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Truth About the New Rules of Business Writing, The

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Description

  • Copyright 2010
  • Pages: 224
  • Edition: 1st
  • eBook (Adobe DRM)
  • ISBN-10: 0-13-701540-2
  • ISBN-13: 978-0-13-701540-5

Give yourself a powerful competitive advantage by becoming a better business writer. Better writers get better jobs and more promotions; they persuade people through emails, Web sites, presentations, proposals, resumes, grant proposals, you name it. Businesses know this: that's why they spend $3 billion a year helping their employees become more effective writers. The Truth About the New Rules of Business Writing shows you how to master the art of effective business communication replacing the old standards of jargon, pomposity, and grammar drills with a simple, quick and conversational writing style. Authors Natalie Canavor and Claire Meirowitz demonstrate how to plan and organize your content; make your point faster; tell your readers what's in it for them; construct winning documents of every kind, print and electronic, even blog entries and text messages! The Truth about the New Rules of Business Writing brings together the field's best knowledge, and shows exactly how to put it to work. With an "aha" on every page, it presents information in a clear, accessible style that's easy to understand and use. Written in short chapters, it covers the entire field, cuts to the heart of every topic, pulls back the curtain on expert secrets, and pops the bubble of commonly-held assumptions. Simply put, this book delivers easy, painless writing techniques that work.

Sample Content

Table of Contents

Introduction     xi

Part I The truth about what makes writing work

TRUTH 1 Most people aim for the wrong target     1

TRUTH 2 If you can say it, you can write it     5

TRUTH 3 Forget yesterday--write for today     9

TRUTH 4 Planning is the magic ingredient     13

TRUTH 5 To achieve your goal, look below its surface     17

TRUTH 6 Cut to the chase: Put the bottom line on top     21

TRUTH 7 “Me”-focused messages fail     25

TRUTH 8 People are not the same: Write for differences     29

TRUTH 9 Tone makes--or breaks--your message     33

TRUTH 10 Knowing your inside story is the key     37

TRUTH 11 Forget outlines--organize your thinking     41

TRUTH 12 How to organize is a personal choice     45

TRUTH 13 Every message you send has a psychological impact     49

TRUTH 14 Effective messages lead with strength     53

TRUTH 15 To succeed, cover your ground and remember “the ask”      57

TRUTH 16 Your goal and audience determine the best way to communicate     61

Part II The truth about self-editing

TRUTH 17 The best writers don’t write; they rewrite     65

TRUTH 18 Rhythm and transitions make writing move     69

TRUTH 19 Less can be a whole lot more     73

TRUTH 20 Passive thinking and jargon undermine clarity     77

TRUTH 21 You don’t need grammar drills to spot your writing problems     81

Part III The truth about successful e-mail

TRUTH 22 Use e-mail to communicate in the fast lane--powerfully     85

TRUTH 23 Good subject lines say, “Open sesame”      89

TRUTH 24 Know your e-mail do’s and don’ts     93

TRUTH 25 Writing good progress reports is worth your time     97

Part IV The truth about letters

TRUTH 26 Letters: They live! And you need them     101

TRUTH 27 Letters build relationships     105

TRUTH 28 Cover letters matter, big time     109

Part V The truth about reports and proposals

TRUTH 29 Good reports generate action     113

TRUTH 30 Organizing complex projects isn’t that hard      117

TRUTH 31 Well-crafted proposals win     121

TRUTH 32 The letter format lets you shortcut proposals     125

TRUTH 33 Root grant applications in “mission”--yours and the funder’s     129

Part VI The truth about Web sites

TRUTH 34 Writing is the missing factor in your competitors’ Web sites     133

TRUTH 35 Web sites built on keywords and content build traffi c     137

TRUTH 36 A home page must crystallize who you are     141

Part VII The truth about new media

TRUTH 37 Blogging and social media are powerful business tools     145

TRUTH 38 To blog for yourself, be yourself, but carefully     149

TRUTH 39 Good business blogging is edgy     153

TRUTH 40 Tweeting and texting: the ultimate self-edit challenge     157

TRUTH 41 E-letters focus marketing and reinforce branding     161

TRUTH 42 Good PowerPoint is more than pretty faces: It starts with writing     165

Part VIII The truth about writing to self-market

TRUTH 43 Strong resumes focus on accomplishments, not responsibilities     169

TRUTH 44 Fliers are easy all-purpose promotional tools     173

TRUTH 45 It pays to think PR and send news releases     177

TRUTH 46 Writing articles boosts your career     181

TRUTH 47 The virtual world offers self-publishing power     185

Part IX The truth about tricks of the trade

TRUTH 48 Good headlines help your writing work--a lot     189

TRUTH 49 Skillful interviewing is a major (but unrecognized) business asset     193

TRUTH 50 Readers are global: Try not to confuse them     197

TRUTH 51 Clarity is next to godliness     201

TRUTH 52 You can fix your own grammar goofs     205

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