Writing for Business

by Harvard Business School

• ISBN13: 9781422114728
• ISBN10: 1422114724
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-07-01
• Publisher: Harvard Business School Pr

Summary

Effective business writing rests on a foundation of basic principles. Master them, and you'll know how to handle the many different writing tasks that come your way. This book will help you organize and edit your message for maximum impact.

Table of Contents

Mentor's Message: Reader-Focused Writing Gets Results	p. ix
Writing for Business: The Basics	p. 1
Foundation Principles	p. 3
Clarify your purpose	p. 4
Take a reader-centered approach	p. 5
State your key message clearly	p. 6
Keep the message short and simple	p. 7
Confirm your delivery strategy	p. 8
Scope Your Project	p. 13
Broad versus limited scope	p. 14
Start-Up Strategies	p. 17
Questioning	p. 18
The traditional outline	p. 19
The brainstorm outline	p. 20
Freewriting	p. 21
Organize Material According to Purpose	p. 25
Order-of-importance method	p. 26
Chronological method	p. 26
Process and procedure methods	p. 27
Spatial arrangement method	p. 28
Compare and contrast method	p. 29
Specific-to-general or general-to-specific method	p. 30
Analytical method	p. 31
Writing the First Draft	p. 33
Begin where you feel most comfortable	p. 34
Write in categories	p. 35
Special considerations for a technical document	p. 37
Structuring Paragraphs	p. 39
Limit the number of subjects in each paragraph	p. 40
Create smooth transitions	p. 40
Editing for Content	p. 43
Put your message in focus	p. 44
Review for clarity	p. 45
Sequence your key message strategically	p. 45
Answer your readers' question: "Why?"	p. 46
Editing for Style	p. 47
Design for visual impact	p. 48
Match your tone to your audience	p. 49
Check for conciseness	p. 51
Adopt the active voice	p. 52
Edit for accuracy	p. 52
Drafting E-mail	p. 55
Common problems	p. 56
Start with the subject line	p. 57
Only one topic per e-mail	p. 57
Make the purpose of the message clear	p. 59
Be concise and use attachments	p. 59
Remember your audience	p. 59
Keep formatting simple	p. 60
Review your company's e-mail policy	p. 60
Know when not to send an e-mail	p. 60
Tips and Tools	p. 63
Tools for Business Writing	p. 65
Test Yourself	p. 71
Answers to test questions	p. 74
To Learn More	p. 79
Sources for Business Writing	p. 83
Notes	p. 85
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