Business Writing for Results : How to Create a Sense of Urgency and Increase Response to All of Your Business Communications

A three-step system for dramatically improving the impact of and results from your business writingThe best business writing has its own distinct rules. It must be friendly without being chatty, professional without being stuffy, and results-oriented without being overbearing. Business Writing for Results explains what those rules are and shows you how to work within them to write E-mails, letters, and reports that are clear, convincing, and direct-all in one-third less time!Combining an easy-to-follow, workplace-proven model with case studies, hands-on exercises, and more, this no-nonsense book shows you how to target each reader personally, convey the proper image, supply motivation to take specific actions, and more. Turn to any page to discover the secrets to: \* Reports that persuade and influence decision makers \* E-mails and letters that get straight to the point \* Web copy that encourages interactivity \* Training materials that motivate students to learn \* E-mail subject lines that get your messages opened first Each day, your career success depends on what you write and how you write it. Let Business Writing for Results provide you with the tips, rules, and guidelines you need to make each of your written business messages urgent, unambiguous, and designed to produce the outcome you want. Business Writing for Results......Page 2 Copyright......Page 3 Contents......Page 6 Introduction......Page 10 SET ACTION OBJECTIVES......Page 14 EXERCISE 1: Write a One- Sentence Objective......Page 16 ANALYZE YOUR TARGET READERS......Page 18 EXERCISE 2: Target Your Reader¡ ̄s Personality......Page 23 CREATE THE RIGHT IMAGE......Page 24 EXERCISE 3: How Formal Should Your Communication Be?......Page 31 Big Picture: Use the Matrix of Persuasion......Page 33 EXERCISE 4: Put the Matrix of Persuasion to Work......Page 36 CHOOSE YOUR ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE......Page 38 EXERCISE 5: Select an Organizational Structure......Page 53 Organize Your Thinking Using an Outline or Hub & Spokes......Page 57 EXERCISE 6: Get Your Thoughts Down on Paper......Page 63 WRITE WITH YOUR READERS IN MIND......Page 64 EXERCISE 7: Calculate the Empathy Index......Page 70 EXERCISE 8: Rewrite to Improve the Empathy Index......Page 72 YOUR SALUTATION AND LEAD SET THE TONE......Page 75 HOOK YOUR READERS’ INTEREST WITH A COMPELLING LEAD......Page 79 EXERCISE 9: Add Urgency Through Time- Sensitive Vocabulary......Page 81 ADD A SNAPPY CLOSE......Page 83 EXERCISE 10: Write a First Draft......Page 87 SPECIFICS INCREASE BELIEVABILITY......Page 90 EXERCISE 11: Add Speci . city to General Statements......Page 92 EXERCISE 12: Add Examples to Make Dull Copy Come Alive......Page 95 SELECT THE BEST WORD TO EXPRESS YOUR MEANING......Page 96 EXERCISE 14: Select Words with FURY......Page 101 EXERCISE 15: Revise in a Methodical Manner......Page 102 TACTIC ONE: CONCISENESS......Page 108 EXERCISE 16: Revise for Conciseness......Page 113 TACTIC TWO: CLARITY......Page 116 EXERCISE 17: Revise to Create Proper Emphasis......Page 121 TACTIC THREE: A POSITIVE TONE......Page 123 TACTIC FOUR:PARALLEL CONSTRUCTION......Page 124 EXERCISE 18: Write a Third Draft......Page 128 Understand Proofreading’s Role in the Business Writing Process......Page 134 Determine Your Editing Level Before You Begin to Proof......Page 135 EXERCISE 19: Assess Your Knowledge......Page 145 GRAMMAR AND PUNCTUATION UPDATE......Page 150 POLITICALLY CORRECT WRITING......Page 154 PUNCTUATE FOR CLARITY......Page 156 EXERCISE 20: Revise for Clarity......Page 160 USING PROPER GRAMMAR......Page 162 EXERCISE 21: Correct Common Grammar Errors......Page 166 USE THE CORRECT WORD......Page 168 EXERCISE 22: Practice Using Frequently Misused Words......Page 171 CAPITALIZE FOR EMPHASIS......Page 172 EXERCISE 23: Capitalize Correctly......Page 175 EXERCISE 24: What Did You Learn?......Page 176 A METHODICAL APPROACH......Page 182 EXERCISE 25: Write an Objective......Page 186 EXERCISE 26: Analyze Personality......Page 187 EXERCISE 27: Use the Formality Index......Page 188 EXERCISE 28: Understand Your Overall Writing Assignment......Page 189 EXERCISE 29: Select an Organizational Structure......Page 190 EXERCISE 30: Use the Hub & Spokes Model......Page 191 EXERCISE 31: Get a Draft on Paper......Page 193 STEP THREE: REVISE FOR CLARITY......Page 194 Exercise 32: Calculate Your Empathy Index and Revise to Increase Reader Focus......Page 195 EXERCISE 33: Add a Snappy Close......Page 198 EXERCISE 34: Add Speci . city......Page 199 EXERCISE 35: Select Words with FURY......Page 201 EXERCISE 36: Calculate Your Average Sentence Length......Page 202 EXERCISE 37: Make It Clear......Page 204 EXERCISE 38: Con . rm That It¡ ̄s Positive......Page 205 EXERCISE 40: Proofread for Perfection......Page 206 WRITE LEAN......Page 214 Correct Preposition Use Enhances Professionalism......Page 218 Index......Page 222

Clear and persuasive writing holds the key to career success and advancement. Yet, far too few people have learned the styles and strategies that are essential for successful business writing. Business Writing for Results, written by one of today's most popular and motivational business writing trainers, outlines an easy-to-use and easy-to-remember three-step system for crafting letters, proposals, E-mails, reports, and memos that are powerful and persuasive and guaranteed to produce results.

Jane K. Cleland is an internationally popular business trainer and speaker. Regularly interviewed on network business programs and in national business publications, she is the author of a number of business books, including Putting First What Matters Most: Strategies for Success at Work and in Life.

Outlines a procedure for conducting professional business correspondence, showing readers how to arrange thoughts, write a polished first draft, proofread, and compose the final draft.