focused messages fail

TRUTH 8 People are not the same: Write for differences

TRUTH 9 Tone makes—or breaks—your message

TRUTH 10 Knowing your inside story is the key

TRUTH 11 Forget outlines—organize your thinking

TRUTH 12 How to organize is a personal choice

TRUTH 13 Every message you send has a psychological impact

TRUTH 14 Effective messages lead with strength

TRUTH 15 To succeed, cover your ground and remember “the ask”

TRUTH 16 Your goal and audience determine the best way to communicate

Part II The truth about self-editing

TRUTH 17 The best writers don’t write; they rewrite

TRUTH 18 Rhythm and transitions make writing move

TRUTH 19 Less can be a whole lot more

TRUTH 20 Passive thinking and jargon undermine clarity

TRUTH 21 You don’t need grammar drills to spot your writing problems

Part III The truth about successful e-mail

TRUTH 22 Use e-mail to communicate in the fast lane—powerfully

TRUTH 23 Good subject lines say, “Open sesame”

TRUTH 24 Know your e-mail do’s and don’ts

TRUTH 25 Writing good progress reports is worth your time

Part IV The truth about letters

TRUTH 26 Letters: They live! And you need them

TRUTH 27 Letters build relationships

TRUTH 28 Cover letters matter, big time

Part V The truth about reports and proposals

TRUTH 29 Good reports generate action

TRUTH 30 Organizing complex projects isn’t that hard

TRUTH 31 Well-crafted proposals win

TRUTH 32 The letter format lets you shortcut proposals

TRUTH 33 Root grant applications in “mission”—yours and the funder’s

Part VI The truth about Web sites

TRUTH 34 Writing is the missing factor in your competitors’ Web sites

TRUTH 35 Web sites built on keywords and content build traffic

TRUTH 36 A home page must crystallize who you are

Part VII The truth about new media

TRUTH 37 Blogging and social media are powerful business tools

TRUTH 38 To blog for yourself, be yourself, but carefully

TRUTH 39 Good business blogging is edgy

TRUTH 40 Tweeting and texting: the ultimate self-edit challenge

TRUTH 41 E-letters focus marketing and reinforce branding

TRUTH 42 Good PowerPoint is more than pretty faces: It starts with writing

Part VIII The truth about writing to self-market

TRUTH 43 Strong résumés focus on accomplishments, not responsibilities

TRUTH 44 Fliers are easy all-purpose promotional tools

TRUTH 45 It pays to think PR and send news releases

TRUTH 46 Writing articles boosts your career

TRUTH 47 The virtual world offers self-publishing power

Part IX The truth about tricks of the trade

TRUTH 48 Good headlines help your writing work—a lot

TRUTH 49 Skillful interviewing is a major (but unrecognized) business asset

TRUTH 50 Readers are global: Try not to confuse them

TRUTH 51 Clarity is next to godliness

TRUTH 52 You can fix your own grammar goofs

Online-only content

References

Creating a style sheet

Resources

Note about the online-only content

You can access more materials—including “References,” “Creating a style sheet,” and “Resources”—by registering your book at www.ftpress.com/title/9780137153152.

Foreword: A new way to think about writing

Do you wonder why your messages don’t work the way you want, and whether there’s a better way to write them? There is. And we’re going to show you exactly how to do it.

This book’s goal is to make you a good business writer.

What do we mean by business writer? Not someone who earns a living as a writer, but anyone who writes for business purposes. You might turn out e-mails, letters, and reports as part of your everyday work in the corporate, nonprofit, or government worlds. You might be an entrepreneur or a professional—perhaps a lawyer, accountant, educator, scientist, artist—who writes proposals or articles as well as e-mails and marketing materials and blogs.

Whoever you are, writing can give you a powerful competitive edge. It can help you achieve your goals, work more efficiently, and persuade other people to your viewpoint. Even more: Good writing will help you be a better leader.

The strategies that The Truth About the New Rules of Business Writing demonstrates are based on the best ideas about practical writing, recast to work in today’s fast-paced digitized world. Learn these ideas, and you’re ready to write successfully not only for today’s print and electronic media, but for whatever new communication vehicles emerge in our evolving business world.

On the Web

Visit this book’s Web site at www.ftpress.com/title/9780137153152 to register this book and access bonus material, including reference sections on formatting, style sheets, and resources.

