|
|
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.可执行性. 一份备忘录,报告,或者幻灯片与经典名著双城记的最大区别就在于前者是具有可执行性的.一本小说是为了让人欣赏,商业文档则是希望阅读者去执行一些事情:比如投资一家爆米花公司,填写一份器官捐献表格或者有序的疏散一座大楼里的居民.问问自己:我的邮件是不是为了让读者去做执行某些事情的?如果不是,为什么我还要发这封邮件?
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.直截了当表达你的意思. M·奈特·沙马兰(惊悚片导演)是专门拿钱来吓唬观众的.而我们拿钱确是为了不让我们的老板收到惊吓. 不管你的目的是什么,在第一行直接写出来. 神秘感和情节是很好的娱乐和寓教方式,但如果你并不他们为生,那最好还是在文档中开门见山的表达你的意思.问问自己:是否读者在没有详细阅览内容之前,仅从你的标题或第一句话就能了解你的意图?如果不能,那读者可能就不了解为什么在你连清晰的意图都没有时还在坚持你信(文档)中所写的内容.
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.不要假设. 你觉得你文档的读者需要了解像"如果地铁工人罢工项目就不能完成"或者"一切都取决于未来100年内不会发生5级飓风",再或者"雷曼兄弟的破产会不会让整个行业分崩离析"这样的问题么? 让你的读者自己去思考. 不要假设每个人都会记得你说的每句话.如果你担心某段措辞,条款或者引用会引起别人的迷惑时,只需要有针对的解释清楚就可以了.问问自己:有那些我写的东西是读者已经知道或者应该知道的?我是不是下意识的没有表达清楚?如果答案是肯定的,那么他们会对我之后说的东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. 你收到过多少封正文写着"你有什么想法?"而后面跟着长长的一串转发内容的邮件? 这封邮件的作者一定是在说,"我实在没时间跟你解释我的原因或者我想让你做什么." 当你写邮件的时候,确保你已经对你的想法或者你想让读者花时间去做的事情进行了清晰的解释.问问自己:我是不是已经在邮件中告诉读者我的看法或者可供读者回应的选择.如果没有,为什么我会假设他们能了解我的思想? |
|
发表于 2016-7-10 14:57:27