Additional Information
Book Details
Abstract
Technically-minded people can struggle with business writing and many businesses get it wrong, losing their readers in avalanches of acronyms and jungles of technical jargon. It doesn’t have to be that way.
In this book you’ll discover how to give your communication skills an upgrade, exploring the tips and tricks that will enable you to write effectively and persuasively for any audience. You’ll discover how to write for maximum impact and how to make your enthusiasm even more infectious.
Carrie Marshall is an author and freelance journalist, columnist, copywriter and scriptwriter. She writes features, news and tutorials about technology and has been published in many industry magazines including 'PC Plus', 'Digital Home' and 'What Laptop'. Since 2003, Carrie has also regularly spoken on technology and social media on BBC radio.
'An easy read that gets straight to the point, providing explicit do’s and don’ts, with IT-related examples and analogies. It is a handy, relevant collection of pointers that is readable, entertaining and useful. Most importantly it dispels the fear associated with the idea that writing is a mysterious process. Read it through once, to learn the rules. Keep it at your side as a quick reference, to keep you on track as you cement your skills.
There are lots of books about writing, this one is very practical and targeted, and forms an excellent foundation on which to build good written communication in an area that is often accused of falling short. It should be part of every induction pack as required reading.'
Tracey Torble
Business writing is all about effective communication and persuasion. Technically-minded people can struggle and many businesses get it wrong, losing their readers in avalanches of acronyms and jungles of technical jargon. It doesn’t have to be that way.
In this book you’ll discover how to give your communication skills an upgrade, exploring the tips and tricks that will enable you to write effectively and persuasively for any audience. You’ll discover how to optimise your words for maximum impact, which terrible traps to avoid and how to make your expertise and enthusiasm even more infectious.
'If you have an important message to craft and you find yourself staring at a blank screen wondering what to say and how to say it; this is the book for you. Carrie takes the fear factor out of writing. Her clear tips and guides will make your writing instantly more readable. Practice what Carrie preaches and start to get complements on the style, persuasiveness and impact of your written work. Don't write another word until you have read this book from cover to cover.'
Prof. Brian Sutton
'I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book...It’s a worthy addition to the BCS books series, and would be an excellent purchase for anyone that wants to improve their methods of communication. 10/10.'
A P Sutcliffe MSc, MBCS
Table of Contents
| Section Title | Page | Action | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cover | Cover | ||
| Copyright Page | iv | ||
| CONTENTS | v | ||
| ABOUT THE AUTHOR | viii | ||
| PREFACE | ix | ||
| 1 WHAT IS BUSINESS WRITING? | 1 | ||
| WHY BAD WRITING IS BAD NEWS | 1 | ||
| 2 LEARNING TO WRITE WITHOUT FEAR | 3 | ||
| TAKE YOUR TIME | 3 | ||
| BORROW BRIGHT IDEAS | 4 | ||
| KEY TAKEAWAYS | 6 | ||
| 3 THINK BEFORE YOU INK | 7 | ||
| SELLING THE SIZZLE: AN IT EXAMPLE | 7 | ||
| LIGHTS, EMAIL, ACTION! | 10 | ||
| KEY TAKEAWAYS | 10 | ||
| 4 CHOOSE YOUR WEAPONS | 11 | ||
| KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE | 11 | ||
| PICK YOUR PLATFORM | 12 | ||
| HOPE FOR THE BEST AND PLAN FOR THE WORST | 13 | ||
| TAKE A PICTURE | 15 | ||
| KEY TAKEAWAYS | 15 | ||
| 5 FIGHT THE FLAB | 17 | ||
| UNNECESSARY EXPERTISE | 18 | ||
| THE PASSIVE VOICE AND WEAK VERBS | 18 | ||
| TOO MANY WORDS | 20 | ||
| LONG SENTENCES AND ENDLESS PARAGRAPHS | 20 | ||
| SHOWING OFF | 21 | ||
| CLICHÉS | 21 | ||
| WOOLLY WRITING | 22 | ||
| TAKE ADVICE FROM GEORGE ORWELL | 23 | ||
| KEY TAKEAWAYS | 23 | ||
| 6 JUNK THE JARGON | 24 | ||
| WHAT IS JARGON? | 24 | ||
| BAD BUZZ | 25 | ||
| WHY YOU SHOULD BANISH BUZZWORDS AND JUNK THE JARGON | 27 | ||
| KEY TAKEAWAYS | 28 | ||
| 7 MAKE YOUR CASE | 29 | ||
| HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE | 29 | ||
| WRITING PRESENTATIONS | 31 | ||
| THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER | 32 | ||
| IT’S A SHAME ABOUT ROI | 33 | ||
| HOW TO PRESENT YOUR BUSINESS CASE FOR A LARGE PROJECT | 34 | ||
| ROI: PLAN FOR THE BEST BUT TRY TO PREDICT THE WORST | 35 | ||
| KEY TAKEAWAYS | 37 | ||
| 8 WRITING FOR ROBOTS: BUSINESS WRITING FOR THE INTERNET | 38 | ||
| WRITING FOR GOOGLE | 38 | ||
| SEO: HOW TO DO IT THE RIGHT WAY | 40 | ||
| TL;DR | 42 | ||
| WHAT TO DO ABOUT LONG DOCUMENTS | 43 | ||
| WRITING FOR EMAIL NEWSLETTERS | 43 | ||
| SOMEONE INVENTED A NEW WAY TO GET READERS; YOU’LL NEVER GUESS WHAT HAPPENS NEXT! | 46 | ||
| KEY TAKEAWAYS | 48 | ||
| 9 BE YOUR OWN AUDIENCE | 49 | ||
| LET GO OF YOUR EGO | 49 | ||
| SIMPLICITY | 50 | ||
| BREVITY | 50 | ||
| ACCURACY | 51 | ||
| EFFECTIVENESS | 51 | ||
| KEY TAKEAWAYS | 53 | ||
| 10 COMMUNICATING GOODWILL AND DELIVERING BAD NEWS | 54 | ||
| GOODWILL HUNTING | 54 | ||
| NOW FOR THE BAD NEWS | 56 | ||
| KEY TAKEAWAYS | 61 | ||
| 11 WHAT TO DO WHEN THE WORDS WON’T COME | 62 | ||
| HAVE A DEADLINE | 62 | ||
| BREAK IT INTO BITS | 62 | ||
| WRITE AN OUTLINE | 63 | ||
| DON’T START AT THE START | 63 | ||
| DON’T STOP | 63 | ||
| FORGET ABOUT PERFECT | 63 | ||
| HAVE A KITKAT | 63 | ||
| GO AND DO SOMETHING ELSE | 64 | ||
| KEY TAKEAWAYS | 64 | ||
| 12 THE BUSINESS WRITING HOUSE OF HORRORS | 65 | ||
| AVIVA ACCIDENTALLY FIRES ITS ENTIRE WORKFORCE | 65 | ||
| ELOP NEEDS SOME HELOP | 66 | ||
| PROOF THAT SPELL CHECKING MATTERS | 66 | ||
| WHY DAMORE SHOULD HAVE WRITTEN LESS | 66 | ||
| WHY JACK GOT ATTACKED | 67 | ||
| WHEN HASHTAGS GO BAD | 67 | ||
| THE WORST MOTIVATIONAL MEMO EVER | 68 | ||
| KEY TAKEAWAYS | 69 | ||
| AFTERWORD | 70 | ||
| REFERENCES | 71 | ||
| INDEX | 73 | ||
| Back Cover | 76 |