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge Neil Salkind of Studio B for his empathy, steady support, and publishing savvy.

And we thank our editors at Pearson—Jennifer Simon, who understood our intent and made this book work, and the whole editorial team that helped create a better book.

And, thank you, International Association of Business Communicators. This association brought us together, gave us the means to sharpen our thinking, and provided the forum for our “Working Words” columns, which led us to write this book.

About the Authors

Natalie Canavor has worked as a journalist, magazine editor, corporate communicator, and copywriter. She is currently a communications consultant and business writer whose publications, articles, Web sites, and video scripts earn international awards. Her features have appeared in a wide range of print and online media, including The New York Times. Earlier she created four national magazine start-ups and served as executive director of communications for New York State’s largest educational agency. She also authored a successful book on marketing for photographers and leads workshops on writing for results.

Claire Meirowitz, principal of Professional Editing Services, manages projects and edits print, e-letters, and Web materials for a nationwide client base in information technology and banking, among others. She is also a writer and publication editor who cofounded and edited several journals in the labor relations field and award-winning newsletters for the education industry. She formerly directed publication and community relations for SUNY College at Old Westbury, where she oversaw production of more than 400 publications annually.

Together, Natalie and Claire own C&M Business Writing Services, providing writing, editing, and project management to organizations. They also present business writing workshops and write a column on writing and editing for the International Association of Business Communicators’ online magazine, distributed internationally.

Introduction

Good Writing: What’s in It for You?

Good writing is a big advantage in today’s business world. You know that or you wouldn’t be reading this book. But much more than you might imagine, effective writing can be your personal key to success.

Look around your own work environment: You’ll likely find that good writers tend to get promoted, whatever their field. You may also observe that many business leaders write powerfully. That’s not an accident—writing is a leadership skill, and can be just as important to success as good face-to-face skills.

When does good writing make a difference? Always. Every message you send matters.

Good writing is the road to more credibility, better professional image, and successful results. That can translate into more clients, enhanced relationships, bigger profits, and promotions. Because more and more of our work is accomplished through writing rather than in person, we depend on our writing skills to persuade, collaborate, manage, and lead.

Good writing works. In fact, this is a useful way to define good writing in the business environment: It accomplishes what you want it to do.

So how can you gain the advantage of writing well, a skill that few of us were lucky enough to learn in school or on the job? Use the tools we’re sharing with you and absorb the ideas. We promise this will transform your writing, and your attitude toward writing.

Our decades as professional writers and workshop presenters have taught us that most intelligent people need only two things to write successfully:

• First, you need a clear idea of what good writing looks like and sounds like today—not according to outdated 20th-century models.

• Second, you need a system to think through any writing challenge you’re faced with, from e-mails to proposals, reports, Web site copy, blogs, and much more. Based on our combined experience as journalists, corporate communicators, and editors, we’ve created a step-by-step strategy that takes you from the very beginning to the end, guiding you to produce a piece of writing that accomplishes exactly what you want—without any agony.

This book is written expressly for adults in the business world, and it’s based on methods that have nothing to do with traditional ways of teaching.

Here’s the inside story on good writing: You don’t have to spend days or weeks or years drilling on grammar, punctuation, and spelling. If you want to play baseball, mastering the rules is useless if you can’t catch the ball or hit it. Writing is not about rules either—essentially it’s about thinking.

The importance of good writing isn’t something that gets talked about a lot. Most people don’t notice the quality of the writing they see—they simply react positively, negatively, or not at all. They may not read the piece, or may skim it. They may fail to understand the message, or find it unpersuasive.

That’s why there is growing recognition that writing is an essential business skill. Poorly written communications fail to explain a company’s products, values, and messages—or worse, describe them in a negative manner. Competitive advantage is lost, and so are opportunities to connect with customers, colleagues, and collaborators. Business efficiency is sacrificed.

Don’t think American industry hasn’t noticed. A few years ago, a blue-ribbon group called the National Writing Commission surveyed top business leaders and found that poor employee writing is such a big problem that companies spend more than $3 billion per year trying to improve it. Their report was called, “Writing: A Ticket to Work…Or a Ticket Out,” and documented the importance of writing in decisions to hire and promote, especially in high-growth industries.

What does that mean to you? Opportunity. We invite you to take advantage of all the writing experience and expertise that we’ve built into these pages. They’ll equip you to write powerfully for today’s business media and help you succeed in today’s competitive business environment.