10 Steps to Successful Business Writing

PREFACE

Today, we’re all writers. Gone, for the most part, are the days when executives dictated letters to secretaries. The vast majority of us write our own documents, thanks to personal computers and email communication, which enable us to create and deliver messages quickly. We generate more documents than ever before—but we don’t do it well.

Study after study point to an inadequate level of writing in the business world. Still, writing typically has been viewed as one of those soft skills that would be nice for employees to improve but not worth the investment of time or money. The prevailing attitude in most companies has been, “If we can’t measure the benefits in dollars and cents, then why do it?” Most companies are more likely to invest ...