John Clayton, Holly Weeks, Nick Wreden, David Silverman, Richard Bierck, Christina Bielaszka-DuVernay Harvard Business Review blog article which we all can do with some sound advice
Does writing for an audience of senior managers or key stakeholders get your heart pounding-in a bad way? Do you stare at your blank screen for several painful minutes, type in a few words, delete them, type a few more, delete again, and then go refill your coffee? When you send e-mails to colleagues, do your messages disappear into a void, never to be read, let alone answered? Do your proposals fail to grab clients' attention and win jobs? Many of us fumble for the right words and tone when we ... Does writing for an audience of senior managers or key stakeholders get your heart pounding-in a bad way? Do you stare at your blank screen for several painful minutes, type in a few words, delete them, type a few more, delete again, and then go refill your coffee? When you send e-mails to colleagues, do your messages disappear into a void, never to be read, let alone answered? Do your proposals fail to grab clients' attention and win jobs? Many of us fumble for the right words and tone when we write, even if we're confident and articulate when we speak. But it doesn't have to be that way. Writing clearly and persuasively requires neither magic nor luck. And it's not a genetic gift. It's a skill, to be sure-but one you can build with the help of the practical advice in this guide. You'll learn how to: (1) Push past writer's block, (2) Organize your ideas, (3) Cut to the chase-and keep readers' attention, (4) Trim the fat from your documents, (5) Strike the right tone, (6) Create proposals that win business, (7) Write e-mails that get people to act, (8) Call out key points with formatting, (9) Avoid grammar gaffes.Purchase detailshttp://hbr.org/product/baynote/an/10919-PDF-ENG?referral=00508&cm_sp=baynote-_-top_products-_-10919-PDF-ENG
