“Page numbers listed correspond to the print edition of this book. You can use your device’s search function to locate particular terms in the text.”
abbreviations
business- or industry-specific, 76
style guides for, 94
acronyms, 76
ACTION REQUIRED e-mail instruction, 111–12
active voice, 50–53, 197–200
adjectives
nominalizations, 58–59
replacing prepositional phrases with, 57
“this” as, 200
Adler, Nancy J., 140n
adverbs, commas after, 220
anecdotes, 159, 161–62
anticipating objections
in e-mails, 108
by understanding your reader, 36
apologies, 141–43
Apple devices, 192
appositives, 220
the ask
clarity of (see get the ask clear [step 1])
direct vs. indirect, 13
implicit, 11
attention span of readers, 108
attitude
of readers, 22, 29–32
reflected in tone of writing, 92
“you” attitude in writing, 37
audience
for presentations, 121
for speeches, 159
writing for (see write for your reader [step 2])
avoiding writing, 18–19
bad news messages, 118
bar charts, 124
be concise (step 4), 47–63
in applying checklist to drafts, 99, 102–3
in blog posts, 147–48
in cover letters for résumés, 170
editing techniques to, 48
nominalizations and, 58–59
padding and, 59–63
prepositional phrases and, 54–57
quick guide for, 49, 90
in resignation letters, 182–83
on résumés, 168–69
“there is,” “there are,” “it is,” 53–54
verb “to be,” 50–54
in writing for mobile devices, 196
beginning documents. See start strong and specific (step 3)
bios
on LinkedIn, 155
writing, 163–66
Blake, Frank, 139–40
blogs, 146–51
bold text, 38, 110
brackets, 223
brand
on Facebook, 153
style guides and, 94
tone of writing and, 92
breaks from writing, 191
bulleted lists, 38
in e-mails, 110
in web copy, 145
business plan, 28–29
business relationship documents
apologies, 141–43
hand-written messages, 139–41
introductions for colleagues/associates, 131–33
recommendations, 133–37
thank-you messages, 137–38
business writing
communications professionals’ advice for, 6–7
hand-written, 139–41
voice in, 52–53, 81–82
business writing genres, 106–86
apologies, 141–43
bad news messages, 118
bios, 163–66
blogs, 146–48
business plan, 28–29
cover letter for résumé, 169–71
creating visuals for, 123–28
e-mail, 106–14
escalated requests when deadline looms, 116–17
follow-up message after job interview, 171–73
instant messaging, 118–20
introductions for colleagues/associates, 131–33
job advertisements, 177–79
job descriptions, 175–77
performance reviews, 179–82
presentations, 120–23
press releases, 155–58
proposals, 128–30
recommendations, 133–37
requests, 114–17
resignation letters, 182–84
résumés, 166–69
social media, 148, 151–55
speeches, 158–63
termination letters, 184–86
thank-you messages, 137–38
web copy, 143–46
buzzwords, 76, 82
call to action, on web pages, 145
Campbell, Anita, 191–92
capitalization, 223–25
Carter, Jimmy, 75
charts, 124–27
chatting, 118
checklist for writing, 96, 98–104
Churchill, Sir Winston, 199
clarifying information, when working with global teams, 34
clarity
of the ask, 11–17
laziness in writing and, 88
reviewing documents for, 45
speaking to someone about ideas to gain, 18–19
clauses
commas after, 219–20
restrictive and nonrestrictive, 212–13
clichés, 76, 179
colleagues, asking for help from, 17–19, 91, 93, 146
colons, 221, 223, 227
column charts, 124
Comm, Joel, 18–19
commas, 94, 219–20, 227
comments
on blogs, 148
on Facebook, 153
commitment
message that “sounds wrong” and, 87
to social media presence, 152, 155
commonly confused words, 215–18
communicating with Millennials, 173–75
companies
social media guidelines of, 7
style guides of, 94–95
tone adopted by, 92
concise writing quick guide, 49, 97. See also be concise (step 4)
confidentiality
e-mails and, 109
instant messaging and, 119–20
message that “sounds wrong” and, 87
in performance reviews, 180
in writing bios, 164–65
