You see it all the time —
the battle of the traditionalist versus the new age.
I probably lost major credits with the use of “new age.”
- There are grammar purists
- And Be Yourself bliss
- There is 140-character marketing
- And predictions of email death
What makes good business writing?
Embracing the Nonconformist
There is something worthwhile about our new way of communicating.
- It’s concise
- It’s to the point
- It’s the Emperor’s New Clothes
Sooner or later, someone is going to point out the naked truth —
Good business writing is hard to find.
The Awful Truth
In May 2010, there was an article in online magazine, Inc., Why is Business Writing So Awful, that exploded around the blogosphere.
Author, Jason Fried’s chief points included —
- Business writing is bad
- It’s boring
- It’s barely read
The author took aim at one writing principle of telling a story.
“It’s not about telling a story. It’s about telling a true story well.” Jason Fried, Inc. in Why is Business Writing So Awful?
On the website of the International Association of Business Communicators, the same “awful” question received various responses.
- Colleges don’t promote good writing
- The emphasis on Search Engine Optimization lowers proficiency
- Multiple layers of review water down text
- The bar has been lowered
Has the bar been lowered?
Is there a new standard for business writing – or – no standard at all?
The Naked Truth
Isn’t it interesting that what defines good or bad writing is the same basic element – words.
- Listed on a page, words merely exist
- Combine them with passion and you have real power
Poor delivery detracts from the power of words.
There is something worthwhile about the “rules” of writing.
- They organize your delivery
- They respect the power of words
- They get out of the way of passion
Good business writing understands the value of words.
Is good business writing lost?
Only to those who abuse the power.
What does good business writing mean to you?
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Helping you Keep it simple, clear & uniquely yours – contact me for help with your business writing needs.
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Cathy, I’m cheering over here. I remember not long ago when the Dot Coms were littering corporate America having the same issue. The press releases their PR folks sent were unintelligible, partly because they didn’t understand what the hell their companies were selling, but mostly because they overloaded them with strings of jargon that took ages to unravel. I remember asking one person at a trade show – someone who had just told me that his company sold end-to-end, robust, scalable cross-platform solutions that guaranteed real-time results that enhanced supply chain management processes – what exactly the product DID. The blank stare and the stammering told me he hadn’t a clue.
That I know now what all that crap means is kind of scary, but back then, no one had a clue! LOL
Great story (and example), Lori. I appreciate those points made in the Inc. article about the jargon and really lazy way of writing. It is very easy to fall into some of those phrases. I freak when I become aware that I am doing it. I guess that’s because we take pride in what we do, We’re not perfect, but we do care about the words.
P.S. I used to play a similar game with acronyms-which you know our niche is famous for-I’d ask what the acronym stood for & got that same blank state. For me, knowing the meaning is part of understanding. Maybe I am one of those purists. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, Lori.
Ugh. I hate it when people try to blame SEO for bad writing (not that you did personally). If you really understand SEO it has no ill effect whatsoever. Only the spam-centric keyword stuffers stuck in 2005 or so ruin their writing for the sake of SEO (and in that case they fail miserably in long-term SEO anyway). It’s just one of those cases where people need to make excuses for themselves.
I have to agree with you on that one, Jenn. To me, SEO is like good editing of copy. It has to enhance, not detract, from the writing.
Thanks for picking up on that comment. 🙂