After all my posting about what makes for bad business writing, what is my advice for writing well? I'm glad you asked — because that's the subject of the list below.
1. Call to action. The number one thing that separates a memo, report, or PowerPoint from A Tale of Two Cities is a call to action. A novel is to be enjoyed. Business writing is intended to get the audience to do something: invest in a popcorn factory, fill out a kidney donor form, or flee the building in an orderly manner.Questions to ask: Does my email ask the reader to do anything? If not, why am I sending it?
1.可執行性. 一份備忘錄,報告,或者幻燈片與經典名著雙城記的最大區別就在於前者是具有可執行性的.一本小說是為了讓人欣賞,商業文檔則是希望閱讀者去執行一些事情:比如投資一家爆米花公司,填寫一份器官捐獻表格或者有序的疏散一座大樓裡的居民.問問自己:我的郵件是不是為了讓讀者去做執行某些事情的?如果不是,為什麼我還要發這封郵件?
2. Say it up front. M. Night Shyamalan is paid to surprise folks. We are paid to not surprise our boss. Whatever the purpose of your missive, say it in the first line. Mystery and story are great ways to entertain and teach, so unless you're looking for a job doing that, spit out why you're writing up front.Questions to ask: Can the reader tell from the subject line and first sentence what I'm writing about without going further? If not, why are you insisting that they guess?
2.直截了當表達你的意思. M·奈特·沙馬蘭(驚悚片導演)是專門拿錢來嚇唬觀眾的.而我們拿錢確是為了不讓我們的老闆收到驚嚇. 不管你的目的是什麼,在第一行直接寫出來. 神秘感和情節是很好的娛樂和寓教方式,但如果你並不他們為生,那最好還是在文檔中開門見山的表達你的意思.問問自己:是否讀者在沒有詳細閱覽內容之前,僅從你的標題或第一句話就能了解你的意圖?如果不能,那讀者可能就不了解為什麼在你連清晰的意圖都沒有時還在堅持你信(文檔)中所寫的內容.
3. Assume nothing. Does the reader need to know that the project won't succeed if the subway workers strike, that everything depends on a category 5 hurricane not happening in the next 100 years, or that if Lehman goes under the entire firm will implode? Let the reader know what thinking has gone on behind the scenes. And when following up, don't assume everyone remembers everything you've said. If you've got any worries that an acronym, term, or reference is going to elicit a confused moment, just explain it.Questions to ask: Am I relying on what the audience knows or what I think they ought to know? Am I hiding anything from the reader unintentionally? If so, why do I want to surprise them later on?
3.不要假設. 你覺得你文檔的讀者需要了解像"如果地鐵工人罷工項目就不能完成"或者"一切都取決於未來100年內不會發生5級颶風",再或者"雷曼兄弟的破產會不會讓整個行業分崩離析"這樣的問題麼? 讓你的讀者自己去思考. 不要假設每個人都會記得你說的每句話.如果你擔心某段措辭,條款或者引用會引起別人的迷惑時,只需要有針對的解釋清楚就可以了.問問自己:有那些我寫的東西是讀者已經知道或者應該知道的?我是不是下意識的沒有表達清楚?如果答案是肯定的,那麼他們會對我之後說的東西表示迷惑也就不奇怪了.
4. Do the thinking. How many times have you gotten an email that says, "What are your thoughts?" followed by a forwarded chain of messages. That's the writer saying, "I can't be bothered to explain my reasoning or what I want you to focus on." When you write, make sure you've explained what you're thinking and what you want the reader to spend time on.Questions to ask: Is my email giving my opinion and options for the reader to respond to? If not, why am I making them try to read my mind?
4.清晰的思路. 你收到過多少封正文寫著"你有什麼想法?"而後面跟著長長的一串轉發內容的郵件? 這封郵件的作者一定是在說,"我實在沒時間跟你解釋我的原因或者我想讓你做什麼." 當你寫郵件的時候,確保你已經對你的想法或者你想讓讀者花時間去做的事情進行了清晰的解釋.問問自己:我是不是已經在郵件中告訴讀者我的看法或者可供讀者回應的選擇.如果沒有,為什麼我會假設他們能了解我的思想?
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（編輯：何瑩瑩）