5 Rules to Rub Out Rude Writing

Guest Blog

By Eliza Dolin of Ivy Quill Communications

Savvy business professionals would never think of being impolite in conversations with their colleagues or customers. But all too often, they are unintentionally graceless and unpolished in how they present themselves in writing.

And in a world of innumerable emails, websites, Powerpoint presentations, and tweets, good business writing matters more than ever.
Whether you’re persuading, informing, educating, or instructing your target audience, effective writing evokes the reaction you want. It could be generating sales, increasing referrals, claiming a promotion or improving office morale. Regardless of your purpose in putting finger to keyboard (or touchscreen), effective writing gets you what you want.

Writing that forces your readers to wade through imprecise, unfocused, wordy, or grammatically incorrect communiqués is downright rude. An email with an ambiguous subject matter line, a website with incomplete information, or a memo with grammatical errors tells your readers that you don’t value their time and attention.

At best, they’ll be irritated; at worst, alienated.

But there are five simple rules that can rub out rude writing:

Think clearly so you’ll write clearly.  As Holly advocates in her Achieving Skills coaching sessions, be clear about your message, the identity of your target audience, and the reaction you want to provoke — before you even begin to write.

Speak your audience’s dialect. Tailor your style, tone, format, and platform (email, Word document, PDF, website, etc.) to the message and the reader.

Proof your work, then proof it again.  Don’t assume spell/grammar checking programs catch everything or that their suggestions are correct. The human eye remains the best editor.

Training is worth the money. If your staff members have chronic writing deficiencies – which is likely, since many younger workers have never been taught how to write in a business context — hire a professional coach to give a half-day seminar.

Go pro when the stakes are high. Companies routinely hire law firms to handle major legal issues and financial professionals for important tax matters. Your enterprise’s most visible and important communications projects should also have the benefit of outside expertise.

Whether you’re authoring a 140-character tweet or a 140-page business plan, good writing is an essential component of success. Writing right gets results – and it’s just plain good manners!

Today’s posting is authored by guest blogger Eliza Dolin, owner of Ivy Quill Communications, LLC. A talented business writing coach as well as a copywriter, editor, and branding specialist, Eliza kindly agreed to give me a day off and share a few insights about effective business writing. Learn more about Eliza and IQc at www.ivyquillcommunications.com, or send her an email at eliza@ivyquillcommunications.com.