We set out to write a book on writing and ended up, two full manuscripts in the trash later, with our heads in our hands. Worse than looking at a 200-page waste of time and trees in the garbage (again) was the fear that we’d never be able to write this book, one that’s really the foundation for every Breakthrough Skill from Conflict Management to Skillful Self-Promotion.

What was the problem? Well first, there’s no shortage of excellent books on improving your writing. Type “business writing” into any search engine, and you’ll get millions of results. We wanted to write a book that would add our own unique take to what’s available, without repeating the same material.

Then there was the fact that to us, a book on business writing was a book on how to blink or how to make your heart beat. How do you explain something you’ve learned to do instinctively?  How do you break it down and put it back together again so it’s easy to see how all the pieces fit? How do you get every step in, even the ones so ingrained that you just sprint by them without breaking your stride?

This is writing for us. Decades of our lives spent creating—no exaggeration—tens of thousands of pages for employees and leaders, corporations, small businesses, associations,and non-profit organizations. Articles, websites, speeches, scripts, slide presentations, reports, kits, manuals, proposals, emails, newsletters, project briefs, strategic plans, postcards, advertising, direct mail, news releases, brochures, and of course, books.

If it has to do with lassoing the right words and wrestling them onto the page or screen, we’ve done it: imagining, researching, writing, editing, and proofing until our fingertips and hands are sore, and then waking up and doing it again. We eat, sleep, dream, drive, laugh, and play with words all day, every day. And we know all too well the broken pencil points, blinking cursor on a blank screen, and wastebaskets full of crumpled paper…pick a writer’s block cliché, and we’ve been there.

ATTENTION AND ACTION
Hoping third time’s a charm, we tried again, only this time, we kept it simple. What does all business writing have in common, we thought, regardless of the topic or the audience? What is it we’re all hoping to do as we sit fingers poised over keyboard staring at a blank screen? That was easy: get attention and action.

Every piece of writing is unique, not only because every writer has a different style, but because every type of writing has a different job. The techniques that make a sales letter pack the right punch are different from what helps a memo, report, or proposal get breakthrough results. A presentation is written for the ear, not the eye. An email can be three lines or 30, each equally effective. But this one quality—the need to get attention and action—they share.

So we started all over again, but not to build a step-by-step process for writing. Instead we wanted to give you the strategies and shortcuts we’ve learned the hard way in the hopes that they would save you hours of time, and maybe a few pencils too. And here we are, with a blessedly empty trash can and a complete—and very streamlined—book on business writing.

As we cleaned and sharpened the manuscript, something amazing happened: we realized for the first time just how simple good business writing is. The attention and action we crave as writers is really about two things: readers and results. The most effective business writing makes a genuine connection with readers, and it accomplishes something specific and worthwhile (who has time for anything less?).

THE BAR HAS BEEN RAISED
It sounds simple, and in many ways, it is. But the job of grabbing and keeping readers’ attention—and motivating them to take action—is different today than it was just five years ago. That changes our challenge: good writing is no longer just about writing well; more than ever before, it’s about getting through.  To be heard above the din of messages and information the business world pours out every day—by some estimates, we’re each exposed to 7,000 different messages a day—we have to slim down and sharpen what we say and say it in a way that touches the unique concerns and interests of the actual human beings who will be reading it.

All that’s tougher to do in writing than in any other form of communication. It’s not unusual for someone to say, “It’s so easy for me to speak to one person, or even to a small group of my coworkers, but when I’ve got to write something, forget it. It takes forever, and in the end it’s never very good. Why?”

Many reasons.

When you speak, your gestures, expressions, and tone of voice help communicate parts of your message. Speaking is also informal, so you can be more relaxed and chatty. Less pressure.

While you’re speaking, you can watch your listeners’ reactions and adjust what you’re saying to be sure your message gets through. If an audience seems confused,for instance, you can slow down or repeat a key explanation or important point. If they look bored or restless,you can speed up or leave out some ideas completely.

You can’t do any of this in writing. Words alone have to carry your full meaning. The written word is more formal, which puts more pressure on you to be precise. Written files also create permanent records, and the fact that a letter, report, or proposal will live a long life can make its would-be author self-conscious enough to block the flow of ideas.

To add to the anxiety, an email or electronic copy of anything can be forwarded to tens of thousands of people in a few seconds.

For all these reasons, business writing remains the one task nearly everyone puts off for as long as possible. Even people who write for a living (ahem) will find ways to avoid their daily wrestling match with words. It’s a standing joke that the quickest way for us to get our errands done is to have a writing
deadline. That’s because we’ll do every bit of busywork we can think of to avoid facing a blank computer screen: order supplies, finish paperwork, file, make calls we’ve put off. Eventually though, the moment comes.

It’s time to write.

WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS EXCERPT OF WORDS THAT WORK.  PLEASE DON’T LET THIS BE THE END!  BE SURE TO GET YOUR COPY OF THIS POWERFUL RESOURCE FOR BUILDING YOUR NEXT CAREER OR BUSINESS BREAKTHROUGH!