“Consequences of Erudite Vernacular Utilized Irrespective of Necessity: Problems with Using Long Words Needlessly” (Oppenheimer), 81
content, 68–74. See also information
for apologies, 142
arranged to motivate readers to keep reading, 44
of bios, 164–65
of blogs, 147, 149–51
of e-mails, 108–9, 112
on Facebook, 153
for follow-up after job interview, 172–73
formatting, 38–39
of job advertisements, 179
of job descriptions, 176–77
for LinkedIn, 155
in messages that “sound wrong,” 87
missing or extraneous (see fill in missing content; delete extraneous content [step 5])
for mobile devices, 196
of performance reviews, 180
of presentations, 121–22
of press releases, 157
of proposals, 129
of recommendations, 134
of requests, 115
of résumé cover letters, 170–71
of résumés, 168
risky, 6–7
of social media posts, 152
speaking with someone to clarify, 18–19
of speeches, 160, 162–63
targeting, 9 (see also write for your reader [step 2])
of termination letters, 185
of Tweets, 154
of web pages, 145–46
of website, 149–51
when providing introductions, 132
content marketing, 149–51
content marketing plan, 149
convoluted language, 78–80
copyediting, 91
corporate-speak, 75
“could have,” 215
courtesy, when working with global teams, 35
cover letter for résumé, 169–71
cross-generational communication, 173–75
dangling modifiers, 211–12
dashes, 223
deadline
escalated requests with approaching deadline, 116–17
in request messages, 115
decision tree, 5, 107
Derrick, Rachel Christmas, 161–62
dot plots, 126
double quotation marks, 225
drafts, 64–65. See also specific business writing genres
applying checklist to, 98–104
reviewing, for content, 68–72
revision fatigue and, 84–85
things that “sound wrong” in (see if something feels wrong, fix it [step 7])
Dragon software, 192
editing
after voice dictation, 191–92
to be concise, 48
need for, 66–67
of your own writing, 105, 192–95
editor-style writers, 8
filling in missing content; deleting extraneous content, 73–74
getting the ask clear, 16–17
starting strong and specific, 44–45
writing for your readers, 33
writing in plain English, 83
e-mail, 106–14
action instructions with, 111–12
addresses for, 113
applying checklist/seven-step process to, 98–101, 107–9
appropriateness of, 106–7
the ask in, 12–13
effective, tips for, 111–12
with escalated request, 117
etiquette of writing, 113–14
handwritten notes vs., 139
legal considerations with, 107
number of topics in, 108–9
“Out of Office” messages, 114
with a request, 116
subject line of, 108, 110–12
that will be opened and read, 109–10
“Email Attention Spans Increasing” (White), 108n
emphasis, redundancy for, 60
employment communications
cover letter for résumé, 169–71
follow-up message after job interview, 171–73
job advertisements, 177–79
job descriptions, 175–77
performance reviews, 179–82
resignation letters, 182–84
résumés, 166–69
termination letters, 184–86
empty words, 195
English language, rules of, 187–88. See also language; write in plain English (step 6)
EOM e-mail instruction, 111–12
errors in writing. See mistakes in writing
ethical standards, 6–7
etiquette
for e-mails, 113–14
for instant messaging, 119
exclamation points, 227
extraneous content. See fill in missing content; delete extraneous content (step 5)
Facebook, 151–53
face-to-face communication, 113, 141
faster writing, 190–91
feedback
in clarifying content of message, 18–19
from colleagues, 17–19, 91, 93, 146
“explaining concept to your grandmother” trick, 83, 189
on follow-up after job interview, 173
on speeches, 160
on tone of message, 93
on web copy, 146
feeling of wrongness. See if something feels wrong, fix it (step 7)
filler words or phrases, 53–54, 59, 62–63
fill in missing content; delete extraneous content (step 5), 68–74. See also content
in applying checklist to drafts, 100, 103
for editor-style writers, 73–74
examples of, 68–72
for planner-style writers, 73
use structure in choosing content, 72–73
