Most of us understand that great writing happens through revision. We realize that revision is important, but we’re in a hurry. As long as we think of revision as an ‘extra’ process outside of writing, we’re tempted to skip it. So we send out our work with imperfections, excess words, remnants of messy thought processes—small […]
Business writing
Writing with Confidence About Uncertainty
Strategies for using indirect language patterns with intention When writing to communicate expertise and authority, you want to avoid language that makes you seem uncertain. My previous post here described indirect speech patterns that make you seem less confident or knowledgeable when they creep into your written words. However, indirect speech isn’t all bad. Indirect […]
Speech Patterns that Threaten Authority in Writing
Indirect speech is one way that we communicate politeness, willingness to collaborate, modesty, and other worthy attributes when we speak with each other. Despite the American love of “getting right to the point,” people who always speak directly may sound brusque, impatient, or rude. However, indirect language patterns often read differently in print. In writing, […]
Polite or Pushover? Indirect Speech in Business Writing
If you send business emails, write blogs in a professional capacity, otherwise write in a professional context, I think this might be a really important topic for you you should read this post. Indirectness. Copyeditors will find it and delete it. Writing coaches give you grief about it. My online course on revision includes a […]
Talking from 9 to 5: A Book Review
Short Version: In this fascinating book, Deborah Tannen explores how mismatched conversational styles affect women and men in the workplace. I highly recommend it for writers, as well as anyone who works with other people. Long Version: We each develop certain conversational habits and styles during our lives. The words we use when speaking reflect […]
Writing for Overloaded Readers: It’s Not Dumbing Down
As college students, we are taught to read and analyze literature or dense texts, and to elaborate our brilliant thoughts in complex sentences. Then we enter the real world, and it all goes out the window. Business writing coaches and style guides sing the praises of a “conversational” tone in writing. We are encouraged to communicate […]
