10 Ways To Free Your Business Writing, by Joanna Young
Note to Reader - Joanna Young is an exceptionally talented writing coach, a wonderful lady, and I’m proud to say, a good friend. Here she is at her best, gently pushing us to better writing.
I’ve been blogging about writing and freedom over the last couple of months and although this might seem like a natural fit for great literature, lyrical poetry or even blogging, how does freedom fit with business writing? A lot of the people I work with think of writing at work or in business as anything but ‘free’.
They find it turgid, stodgy, heavy. They feel frustrated, awkward, uncomfortable about the reports, correspondence and notes of meetings they’re expected to conjure up at work.
If that sounds like you here are ten things you can try to free up your writing at work:
1. Use Plain English The more you can escape from jargon the easier and more enjoyable your writing will be - for you to write and others to read
2. Use your own words This is linked to the Plain English point but there’s a bigger gain again when you find your own words for the things you’re describing, the products you’re promoting, the work that you’re doing. It’ll help you to connect and engage with your work - which tends to give a good motivational boost
3. Write for one person When people get stuck with their writing it’s often because they’re imagining all the possible readers at once: dozens of critical colleagues or that one sneering boss who always manages to pick holes in your work. Put them out of your mind and focus on one (friendly) colleague or customer who’s interested in what you do, and will want to know what you’re writing about
4. Focus on what counts Strip out the jargon and excess words and focus on the part of the message that counts. The bit that someone really needs - even wants! - to know. (And if there isn’t a point: ask yourself if you need to write at all?)
5. Change your routines If you find writing a drag try changing your routines. That can be simple things like the time of day or the place where you sit down to write. You can also try a different medium: some people like writing by hand (to type it up later) or using voice recognition software so they’re writing out loud rather than staring at a blank page
6. Keep it simple Look for a way to simplify the piece of writing you need to do. That might be making it shorter, using plainer language, cutting out unnecessary information or going for shorter sentences and paragraphs. If a task feels ‘heavy’ you can often free it up by looking for ways to cut it down to size - and keep it simple
7. Write like a human being One of the reasons we dislike business writing so much is that doesn’t sound human - when we’re writing it or reading it. Try and soften your tone, smile as you write, focus on just one person, drop the jargon and use Plain English whenever you can
8. Experiment Different formats might help - if you’re okay with letters but hate notes of meetings pretend you’re writing one not the other and top and tail the results at the end. Some people pretend they’re composing an e-mail to a friend. That way you break through the barriers and get the content down on paper - it should be a lot easier to add some of the formalities on at the beginning and end once you’re done
9. Put grammar in its place Some people obsess about getting grammar rules right, building up unnecessary anxiety about writing. There are some grammar points you do need to master - but there’s only half a dozen that really matter. Get a colleague to help with them or to check your work for you and try not to worry about half-remembered grammar rules for the rest. Many of them might be out of date anyway. (And if you keep your sentences simple and short you can avoid most of the complex rules.)
10. Find your own solutions Everyone’s different. We all have different things we enjoy - and things we hate. Experiment with what works best for you - and go with it.
__________
Joanna Young is a writing coach who helps people to have more confidence in their writing - in business and in life. You can read more of her work at the Confident Writing blog.
Maybe you and I can introduce UK slang to Chicago. Brad...
Joanna, Great advice all the way around. I’ve got a project going now where I’m actually going to put up photos of the two personas we’re writing Web copy for. I want to look at them as I’m writing (and probably start talking to them as well, which might get a little weird). Have you ever done that?
Brad Shorrs last blog post..10 Ways To Free Your Business Writing, by Joanna Young
[…] Sell, home of my good friend Brad Shorr who’s taking a well earned vacation. It’s on 10 Ways to Free Your Business Writing. A lot of the people I work with think of writing at work or in business as anything but […]
Hi Brad, thanks for the opportunity to come back here to Word Sell.
I like your idea of photos - and talking to your new friends! I don’t think I’ve done that explicitly - I tend to think about a real person and focus on them. Writing directly to them is a bit like a conversation after that.
Joanna
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Hi Joanna - These are great tips. The “plain English” one is so important. Some people really overdo the jargon and long words and turn something good into something confusing.
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Cath, I think Plain English is critical - we could save ourselves and our readers so many problems if we stuck to the plainest of words!
Glad you liked the tips
Joanna Youngs last blog post..Introducing the Theme for September: Writing with Respect
Joanna, I love your advice to “write like a human being - to soften your tone and smile as you write.” I’m working on a very different kind of piece and I’ll try these tactics.