follow-up message after job interview, 171–73
formatting
of e-mails, 110
to guide readers, 38–39
of press releases, 157–58
of web copy, 145
in writing for mobile devices, 196
fragments, sentence, 205
funnel charts, 127
gender-neutral language, 201–4
get the ask clear (step 1), 11–17. See also purpose/objective
in apologies, 141–42
in applying checklist to drafts, 99, 102
in cover letters for résumés, 169–70
for editor-style writers, 16–17
in e-mails, 107
examples of, 12–15
for planner-style writers, 16
in proposals, 128
in recommendations, 133
in requests, 114–15
when providing introductions, 131
global teams, writing for, 34–35
Google Docs, 192
grammar and usage, 204–15
adjectives, 57–59
dangling modifiers, 211–12
ending sentences with prepositions, 214–15
to express “you” attitude, 37
fragments/incomplete sentences, 205
misplaced modifiers, 209–10
nominalizations, 58–59
object of the preposition, 55
prepositional phrases, 54–57
prepositions, 54–55, 214–15
pronouns, 206–8
run-on sentences, 206
sentences, 205–6, 214–15
split infinitives, 213–14
style guides for, 94–95
“that” and “which,” 212–13
verb “to be,” 50–54
voice, 50–53, 81–82, 138, 153, 197–200
grandmother, writing as if for your, 83, 189
graphics
for blogs/websites, 150
for presentations, 122–28
groups of readers, writing for, 32–33
Gupta, Anita, 6–7
hand-written messages, 139–41
“he,” 202, 203
highlighting text, 38, 110
“his/her,” 202–3
Home Depot, 139–40
hook
in blog posts, 147
in speeches, 159
“How Little Do Users Read?” (Nielsen), 144n
“How Much Do People Really Remember from a Presentation?” (Rexi Media), 121n
How to Write Anything: A Complete Guide (Brown), 2–3
“Humble at the Top: Why These CEOs Still Write Thank You Notes” (Toney), 140n
if something feels wrong, fix it (step 7), 86–95
in apologies, 143
in applying checklist to drafts, 100, 103
asking colleagues for input, 91
causes behind the feeling of wrongness, 87–88
company style guide and, 94–95
in e-mails, 108
examples of, 89–91
in follow-up after job interview, 173
in job advertisements, 179
in job descriptions, 177
method for, 86
in performance reviews, 180–81
in presentations, 122–23
in press releases, 158
in recommendations, 135
in résumé cover letters, 171
in speeches, 160–61
in termination letters, 186
tone and, 88, 92–93
implicit ask, 11
incomplete sentences, 205
infinitives
defined, 213
split, 213–14
information. See also content
accompanying requests, 115
extraneous or missing, 68 (see also fill in missing content; delete extraneous content [step 5])
in job descriptions, 176–77
for readers to understand topic, 22–28
instant messaging, 118–20
introduction letters, 131–33
introduction of messages. See start strong and specific (step 3)
“it is,” 53–54
jargon, 75–78. See also write in plain English (step 6)
in press releases, 156
in writing for global teams, 34
job advertisements, 177–79
job descriptions
cover letter tailored to, 170–71
résumé writing and, 166–67
writing, 175–77
job interview, follow-up message after, 171–73
jokes, 159
journaling, 140
journalist, writing like a, 156–57
key words, for web searches, 145
language. See also words/vocabulary; write in plain English (step 6)
commonly confused words, 215–18
English language rules, 187–88
“explaining concept to your grandmother” trick, 83
gender-neutral, 201–4
jargon, 76–78
needlessly complicated, 78–80
in writing for global teams, 34
laziness, message that “sounds wrong” and, 87–88
leadership, reading, writing, and, 199–200
legal consequences of written messages, 6–7
apologies, 142
e-mail, 107
termination letters, 185, 186
legalistic writing, 75
Lesonsky, Rieva, 149–51
line charts, 125
LinkedIn, 154–55
bios on, 163
profile summary on, 164, 165
recommendations on, 137
lists of items, 38
Locker, Kitty O., 37
logical connections, laziness in writing and, 88
Malenfant, Patty, 111–12
metaphors, 75, 77
