BOOSTING BUSINESS WITH BETTER WRITING SKILLS

By Joan White

Simply, that initial communication-usually in written form, whether it's in the form of e-mail or a letter-constitutes a firm's first impression and, usually, establishes a reputation, especially with the media and clients.

That's a scary thought, especially when the ability to write clearly, in a grammatically correct manner and without spelling and typographical errors is often not considered a high priority in today's workplace. Also, with a great deal of communication being done electronically, there's a tendency to be more informal in e-mails and ignore the basic rules of grammar.

But you can enhance your reputation and that of your business by following some basic guidelines for your written communication-business documents, letters, employee newsletters and memoranda, client proposals and plans and press releases and other news items for the media.

These guidelines involve knowing the basic rules-or looking them up if you must, having some essential writing tools in the office and taking the essential time and care needed for producing professionally and error-free written materials.

Basic Tools and Approach

Uniformity of style is key, and that's why every agency and marketing communication business should use what the media use-The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual, as the basic resource (available in bookstores). Of course, not every word or usage problem appears in the AP Stylebook. So, the next resource should be Webster's dictionary. Another office "must have" tool is a simple, easy-to-use grammar handbook. Finally, a good thesaurus is essential.

And, when you're hiring, keep in mind that it's always a good idea to have a few people in the office who can actually write, spot spelling errors and review the copy of others for grammar and clarity.

Think First, Then Organize

Most writing trouble begins...at the beginning. If, before you begin to write a document, you haven't clearly thought about what you're writing, who the audience is, what the primary message is, what you're trying to accomplish and how best to communicate-you'll be struggling and using valuable time unnecessarily. Plus, the result will be a document that misses the mark.

Of primary importance is taking the time to think first. Ask yourself, "What is this communication about? What am I trying to say and communicate?" Write the answers down and place them in front of you as you tackle the writing job.

Next, organize what you're going to say and how you're going to say it. Consider the major parts of the document, the order in which the major parts should appear, the substance in each of the major parts and the order of the substance in each major part.

A simple outline is always a good idea, even if you know the material and what you want to say. That's because you're communicating to an audience that's unfamiliar with what you're discussing. And, if the document is about complex material, it's even more essential to plan and sketch out the document and its parts. Microsoft Word and other software programs have an "Outline" feature that can help you set forth the basic thoughts and parts if you're still uncertain about where to begin.

As you organize the document, keep in mind that writing is not a single operation. Writing is a process consisting of three parts: preplanning, writing and revising. Experts agree that there is no such thing as good writing. There is only good rewriting. Persons unwilling to revise and rewrite are skipping a major step toward becoming better writers. Following is a checklist to use in revising:

1. Check and recheck your choice of words.
2. Consider revising the word order of certain sentences.
3. Alter some figures of speech.
4. Add quotes, if suitable.
5. Supply an incident or an anecdote to reinforce an idea.
6. Remove any section that seems stale or dull.
7. Examine and possibly alter the order of paragraphs.

Also, ask yourself these questions as you review the written document:

1. Does my writing have a definite central purpose?
2. Does my writing have ample material? Are there any questions the reader might ask that I haven't answered?
3. Is the material arranged in a clear, orderly and logical way?
4. Is the document unified?
5. Is it clear in all its parts?
6. Is it interesting? Understandable?
7. Is it correct?

Write with Clarity

To write well and simply you must train your mind to cut through surface details and get at the essence of your thought. Good writing is based on the right word in the right place.

Clarity of style cannot replace clarity of thought. But the two do go hand in hand. Clear thinking will lead to a clear style. And, a will to avoid foggy words in both your writing and your speech is one of the best paths to better habits of thought.

Writing should be learned with the emphasis on the meaning to be communicated and practice in getting that meaning transferred clearly from one head-the writer's-to another-the reader's.

A successful writer is one who has something to say and who has learned how to say it simply. Clear writing is difficult for anyone to achieve. It results only from clear thinking and hard work. Here are some guidelines to achieving clear writing, or clarity:

• Keep sentences short.
• Prefer the simple over the complex.
• Use familiar words, and avoid unnecessary ones.
• Use action verbs.
• Write as you speak.

The last guideline-write as you speak-is especially important to remember. Generally, we tend to speak directly, using a minimum amount of extraneous information. That's because we're aware of people's time and interest in what we're saying.

Write Deductively

It's important to communicate clearly and directly, beginning with the most important information first. That's usually how verbal communication occurs but, for numerous reasons, writers often "back into" the story, saving the point of the article or document until several paragraphs in.

Writing that contains the most important, timely or relevant information first is called the "inverse pyramid" style of writing, and it's the style used by journalists. It's also called "deductive" writing-news first, and major items in order of descending importance. Inductive writing, which is often used in scientific materials, sets forth information that supports a final conclusion-news last.

Because your audiences-media, clients, employees-are used to receiving their news immediately, with virtually no introduction or lead-in, you are urged to use the deductive style when writing letters, memos, plans, proposals and, of course-press releases.

Sentence: Primary Tool

A sentence is a writer's chief tool. So it's important that you understand what constitutes a correct sentence: A subject and a verb (predicate). Another rule: A sentence is one complete thought.

Incomplete and run-on sentences are among the most common errors that writers make. Sentences must have a subject and a verb and be one complete thought. If you have more than one complete thought, or the sentence is overlong and complicated, you're headed for grammatical trouble and reader confusion.

