Posted in: writing workshops

Posted June 19, 2018 Ego is poisonous to good writing, as it erodes quality in numerous ways. Sometimes, for example, writers try to make themselves sound important, funny, or clever at the expense of clarity and impact. Other times, business writers will prioritize their own goals over those of the business. People in technical industries, for instance, might see bylines in trade publications as an important part...
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Posted June 5, 2018 Most business writing projects are extremely important to do well and get right. Whether it’s a report for stakeholders, a scientific paper for a technical audience, or a proposal soliciting new business, significant dollars may be at stake. In some cases, the results generated by the written work could affect the future of the business, and how you give their writing feedback can transform...
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Bad writing costs the U.S. as much as $396 billion annually, in part because “America is spending 6% of total wages on time wasted attempting to get meaning out of poorly written material,” writes Josh Bernoff for The Harvard Business Review. At the top of the list of time-wasters are overly long content that takes too much time to read and even longer to understand. Yet, “overwriting” is one...
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Popular expectations for “good” writing by scientists tend to be clear-cut and limited to the expository. I learned this the hard way, via my very first research report. My florid analysis returned to me deeply lined in red, topped off with a tart admonition from my mentor against “gilding the lily.” Stick to facts, I learned. Support conclusions with data and weigh the words in your conclusions...
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For most professionals, writing is a primary part of their job, even though it’s a painful task for many. The good news is that spending more time planning will enable you to streamline the process, reduce writing time, and will result in more effective documents. While planning may seem like an extra step in the process, it’s necessary to help you streamline the writing process and write more cogent,...
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