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The Truth About the New Rules of Business Writing

The Truth About the New Rules of Business Writing

by Claire Meirowitz, Natalie Canavor
Publisher: PH Professional Business
Release Date: December 2009
ISBN: 9780137015436
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Book Description

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.

Table of Contents

  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Contents
  4. Foreword
  5. On the Web
  6. Acknowledgments
  7. About the Authors
  8. Introduction
  9. Part I: The truth about what makes writing work
    1. Truth 1. Most people aim for the wrong target
    2. Truth 2. If you can say it, you can write it
    3. Truth 3. Forget yesterday—write for today
    4. Truth 4. Planning is the magic ingredient
    5. Truth 5. To achieve your goal, look below its surface
    6. Truth 6. Cut to the chase: Put the bottom line on top
    7. Truth 7. “Me”-focused messages fail
    8. Truth 8. People are not the same: Write for differences
    9. Truth 9. Tone makes—or breaks—your message
    10. Truth 10. Knowing your inside story is the key
    11. Truth 11. Forget outlines—organize your thinking
    12. Truth 12. How to organize is a personal choice
    13. Truth 13. Every message you send has a psychological impact
    14. Truth 14. Effective messages lead with strength
    15. Truth 15. To succeed, cover your ground and remember “the ask”
    16. Truth 16. Your goal and audience determine the best way to communicate
  10. Part II: The truth about self-editing
    1. Truth 17. The best writers don’t write; they rewrite
    2. Truth 18. Rhythm and transitions make writing move
    3. Truth 19. Less can be a whole lot more
    4. Truth 20. Passive thinking and jargon undermine clarity
    5. Truth 21. You don’t need grammar drills to spot your writing problems
  11. Part III: The truth about successful e-mail
    1. Truth 22. Use e-mail to communicate in the fast lane—powerfully
    2. Truth 23. Good subject lines say, “Open sesame”
    3. Truth 24. Know your e-mail do’s and don’ts
    4. Truth 25. Writing good progress reports is worth your time
  12. Part IV: The truth about letters
    1. Truth 26. Letters: They live! And you need them
    2. Truth 27. Letters build relationships
    3. Truth 28. Cover letters matter, big time
  13. Part V: The truth about reports and proposals
    1. Truth 29. Good reports generate action
    2. Truth 30. Organizing complex projects isn’t that hard
    3. Truth 31. Well-crafted proposals win
    4. Truth 32. The letter format lets you shortcut proposals
    5. Truth 33. Root grant applications in “mission”—yours and the funder’s
  14. Part VI: The truth about Web sites
    1. Truth 34. Writing is the missing factor in your competitors’ Web sites
    2. Truth 35. Web sites built on keywords and content build traffic
    3. Truth 36. A home page must crystallize who you are
  15. Part VII: The truth about new media
    1. Truth 37. Blogging and social media are powerful business tools
    2. Truth 38. To blog for yourself, be yourself, but carefully
    3. Truth 39. Good business blogging is edgy
    4. Truth 40. Tweeting and texting: the ultimate self-edit challenge
    5. Truth 41. E-letters focus marketing and reinforce branding
    6. Truth 42. Good PowerPoint is more than pretty faces: It starts with writing
  16. Part VIII: The truth about writing to self-market
    1. Truth 43. Strong résumés focus on accomplishments, not responsibilities
    2. Truth 44. Fliers are easy all-purpose promotional tools
    3. Truth 45. It pays to think PR and send news releases
    4. Truth 46. Writing articles boosts your career
    5. Truth 47. The virtual world offers self-publishing power
  17. Part IX: The truth about tricks of the trade
    1. Truth 48. Good headlines help your writing work—a lot
    2. Truth 49. Skillful interviewing is a major (but unrecognized) business asset
    3. Truth 50. Readers are global: Try not to confuse them
    4. Truth 51. Clarity is next to godliness
    5. Truth 52. You can fix your own grammar goofs
  18. Financial Times Press
  19. Simply the best thinking