HBR Guide to Better Business Writing (HBR Guide Series)

** spoiler alert ** Introduction to how to build right logic of writing and avoiding write murder mystery, communicate message clear and concise, leveraging contractions per case, put texts on diet per audience. If you're into writing business reports, committee comms, shareholders, worth a shot. ≥Approach the early part of your writing process like brainstorming: fast and uncritical. ≥Instead of pausing to reject or refine an idea, simply jot it down and move on. ≥To maintain your momentum and stay focused while writing, you have to separate tasks of writing and editing, and work on each one individually. ≥Keep composing: Write the next sentence while the juices are flowing. ≥Use your introduction to establish the relevance and utility of the document as a whole. ≥Next, highlight key points at the top of your document, then organize and present the body text logically. Otherwise, your audience won’t be able to follow your train of thought. If you’re confusing people, you’re not persuading them. ≥Business readers want clarity, not suspense. ≥Focus on the strongest argument and make sure you provide context. ≥If it’s the management committee, cut the cute. ≥to allow readers to scan for your main points, include bolded headings, bullet points, and numbered lists — and insert blank lines between paragraphs. ≥That final round of tightening, correcting, and clarifying can save you a lot of stress and embarrassment. ≥Losing length without losing meaning — master the art of trimming the fat off your writing ≥Delete anything that clarifies something other than your main point. ≥Secondly, stick to the specifics and be ruthless with the generalities. Specifics are the meat of your argument, while generalities are the carbs. ≥Put your writing on a high-protein, low-carb diet. A crucial anecdote or statistic will stay with your audience longer than generalities and will normally convey a more comprehensive message. ≥Generally, when it comes to report-writing, people tend to adopt a formal, bureaucratic tone. When you write in this manner, you use bigger words, more parenthetical phrases, and more complex sentences. ≥Learn to approach writing like brainstorming: fast and uncritical.