All are excellent, but this one truly stands out.
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Hi Joanna, this is excellent advice. I wish I could ship it out to every corporation in America! So often business communication is dry, boring and rife with acronyms and jargon. I don’t think anyone enjoys writing or reading in this manner but have somehow come to believe it is expected. All of these tips are right on target. Thank you so much Joanna!
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Robyn, the humanity already shines out in your writing, but I’m glad you found the tip useful. Writing is also a lot more fun if you smile as you go!
Karen, thanks. I know you don’t need this advice, but I appreciate the feedback anyway
Joanna
Joanna Youngs last blog post..Free Your Business Writing: Guest Post at Word Sell
Great advice as always, Joanna. I don’t know why so many people and businesses think they need to use complex, convoluted verbiage to deliver their message.
Lillie, what a great choice of words - “complex, convoluted verbiage” - perfect! I think it must stem from fear somehow, of revealing what you’re really about or losing status in the business world Otherwise why wouldn’t you reach for plain English - it’s so much easier to write, and so much better to read.
Joanna
Joanna Youngs last blog post..Free Your Business Writing: Guest Post at Word Sell
Joanna,
In my view, you are spot on, and ,in the business world, managers would love to hear you say that.
Much of what you are saying, I believe, is well summarized in point number six - keep it simple. Managers, as well as other recipients, love writing which is clear, easy to understand, free of jargon and to the point.
Simply put, simple is better.
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Andrew I agree absolutely. When I was managing a lot of people I *loved* it when they wrote clear and simple stuff (especially if I had to read it!)
But there’s a lot managers can do to encourage this behaviour: say thanks to those who write in plain English, coach and advise those who are mired in jargon and model plain simple English in their own writing.
And in my experience not enough managers did that. I wish they would!
Joanna
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Joanna,
Very early on in my (still young) career, I worked as an assistant accountant for a mid-size technology company. The Chief Financial Officer himself set a marvelous example of complete simplicity.
Essentially, if you went to see him, you presented yourself simply or not at all, and a couple of times when I got into jargon, he would coach me back with a few straightforward questions to get back to the straightforward heart of the matter.
He taught me a wonderful lesson on how managers love simplicity.
Cheers
Andrew
What great learning to do at an early point in your career. I’m sure you’re now inspiring others in a similar way
JOanna
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Amen on the plain jargon.
One word that drives me batty… “utilize.” Why pick that one when you have a simple word of “use” available? Sometimes I go nuts trying to avoid “use,” also because I feel like I abuse it (geez! I couldn’t even avoid a word that has “use” in it — heh).
Other substitutes for use include employ, operate, exercise. But those feel like hotshot big words compared to “use.” “Apply” and “work” can come in handy at times, but not always.
Hi Joanna
I really like your idea of smiling as you write. Apart from anything else it will release those fab endorphins which always lift your mood and I guess will have a continued knock on effect on what you write…Thanks
Meryl, thanks for sharing some of your anti-plain English words! (Brad, I’m wondering if there isn’t a post idea in there somewhere…)
Short plain words are so much plainer and easier to use, plus they make your work more readable, reduce your word count, open up your writing to a wider audience - I wish more people would get it!
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Hi Beryl, good to see you over here. Yes, I’m sure it’s endorphins at work - they make the writing process more enjoyable but inevitably have an impact on your choice of words and language patterns. You just can’t help yourself!
Smiling
Joanna
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Joanna, Meryl … Couldn’t agree more about using plain words. Actually I did a post recently on business euphemisms, which is along the lines of what Meryl is talking about - http://tinyurl.com/5ud32c
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Hi Joannna
All very good advice.
I particularly like your comment on grammar. I, too, can forgive the odd stray comma or even spelling mistake as they’re so easily fixed. It’s when writers end up tying themselves up in knots by trying to sound corporate and impressive that the problems start.
I think a lot of the time it’s down to the fact that often people don’t really understand what they’re being asked to write about - and lack the confidence to challenge the jargon for fear of being thought stupid.
If your boss asks you to give a presentation on ‘the delivery of an integrated internal communication strategy regarding the leveraging of synergies across the organisation’ you’re naturally going to get yourself in a state.
Take as your starting point the fact that he’d like you to discuss ways to encourage teamwork and it all looks so much easier. (Whether such a boss would be happy with your plain-English presentation is another matter…)
Clare
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Hi Clare, thanks for the comment and taking the time to stop by.
