Write for Business - Blog

Much of business writing is of the "fill in the blanks" variety. Your company may have standard templates for memos, letters, and reports. The actual content can be organized and filled in by using an SEA, a BEBE, or an AIDA format. That makes planning and execution of common tasks trouble-free and efficient.

But what if you need to write something more unusual or more personal? What if you feel uncertain of your grasp of the topic or of its reception? Sometimes taking the time for exploratory writing is actually the quickest, most energy-efficient way to complete a writing task.

Writing expert Peter Elbow compares these two approaches to growing and cooking. In the first, standard templates and forms of organization provide a framework for your piece of writing to grow on. (Imagine a rose bush climbing a trellis, for example.) In the second, ingredients are simmered together until something delicious results.

Elbow's suggestion in times of uncertainty is to freewrite. Freewriting, he explains, is about turning off the critical-editor part of the brain and just getting words down, ignoring errors in spelling, grammar, sentence structure, and so on. He suggests actually practicing this skill two or three times a week for an hour at a sitting, to develop your own natural writing ability and voice.

Faced with a tough writing assignment, Elbow recommends a special application of freewriting. In Writing Without Teachers, he presents a scenario in which you have four hours to get a tough piece of writing completed. Elbow suggests spending the first 45 minutes just spilling thoughts on paper, then 15 minutes rereading and thinking about what you've written. That's one hour down. In the second hour, he suggests doing the same (45 minutes freewriting and 15 minutes evaluating), but starting with your new understanding. In the third hour, he suggests freewriting again for 45 minutes to thoroughly explore what the first two hours have revealed, then using the hour's last 15 minutes to plan your final draft - which will itself fill the final hour.

If you're like me, that approach may seem daunting. I know from experience that freewriting can be tough to start. We are so results-focused that writing to explore looks like time wasted. On the other hand, I also know how effectively freewriting - even just a journal or diary - can improve our writing and thinking skills. That improvement translates directly into time saved.

Have you had experience with freewriting? What effects has it had on your own business writing? Are you courageous enough to try Elbow's four-hour scenario? I'd love to hear about your experiences.

- Lester Smith

Photo by Sabrina Campagna

Comedians sometimes complain that the only way to get a bank loan is to prove you don't need one. This suggests a sad irony of life: Need often frightens away its own potential salvation, while riches draw more of the same.

When I landed my first job in publishing a few decades ago, it was after some experience in other lines of work, none of them really a good fit. I'd been a failure at both baking and phlebotomy. Soldiering and practical nursing were better, but each left me feeling uncomfortable. I had more success with sheet-metal work and welding but couldn't imagine making a career of them. So when I began to get paid for writing and editing, it seemed a dream come true, something to hold on to with both fists.

It's difficult, however, to type with fists.

Which is to say, the tension to keep that job made me a less-than-ideal employee. I got my work done (and then some) but didn't always communicate well with other departments. All too often I worried about how upper management perceived me as much as about my current project. And although I always tried to project politeness, I'm sure some tension showed through. It certainly kept me from being as successful as I could have been. In a nutshell, my worry about keeping the job sometimes interfered with doing the job.

I'm chagrined to admit that it wasn't until some years later, when this tension came to a head, that things changed. Utterly frustrated at a conflict with a colleague, I suddenly recalled something my father used to say after a particularly hard day at the factory: "I was looking for a job when I came here." For some reason, those words had never made sense before. Now their insight relieved the pressure. While I certainly wanted to keep my job, I needn't be desperate about it. There are always other options.

At the same time, I began to understand that employment is merely an illusion of security. Let me put it this way: People who run a business are well aware that the wolf is just outside the door; people who work for them forget the wolf is two doors away at best.

The only rational response is "Chop wood. Carry water," as the old Zen proverb says. Or as the Tao te Ching puts it, "Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity." I began to focus on the work and let go of worries about my future at the company. I watched for ways to be helpful, viewing team success as more important than individual stardom. As a result, my own value to the company improved, and my employment actually became more secure.

You'll recall that this little essay opened with a sad irony of life. But from another perspective, it's a helpful truth: Just as people instinctively shy from desperate negativity, they are naturally drawn to openhanded positivism. And as this writer has learned, it's much easier to type with open hands.

What has your own experience been like in this regard? Do you have any other advice to share with people who might be struggling to keep a job in business or writing? We'd love to hear your comments.

- Lester Smith

Photo by roman.petruniak

Joe Navarro worked 25 years for the FBI as a counterintelligence special agent and is now a consultant for three other government offices in Washington. A specialist in body language, he says he has been stunned to discover just how ill-equipped businesspeople are to present themselves effectively in person. (You can read more about Navarro in "Secrets Of Nonverbal Communication" by Susan Adams at Forbes.com.)