metrics, of Facebook, 153
Microsoft Office, 192
Millennials, communicating with, 173–75
misplaced modifiers, 209–10
missing content (see fill in missing content; delete extraneous content [step 5])
mistakes in writing
cover letters, 171
impression left by, 66–67
reading work aloud to find, 104–5
resulting from revision fatigue, 84
résumés, 169
mobile devices, writing for, 195–97
modifiers, 209
dangling, 211–12
misplaced, 209–10
set off with commas, 220
Moltz, Barry, 104–5
names, of global team members, 34
needlessly complicated language, 78–80
New York State, 75
Nielsen, Jakob, 144n
nominalizations, 58–59
nominative case (pronouns), 206–7
nonrestrictive clauses, 212–13
nouns
making verbs and adjectives into, 58–59
as subject of sentences, 205
objections, anticipating, 36, 108
objective. See get the ask clear (step 1); purpose/objective
objective case (pronouns), 206–7
objective section (résumé), 167
object of the preposition, 55
openings, 9. See also start strong and specific (step 3)
of bad news messages, 118
of e-mails, 110
Oppenheimer, Daniel, 81
outlining, 72–73
“Out of Office” messages, 114
overcoming writer’s block, 188–89, 191–93
overpromising, 87
Oxford commas, 94, 219
padding, 59–63
filler words and phrases, 59, 62–63
redundancies, 59–62
paragraphs
in cover letters, 170
in e-mails, 112
length of, 38–39
in press releases, 156–58
in web copy, 145
parentheses, 222
passive voice, 50–53, 58–59, 197–200
performance reviews, 179–82
periods, 227
personal connections, 139–40
personas, of target customers, 144
phone calls, 107, 139
phrases
commas after, 219–20
common in business writing, 76–78
filler, 59, 62–63
as modifiers, 209
needlessly complicated, 78–79
prepositional, 54–59, 78–79, 103
pie charts, 126
plain English movement, 75. See also write in plain English (step 6)
planner-style writers, 8
filling in missing content; deleting extraneous content, 73
getting the ask clear, 16
starting strong and specific, 44, 45
writing for your readers, 33
writing in plain English, 83
planning for writing, 190
plots, 126
pluralizing sentences, 203–4
point(s) of view
in groups of readers, 32–33
of individual readers, 21–22 (see also write for your reader [step 2])
of presentation audience, 121
in writing e-mails, 108
politics, messages that “sound wrong” and, 87
PowerPoint, 122n. See also presentations
prepositional phrases, 54–57
in applying checklist to drafts, 103
in needlessly complicated writing, 78–79
nominalizations and, 58–59
prepositions, 54–55
ending sentences with, 214–15
objects of, 55
presentations, 120–23
audience considerations for, 121
pinpointing purpose of, 120
rehearsing, 122–23
slide revision checklist for, 123
visuals/graphics for, 122–28
press releases, 155–58
privacy, e-mail and, 109
promotional writing
bios, 163–66
blogs, 146–51
press releases, 155–58
speeches, 158–63
web copy, 143–46, 149–51
pronouns, 206–8
gender-neutral, 201–4
nominative and objective case, 206–7
reflexive, 207–8
as subject of sentences, 205
third-person, 204
“this” as, 200–201
proofreading, 191
e-mails, 114
follow-up after job interview, 173
partner for, 91
résumés, 169
spelling- or grammar-checking vs., 194
proposals, 128–30
proposing solutions, 20
punctuation, 219–27
brackets, 223
capital letters, 223–25
colons, 221, 223, 227
commas, 219–20, 227
dashes, 223
exclamation points, 227
message that “sounds wrong” and, 87–88
parentheses, 222
periods, 227
question marks, 227
quotation marks, 225–27
with quotation marks, 227
rules for, 87
semicolons, 221–22, 227
style guides for, 94
purpose/objective. See also get the ask clear (step 1)
of bios, 163–64
of blogs, 146–47
of follow-up after job interview, 172
of job descriptions, 176
of presentations, 120
of press releases, 155–56
of resignation letters, 182
of résumés, 166
of social media, 151–52
of speeches, 158–59
of termination letters, 184
web copy and, 144
question marks, 227