I’ve seen people get into that kind of state all too often - in fact I’ve probably been there myself at earlier points in my career (I worked in the civil service which was rife with its own jargon). Simplifying the message is the only way through, but like you say that does take a level of confidence. It also requires some active support from your boss - a point Andrew and I were also discussing above.
Joanna
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Jonna.
“It is with words as with sunbeams …The more they are condensed, the deeper they burn.” –Robert Southey.
I think of a sentence as an eel. The longer it gets, the more slippery and elusive it becomes. Long sentences are sentences just waiting to slither far away and completely out of your control.
The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.- Hans Hofmann (1880 - 1966) German-born U.S. painter and teacher.
H Devaraja Rao, hello and thanks for sharing those two great quotes. I hadn’t heard either before, but both are very powerful.
And I love the eel analogy - I’m sure we’ve all had the experience of the long sentence slithering away out of control!
Hi! Joanna
These 10 ways of writing are really wholesome! I am a beginner in the writing field though engaged in editing books and journals from past 2 years. Whether editing or writing, our main focus is the ‘clarity of sense’ for readers.
“To use own words” is a good tip since usually we try to imitate others’ words if we find it interesting.
This will certainly help. Thanks!
Hi Anshu
Clarity is a great focus for both writing and editing. Plain language should always help us achieve that end, which is one of the reasons I say use your own words - they tend to be a lot plainer and simpler than the jargon of business-speak.
Thanks for stopping by Word Sell.
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Hi, Joanna
“One unoriginal but useful tip: Write with a specific person in mind.
When writing Berkshire Hathaway’s annual report, I pretend that I’m talking to my sisters. I have no trouble picturing them: Though highly intelligent, they are not experts in accounting or finance. They will understand plain English, but jargon may puzzle them. My goal is simply to give them the information I would wish them to supply me if our positions were reversed. To succeed, I don’t need to be Shakespeare; I must, though, have a sincere desire to inform.
No siblings to write to? Borrow mine: Just begin with “Dear Doris
and Bertie.”
–Warren E. Buffett, in his preface to A Plain English Handbook: How to create clear SEC disclosure documents.
Rao, writing to one (specific) person is good advice indeed. It’ll help you get shot of the jargon, humanise your writing and get past writer’s block (writing to one - or two siblings! - is a lot easier than writing to the imagined masses).
Thanks for sharing that quote with us.
That reminds me Brad - how did you get on with the visuals of the reader you were writing some copy for?
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Hi! Joanna
To use ‘plain english’ and ‘our own words’ are no doubt essential for good and clear writing.
But, shouldn’t we work on “knowledge of words” and enhance our vocabulary to make our writing more beautiful?
How should we go for it?
Please advise.
Anshu, I’d say that for business writing you’d be best to stick with plain words. There’s still a lot of skill and beauty in finding the right plain word! Plus it makes it a lot easier for your reader to follow.
Beautiful writing has another home: in creative writing, fiction and poetry. Though reading as much as you can and building up your knowledge of words will still help in that search for just the right plain word, conveying just the right meaning.
Hope that helps
Joanna
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Joanna, I am a student at a university in Virginia. I am taking a course called Organizational Communication. My instructor deducts points from our graded assignments every time we use ‘will’ or ‘that’.
For instance, she says:
“I will be in the School of Business Building next Friday.”
should become
“I am in the School of Business Building next Friday.”
I understand cutting back on helping verbs and passive voice, but should everything be converted to present tense for business writing? When confronted about this oddity in her requirements, my instructor says, “Just do it my way.”
I’m lucky to receive 80% and higher on my graded works, but I feel like she expects way more from business writing than is necessary. She says writers should spend no less than 3 hours on a routine memo or email! This seems ridiculous.
Your 10 ways to free business writing are similar to ways I have always learned. Would you say business writing is less restrictive in practice than my instructor insists it is?
Jay, thanks for your query.
I’m afraid it would be unprofessional of me to say whether or not I agree with your teacher’s guidance, other than to say that when you’re writing in business you need to find your own ways of making it work, with a focus on clear communication (that your readers will understand) and getting through the work as efficiently as you can without hating every moment of it!
I hope those tips will help you (and others) to do that.
Good luck with your course and your business writing once you finish it
Joanna
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Brad, sorry I don’t have the keys to the safe to get rid of these sp*m comments. You’ll be able to delete those comments and this one when you’re back.
Hope you’ve been having a good trip. The blogosphere is strangely quiet without you!