I have a similar feeling about business writing. During 25 years in publishing, I've met many brilliant businesspeople who simply don't write well. The difference is that while few of us were taught anything about body language in school, writing has long been a subject of study, with grades attached. Unfortunately, writing in school has often involved literary theme papers, which may seem far from down-to-earth matters of business.

As a result, many otherwise brilliant businesspeople are actually disdainful of good writing. If the message gets across, they may argue, what do a few grammar and spelling errors matter, let alone matters of style? This rationale misses two important points.

First, every bit of unnecessary energy a reader expends to comprehend a message is money lost. We all know how physically draining it can be just to clear an e-mail inbox. Does this message need my attention? Does it give me all the information I need for action, or will I have to request clarification and watch for a second message to arrive? Exactly what is this writer trying to say? Poorly written e-mail reduces productivity. So do poorly designed PowerPoint presentations, and reports, and instruction manuals, and so on. Good writing saves money.

Second, writing errors are like stains on a tie or spinach in the teeth. It's difficult to pay attention to a message when blemishes in grammar and spelling keep drawing our attention away. It's even more difficult to see the sense of a message when issues of style cloud the surface. Poor writing has its own cost.

Navarro mentions scuffed shoes as a common faux pas among men, in particular. An otherwise professional suit of clothing can be undermined by this one area of neglect. Surely business writing deserves a bit of polish as well.

—Lester Smith

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One question the UpWrite Press staff often receives is "How can I write to satisfy my supervisors?" People go on to say, "Often after I write something, my boss marks it up for a rewrite, then the department head marks up the revised version, and our vice president marks up the version after that. By the time it returns to me for a final revision, it bears no resemblance to my original. I lose faith in my writing, or worry that management has no faith in me, and I'm confused about how to proceed."

Writing in a corporate setting can be tough. After all, the business itself is larger than any individual, and the farther your position is from the top, the more difficult it can be to have a clear view of corporate direction. It should come as no surprise, then, when supervisors (literally "over + seers") call for changes in a document. Here are some tips for coping with the experience.

1. Don't panic. In the words of Henry David Thoreau, "It is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things." Experience teaches that change is inevitable, and calm acceptance is best.
2. Look for a common thread.
   • Are the changes mainly proofreading marks? That's a relatively easy fix. Refer to a good grammar and punctuation book, or ask a coworker to check your work. (Having a proofreading buddy can both save time and result in more accuracy.)
   • Are they rewrites of specific sentences or paragraphs? That's often an issue of tone. If you can read - and absorb - other examples of writing by your supervisor(s), you'll best be prepared to emulate that style.
   • Are they changes in content or organization? Every business has its own standard for organizing and presenting content. If you can find memos and reports to use as templates, that can save you trouble writing new projects.
   • Are you directed to start from scratch? In writing, sometimes a first draft is an exploratory draft. That's as true in a corporate setting as anywhere. Nor is it a bad thing. Your first draft may have shown your supervisor(s) that what was originally asked for isn't what's actually needed. If you're asked to start fresh, then, consider your earlier work an experiment. Experiments don't succeed or fail; they merely reveal more information. Ask for clarification about the new direction, and start again, cheerfully.
3. Stay positive. Employers want to see their employees succeed. You are an investment they hope to see pay off. A directive for revision - even extensive revision - isn't about you, but instead about the project. By remaining positive and receptive, with a desire to see the company do well, you'll present yourself as part of the solution.

Remember, writing is a skill that requires practice. Getting to know a company from the inside also takes a while. It's only natural, then, that writing in a corporate setting should involve some time.

Do you have any other tips to share about writing for a supervisor? Please click the comments link below to leave your thoughts. Thanks!

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For me, it's usually the effort of getting started. Much of my work involves drafting assigned chapters within a larger text. The topics are generally things I'm familiar with, yet every empty chapter faces me like another inert block of granite.

My solution is to size things up with a list of notes, then start chipping away at the easiest parts. Specifically, I brainstorm a rough outline of everything I think should be included. Next, it's time to put those notes in some sort of logical order, whatever makes the most sense. Typically some points suggest headings and subheadings; others indicate numbered or bulleted lists; and others become topics for paragraphs.

Then I start writing whatever section seems easiest at the moment. Sometimes that's the chapter opening; at other times I leave the opening to the end, when I've written everything else and actually know what all is included. During the writing, if a section begins to bog down, it's time to either subdivide it into smaller topics or tackle a different part altogether - to avoid growing discouraged.

As more and more of the chapter takes shape, I always gain confidence, which makes finishing the rest that much easier. Finally, it's time to stand back and take a look at the whole, fill in or trim or polish where needed, and move on to the next project.

This approach suits a temperament that is by nature more meticulous than fast. If you're more fast than meticulous, I'd love to hear how you approach writing projects. Or if you face a different challenge, why not comment below? Just describing your problem to someone else can help, and someone on our staff may have exactly the advice you need. We're here to be of assistance.

- Lester Smith

Photo by ell brown