Clear writing
Being able to write clearly so that your reader understands you immediately is a difficult writing skill to acquire. There are some things that can help you get your message across easily: planning what you want to say before you write means you can avoid unnecessary repetition of ideas; and eliminating technical words and jargon (unless you are writing to someone who is familiar with them) is also a good idea.
But it's not always easy to choose the right vocabulary or sentence structure, and often, people tend to write in a more complicated way than necessary.
Lynn Gaertner-Johnston made some interesting comments on President Obama's inauguration speech, where what he said was structurally simple, but also inspiring and effective. She notes that 10% of his sentences contained a passive form, "I" appeared 3 times (in 2414 words) while "we" appeared 62 times, and 15 of his sentences started with a simple conjunction, such as "and", "but", "so" and "yet". (More complicated linking words such as "however", "moreover" and "in addition" did not appear at all.)
If you are in any doubt about whether your written grammar / vocabulary choice is correct, or whether your reader will be confused, try to rephrase what you write to make it simpler. Avoid writing long sentences with numerous clauses and try to eliminate complicated constructions. Use simple action verbs and linking words, and only have one idea per sentence. Effective business writing means being able to communicate your message clearly, so aim to write like Obama!
Save time and keep your boss happy by getting it right first time. Business Correspondence Essentials is the classic guide to Business Writing:
* All the phrases you need for everyday correspondence
* Templates for the most common business situations
* Guidelines for accurate punctuation, spelling and layout
* Easy-to-follow advice for the correct style and tone
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