questions
addressed in business plan, 28
in anticipating objections, 36
in asking colleagues for feedback, 91
in clarifying content, 18–19
on Facebook, 153
to indicate need for a decision, 15
when strategizing for groups of readers, 32
in writing for readers, 29
quotation marks, 225–27
double, 225
punctuation with, 227
readers
attention span of, 108
as leaders, 199–200
pretending you are your reader, 191, 193
writing for (see write for your reader [step 2])
reading document aloud, 104–5, 193
READ ONLY e-mail instruction, 111
recommendations, 133–37
redundancies, 59–62
Reece, Jerry, 199–200
reflection, 140
reflexive pronouns, 207–8
rehearsal
of presentations, 122–23
of speeches, 160, 162
relationship(s)
business, forms of writing related to (see business relationship documents)
face-to-face communication in building, 113
hand-written messages and, 139–41
with readers, 22–23
Request for Proposals (RFPs), 130
requests, 114–17
escalated requests when deadline looms, 116–17
planning and crafting, 114–16
resignation letters, 182–84
RESPONSE REQUIRED e-mail instruction, 111
restrictive clauses, 212–13
résumés, 166–69
reverse outlining, 72–73
revision fatigue, 84–85
rewards, in overcoming writer’s block, 189
rewriting, 16–17, 66–67. See also drafts
Rexi Media, 121n
RFPs (Request for Proposals), 130
rhetorical device, redundancy as, 60
risk/opportunity analysis, 44
risky content, 6–7
Roosevelt, Teddy, 199
run-on sentences, 206
saying “no,” when working with global teams, 34–35
Say It with Presentations: How to Design and Deliver Successful Business Presentations (Zelazny), 122n
scannable text, 38–39
in e-mails, 110
for mobile devices, 196–97
scatter plots, 126
scheduling writing time, 190
Schurman, Dominique, 139–41
search engine optimization (SEO), 145
self-assessments of performance, writing, 181–82
semicolons, 221–22, 227
sentences, 205
commas in, 219, 220
ended with prepositions, 214–15
fragments/incomplete sentences, 205
padding, 59–63
parenthetical, 222
passive and active voice in, 50–53
pluralizing, 203–4
run-on, 206
slow, 194–95
tone and, 93
with too many prepositional phrases, 57
in web copy, 145
SEO (search engine optimization), 145
serial commas, 219
seven-step writing process, 9–10. See also individual steps
be concise (step 4), 47–63
fill in missing content; delete extraneous content (step 5), 68–74
get the ask clear (step 1), 11–17
if something feels wrong, fix it (step 7), 86–95
start strong and specific (step 3), 40–46
write for your reader (step 2), 21–39
write in plain English (step 6), 75–85
“she,” 202, 203
“s/he,” 202–3
social media, 148, 151–55
choosing platforms, 151
committing to, 152
Facebook, 151–53
LinkedIn, 137, 154–55
organizational guidelines for use of, 7
promoting blog posts on, 148
Twitter, 151, 153–54
solutions, proposing, 20
speaking/talking
to clarify content, 18–19
to overcome writer’s block, 191–92
reading document aloud, 104–5, 193
specialty vocabulary, 76
specific openings. See start strong and specific (step 3)
speeches, 158–63
spelling style guides, 94
split infinitives, 213–14
stacked bar charts, 125
start strong and specific (step 3), 40–46
in apologies, 142
in applying checklist to drafts, 99, 102
in blog posts, 147
in cover letters for résumés, 170
for editor-style writers, 44–45
in e-mails, 108
examples of, 40–43
in follow-up after job interview, 172
in job advertisements, 177, 178
for planner-style writers, 44, 45
in press releases, 156–57
in recommendations, 134
in requests, 115
in résumés, 167–68
in speeches, 159
in termination letters, 185
tricks for, 194–95
in web copy, 144–45
when providing introductions, 132
writing opening after completing document, 45–46
storytelling, 161–63
Strauss, Steve, 66–67
Strauss, Sydney, 173–75
strong openings. See start strong and specific (step 3)
structure, to help choose content, 72–73
style, 197–204
active voice, 197–200
