Introduction

A funny thing happened on the way to the 21st century. The ability to write well turned into a power tool for success.

Whether you’re a manager who wants to rise, an entrepreneur who hopes to do it your way, a professional or a specialist of any kind, good writing helps you accomplish your goals.

If you’re reading this book, you already know that, but I think you’ll be surprised by how many more ways good writing can reward you than you now suspect. Research shows that good writers are hired first and promoted early, particularly in today’s growth industries. No surprise there! Companies, non-profits, and government agencies alike must communicate well to survive and thrive. Good writers are increasingly at a premium in every field.

The growing role of writing is a rarely mentioned by-product of the digital revolution. Earlier, decision-makers used slews of people to help them look good in written form, from secretaries who rewrote their memos to public relations staffers to speak for the company. Now, with delivery systems so accessible, few managers are so sheltered. You stand on your own for everyday messaging. And you depend on writing for entrée to a world of nearly overwhelming opportunity.

Today you still need the memos, letters, reports, proposals and articles – plus newer media like websites, blogs, marketing emails, and social media posts. Whenever a new communication venue emerges, the writing challenge grows.

No wonder communication professionals proclaim that ‘Content is king’. In this new democratized world where anybody can reach anyone else, you need writing to connect with people and opportunities. The Internet is the biggest consumer of written content that anyone ever imagined – and good content wins.

I wrote this book to give you a high-stakes tool for accomplishing your own goals and dreams. The method here is totally pragmatic. Every idea and technique is ready to use and fully demonstrated. I base everything on my own decades of trial and error as a journalist, magazine editor, corporate communications director, and consultant.

I created writing-for-results workshops during every phase of my career because I noticed how in every setting, people missed their opportunities and undermined themselves with mediocre writing. So every piece of advice in this book has been field tested by business people, public relations professionals, corporate communicators, and non-profit leaders.

This book gives you a complete foundation for good business writing as well as guidelines to instantly improve your own writing. I hope the following chapters inspire you to keep improving what you write, a process I see as an endlessly rewarding quest.

Conventions Used in This Book

When I introduce a new term, I write it in italics and then define what it means. The only other conventions in this book are that web and email addresses are in monofont and the action part of numbered steps and the key concepts in a list are in bold.

What You Need Not Read

The grey-tinted sidebars contain extra text, such as more detailed information, that’s not essential to understanding the section in question. By all means skip these boxes if you prefer, safe in the knowledge that you’re not missing out on any essential tips or practical insights.

Foolish Assumptions

I assume that you assume some or all of the following:

Writing well is a talent you’re born with – or not

Improving poor writing is difficult

Good writing is defined by correct grammar and spelling

Memorising ‘the rules’ is essential

Expressing complex thought demands complex language

Writing dense copy with long words makes you look more intelligent and educated

Reserving your best skills for ‘important’ material makes sense

Every one of these assumptions is false. I debunk all of them in this book. For now, the important truth is that you can write better, whether you need basic grounding or are already a good writer and want to become better yet.

This book is about practical business writing. The ideas and techniques are all down to earth and easy to use. Further, as part of my mission, I leave you with ways to recognize whether you’re succeeding and if not, how to fix your writing.

How This Book Is Organised

As the author, naturally I’m happy if you read the whole book in the sequence I created for it and build your skills step by step. However, you can equally choose to dip into chapters and sections as you need them or the spirit moves you. Use the table of contents or index to find what you want and after you’re there, you may see options for delving further into subjects elsewhere in the book. Follow up on these as you like.

I organize the book into six parts.

Part I: Winning with Writing

This part gives you the whole groundwork for writing everything well. Discover a planning structure that helps you figure out what to say in any writing situation, as well as a set of techniques for how to say it the best possible way. Apply pragmatic strategies for editing and revising your own work that empower you to fine-tune your writing until it succeeds.

Part II: Putting Your Skills to Work for Everyday Business Writing

Email and letters remain today’s communication staples, though supplemented more and more by social media. Both offer extraordinary opportunities to build your business relationships and professional image, while accomplishing your day-to day-goals. This part shows you how to leverage these tools.

Part III: Writing Business Documents, Promotional Materials, and Presentations

Proposals, reports, and marketing materials are often turning point opportunities, so you need these tools in your arsenal. And you want to know how to script yourself to be a confident, effective presenter, including for that 15-second ‘elevator pitch’. This part also shows you how to use your value proposition and storytelling skills to show off your company – and yourself.

Part IV: Writing for the Digital Universe

Good writing is the cornerstone of new media, which from the communications perspective adds one more set of message delivery systems to the mix. Websites, blogs, and social media are very competitive, requiring your best writing to capture and hold viewers’ attention. Find guidelines and ideas for an ever-growing array of new media in this section.

Part V: Thinking Global, Writing Global

English is the accepted language of international business, but that doesn’t mean everyone, everywhere, thinks alike. To connect successfully with your counterparts or new markets in other countries, become aware of differences. This part starts off with tips that apply to writing for all people whose native language is not English (as well as those with limited education) and then goes deeper into eight different cultures.

Part VI: The Part of Tens

Many readers find this section the most fun section of the For Dummies book series. Look here for ten punchy ideas to advance your career with writing and how to tweet strategically.

Icons Used in This Book

To help you focus on what’s most important and move it into memory, look to the icons.

These are practical ideas and techniques you can put to work immediately – and amaze yourself with good results!

This icon keys you in to guidelines and strategies to absorb and use for everything you write.

This icon signals thin ice, don’t take the risk! Observe these cautions to avoid endangering your business, image or cause.

Why leave all the work to me? Take these opportunities to try your own hand or apply an idea. Nothing builds your skills like practice – and you may even enjoy it.

Where to Go from Here

Starting at the beginning gives you a foundation that applies to everything you write. But if you prefer diving right in for help on a specific challenge, by all means do so. The advice may suggest other sections for more depth and you can follow up – or not.

Everyone learns differently. Grown-ups enjoy the advantage of knowing their own learning style. Furthermore, you have your own writing problems to recognize and address. To be most useful, I offer choices – different ways to identify problems and improve everything you write.

Build a personal repertoire of techniques that work for you, then take this toolkit on the road with you. Doing so brings you a more successful journey, new confidence and a lot more fun along the way.