Keep your sentences short and direct. Begin sentences with emphasis. Try to keep your subject and your verb close together. Use good strong verbs. Also, be specific. Avoid pronouns (this, that, they, it, for example); pronouns often are misused, cause confusion and create agreement problems with verbs.

An incomplete sentence is one without a verb-it's basically a sentence fragment. A run-on occurs when multiple sentences are written as one-without the necessary punctuation. (Note: The AP Stylebook has an excellent section on grammar and punctuation.)

Writers who craft simple, declarative sentences have the best chance of being understood by the reader.

It's helpful to remember that sentences are of four basic types:

1. Simple: a single, independent clause with a subject and a verb. Example: Joan wrote the article.
2. Compound: Two independent but closely related clauses, each with a subject and a verb, and separated by either a conjunction and a comma or a semi-colon. Examples: Joan wrote the article, and Sam read it. Or, Joan wrote the article; Sam read it.
3. Complex: One independent clause that stands alone (with subject and verb), and a dependent clause or clauses. Example: After she organized her thoughts, Joan wrote the article.
4. Compound-complex: Two independent but closely related clauses, and one (or more) dependent clauses. Example: After she organized her thoughts regarding her new business undertaking, Joan wrote the article about how she put together the financing, and Sam read the article, once he had finished his own work.

Long, complicated sentences can get out of hand and confuse both the writer and the reader. A good rule is to limit sentence length to no more than three lines, and that only if you're confident about your ability to correctly place phrases, dependent clauses and modifiers within the sentence.

Studies by media experts have shown that the longer the sentence, the less the reader's comprehension. And, the bigger or more technical the words in a sentence, the less the information is understood. The best writers write simply and use simple words.

Powerful Paragraphs

After the sentence, a well-constructed, unified paragraph is a writer's most important tool. Just like a sentence should be one complete thought, each paragraph should be about one topic. A paragraph is essentially an enlargement of the subject/verb pattern of a sentence. But, because the paragraph's topic is more complicated, it needs at least three-often more-sentences to fully explain it.

Paragraphs should begin with a topic sentence that is concise and emphatic. The remaining sentences in each paragraph should expand upon and relate to the topic sentence. If they don't, the paragraph won't have unity and focus. A paragraph is unified when:

• Every sentence contributes to the development of the topic.
• No sentence fails to advance the topic or introduces another topic.
• No sentence necessary to the development of the topic is omitted.

Use Active Voice, Be Specific

Use of the active voice-in contrast with the passive voice-will enhance your writing and make it more persuasive and readable. The active voice is when the subject of the sentence is doing the acting. Example: Karen took her dog for a walk. The passive voice is when the action happens to the subject. Example: The dog was taken for a walk by Karen. Whenever possible, remind yourself to use the active voice.

Being specific is another important habit to form-use names instead of pronouns, provide details instead of vague terms, in short, write with specificity. If you need examples, read news stories that give details. Facts and specifics make any writing more interesting.

Limit Use of Pronouns

Remember when you learned the eight parts of speech that constitute a sentence? They are: Verbs, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions and interjections. While all are important, many writers have a tendency to overuse pronouns, adjectives and adverbs.

Pronouns are the words used in place of nouns and are responsible for a great deal of fogginess in writing, especially when the writer uses "it" or "this" to refer to an entire sentence or paragraph preceding the pronoun. Whenever possible, you're encouraged to use the specific noun instead of the pronoun.

Adjectives modify or describe a noun or a pronoun and frequently are overused by writers in the mistaken belief that more is better. Not true. The fewer the adjectives, the better the writing. The same is true for adverbs, which are words used to modify a verb, an adjective or another adverb.

Proofread

Good proofreading means carefully reading your final written work, ensuring that it is free from lack of clarity, grammatical errors, misspellings, typographical errors and incorrect punctuation.

Proofreadingyour own copy is important, but even if you do it painstakingly, it's difficult for you to spot all your errors. Generally that's because you're familiar with the material, so it's easy for you to overlook something. You should make it a rule in your business that no document-including e-mails to clients and the media-is sent without someone other than the writer examining it for errors and clarity.

• Meanwhile, it's a good idea to keep a proofreading guide and checklist at hand. Here are some suggestions:
• Read document and check for overlong sentences, organization, wordiness, sense and development of paragraphs, misuse of words.
• Re-read and check for grammatical errors, especially agreement problems with subject and verb and agreement problems with pronouns.
• Re-read document for misspellings, typographical errors and incorrect punctuation.
• Ask a colleague or someone with writing and editing skills to look the document over for anything you've missed.
• Never rely on spell check to catch your errors!

Writing is hard work. And, if you don't write frequently, writing becomes even more difficult. So take advantage of any opportunity to write a memo, a letter, a report or a press release. Your writing skills will improve. As the coaches say: Practice, practice, practice.

Top 10 Writing Tips for Businesses

1. Think before you write.

2. Organize and plan writing in advance.

3. Be specific.

4. Be concise.

5. Write deductively-put the news first.

6. Keep sentences short.

7. Keep in mind your audience.

8. Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite.

9. Proofread carefully.

10. Always have another pair of eyes look at what you've written before you send it to a client, a customer, the media.

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