gender-neutral language, 201–4
“this,” 200–201
style guides, 94–95
subject line
e-mails, 108, 110–12
escalated requests, 117
subject of sentences, 205
summary statement (résumé), 167–68
talking. See speaking/talking
Tatum, Alfred W., 199
templates, 178, 190
termination letters, 184–86
thank-you messages, 137–38
“that,” 212–13
“their,” 203
“there are,” 53–54
“there is,” 53–54
“they,” 203
thinking
buzzwords and, 82
visual, 195–96
“this,” 200–201
Thomas, Rosanne J., 113–14
“to be,” 50–54
in applying checklist to drafts, 103
passive voice, 50–53
“there is,” “there are,” “it is,” 53–54
tone
for bios, 165
changing, 93
of cover letters, 171
to excite interest, 15
on Facebook, 153
of instant messages, 119
padding and, 63
of resignation letters, 183–84
to support message, 45
in writing that “sounds wrong,” 88, 92–93
Toney, Chuck, 140n
tracked changes, 84
transitions
in bad news messages, 118
in presentations, 121–23
in speeches, 162–63
when writing in sections, 46
Truman, Harry, 199
Twitter, 151, 153–54
“Twitter vs. Facebook: Which Is Better?” (Wolfe), 151n
“unique,” 215
verbs
infinitive form of, 213
nominalizations, 58–59
in sentences, 205
“to be,” 50–54, 103
virtual teams, 34–35
visuals
for blogs/websites, 150
on Facebook, 153
for presentations, 122–28
of web copy, 145
visual thinking, 195–96
vocabulary. See words/vocabulary
voice
active and passive, 50–53, 197–200
in business writing, 81–82
on Facebook, 153
in thank-you messages, 138
voice dictation technology, 191–92
“Want to Be an Outstanding Leader? Keep a Journal” (Adler), 140n
waterfall charts, 127
websites
bios on, 165–66
copy for, 143–46
“which,” 212–13
White, Chad S., 108n
Windows 10, 192
Wolfe, Lahle, 151n
words/vocabulary. See also language
buzzwords, 76, 82
commonly confused, 215–18
to convey meaning and emotion in e-mails, 114
corporate-speak, 75
empty, 195
filler, 62–63
harmony of graphics and, 128
in press releases, 156
tone affected by, 92
unnecessary, 193–94
work space, in overcoming writer’s block, 189, 191
“would have,” 215
write for your reader (step 2), 21–39
anticipating objections in, 36
in apologies, 142
in applying checklist to drafts, 99, 102
attitude of readers, 22, 29–32
in bios, 164
in blogs, 146–47
in business plans, 28–29
in cover letters for résumés, 170
for editor-style writers, 33
in e-mails, 108
in follow-up after job interview, 172
global teams, 34–35
groups of readers, 32–33
information needed to understand topic, 22–28
for planner-style writers, 33
in press releases, 156
in proposals, 128–29
in recommendations, 133
relationship with reader in, 22–23
in requests, 115
in résumés, 166–67
in termination letters, 185
in thank-you messages, 138
using formatting, 38–39
in web copy, 144
when providing introductions, 131
“you” attitude in, 37
write in plain English (step 6), 75–85
in applying checklist to drafts, 100, 103
buzzwords, 82
for editor-style writers, 83
importance of, 80–81
jargon, 76–78
needlessly complicated language, 78–80
for planner-style writers, 83
revision fatigue and, 84–85
writers
as either planners or editors, 8 (see also editor-style writers; planner-style writers)
as leaders, 199–200
writer’s block, 188–90, 191–93
writing. See also specific elements of writing
by avoiding writing, 18–19
badly, to overcome writer’s block, 189
faster, 190–91
legalistic, 75
for mobile devices, 195–97
multiple drafts in, 64–65
other means of communication vs., 4–5
as rewriting, 66–67
seven-step process for (see seven-step writing process)
writing at work
forms of (see business writing)
legal consequences of, 6–7
writing skills, 188–97. See also specific elements of writing
editing your own writing, 192–95
overcoming writer’s block, 188–89, 191–93
writing faster, 190–91
writing for mobile devices, 195–97
wrongness, feeling of. See if something feels wrong, fix it (step 7)
“you” attitude, 37
Zelazny, Gene, 122n