Tip one: When you use “and” in a sentence don’t use a comma next to it, it is redundant as “and” is a conjunction. I realize there are occasions where it can be correct however, in general terms it is best avoided.

Tip two: Never use the word “but” in your writing, for many, particularly older readers, it is just not considered a good writing habit. Had a copywriter/author friend on his retirement once say to me that he was proud of the fact that in his career he had never used “but” in his writing. As an alternative he did however use “however”, a much better choice.

Tip three: Don’t start a sentence with either “and” (or “but”), this alone will put you out in front of many less professional writers.

Tip four: Try to limit your sentences to a maximum of twenty five words. Long sentences can be confusing to many readers.

Tip five: Do not use capital letters for common nouns. The school, the company, or the city may be ours however none of these nouns need a capital. Even if you are talking about say, your “supervisor”, or company “director”, no capital is required unless you are writing in a situation where you are announcing his or her formal title.

Tip six: If you are going to use and acronym it must be explained the first time it is mentioned in your piece. An example could be; The company is undertaking a TQM project. The first mention should be …“Total Quality Management (TQM)” project.

Tip seven: Avoid jargon at all costs, it is arrogant and more importantly can be so confusing to the reader that the piece you are writing will lose all value.

Tip eight: Avoid clichés such as the one I used above, “at all costs”. These hackneyed old phrases are boring to your reader and smack of laziness on the part of the writer.

Tip nine: Don’t use a big word (three syllables) when a small one will do. It is worth doing some research on the web to understand the value of reducing your “smog index”. If you write as you speak you stand a better chance of being understood.

Tip ten: Present only one idea per paragraph and try to limit your paragraphs to four sentences.

Tip eleven: Put yourself last. You should not use the form, “me and the team”, it should always be; “the team and I”

Tip twelve: Now I am aware that my writing to some English purists is not perfect and in all likelihood neither will yours be. In the hurry to get information out we all take shortcuts and make mistakes. If you want more in depth information this site is a good start: www.alexcommunications.com/style_guide.htm.

I think it is mistake to take it all too seriously however, there are times you will need to write well to maintain your reputation.

Bonus tip: Capitalization in headings can be a problem and the rules and traditions of different countries vary greatly. To be on the safe side you should not use capitals for: articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, so) or the word ‘to’.

These better business writing tips will not make you a perfect writer however, they will go some way if adopted, to making your written pieces more legible and look more professional.

b) Brevity

As with speaking one of the quickest ways to lose your audience ti to circle around the topic or by indulging in the proverbial ‘beating-about-the-bush’. There is an old sales letter adage that if you don’t capture your audiences attention in the first ten words you have lost them. Get to the point quickly, use headings and bullet points, never have more than 27 words in a sentence and less is better.

According to Ann Wylie of http://comprehension.prsa.org/?p=217 ‘The longer your sentences, the less your readers will understand and  according to research by the American Press Institute a study shows that:

•    When the average sentence length in a piece was fewer than eight words long, readers understood 100% of the story
•    Even at 14 words, they could comprehend more than 90% of the information
•    However if you move up to 43-word sentences, comprehension dropped below 10%

Bottom line: To improve understanding, break sentences up or condense them.’

c) Clarity

Newspaper, magazines, blogs and many other articles have headings and so should you.

From P. Mathew www.articlealley.com/article_1568981_50.html

“Write in paragraphs that are short and convey a single thought that is briefly explained. Bulleting your sentences and maintaining lists improves readability and helps keep your ideas short and simple to read and understand.”

As I was taught it is always better to use simple words rather than long complicated ones and avoid jargon and anagrams.

Comprehension of a piece of writing can be calculated using what is known as a SMOG index and if you search for this on the web you can find a number of excellent articles that will explain how to calculate this so you check your writing effectiveness.

I still remember a boss that would send back lending submissions I had written with bright red notations “so what” at the end of sentences. To ensure clarity you need to follow the “so what” idea when reviewing your work to clarify what you are trying to transmit.

Example: The business’s gearing ratio is 2.5:1 The so what could be: This is way below the industry average of 4.2:1 and has reduced considerably over the last three years indicating a healthy financial trend.

And again from Pramila Mathew “Always keeping your goal in mind: If you lack a substantive goal, your readers can easily lose interest in your message. The rule of the thumb here is: start with an idea, and end it with the same.”

Rule 2 Read, Practice and Research like a Journalist

If you are going to an effective writer you will need to become an avid reader. You should read at least one or two books a month, preferably on topics related to your career or area of expertise or professional discipline. You can practice your writing by doing summaries of concepts you uncover in your reading, You will also I suggest need to read a serious newspaper each day and any industry magazines that relate to your work.

As you can see from this blog post I have used information written by other writers on the topic and with internet search it is easy to gain more facts or ideas about your topic. By doing research you can support your ideas with the help of other and broaden the perspectives you offer the reader.

Finally to improve your writing skills you should sit down and write at least one small ‘article’ a week – or more often if possible – on a topic related to your profession.

Perhaps a blog is a great place to start if you want to become a more effective writer.

If you like what you have read here there are more career advice articles at: orglearn career advice

Spin-Doctor is a term that has spread from US politics. Spin-doctors are similar to (and as some complain often confused with) ‘REAL’ public relations or public affairs individuals. Professional Spin-Doctors are used to create ‘spin’ for everything from charities, entertainers, sports people, businesses and politicians.

Spin is usually a biased or at least a limited interpretation what has happened. The ‘doctors’ analyse the matter for us and tell us what we need to understand, how to interpret information about an event and what perspective or context we should have when considering what has happened. Spin-doctors ‘advise’ us… usually they take the approach that it’s never a matter of what actually happened, it’s always how we look at it, or that it is only their ‘true’ perspective that counts. Spin is not about reality or consequences its more a matter of understanding why something happened.

Why are these people called spin-doctors? The majority of us develop an attitude or belief about an event by the manner that event is presented to us. So if we want to manipulate people’s perception, we need to alter their perspective by the way we present the information to them. To do this effectively we must put the right “spin” or ‘bent’ on the facts to influence perception in order to manipulate interpretations. The payoff is that if we put the right “spin” on the information we may be able to lead people to the interpretation and perception that we want.

“YOU CAN FOOL MOST OF THE PEOPLE MOST OF THE TIME”

WHY DO SO MANY GROUPS USE SPIN-DOCTORS?

Spin-Doctors exist because facts, figures, events and words, all have different meanings to different people. As an example the phrase, when talking to a builder, ‘you work like lightening’ can be interpreted as FAST. If the builder, is knocking nails in it can mean, INEPT, as he keeps missing the nailhead because “lightening never strikes the same place twice”. The presentation and interpretation of information is often the key to success for those pushing their version of the truth. Careers, businesses, whole communities can be made or broken through the power of public opinion. The media moulds public opinion and the media in particular can be manipulated by spin.

Most reasonable individuals, one would hope, will take the view that although spin can help, what really matters is how people (we) BEHAVE! If you ‘suck’ (as they say in the classics), all the spin in the world won’t help. For companies, successful spin means we need to be seen as ‘good’ corporate citizens and take account of HOW OUR ACTIONS effect those with a stake in our organization.

Wisdom dictates that we understand that spin-doctors come disguised as news commentators, political analysts, PR consultants, HR directors, financial controllers, ‘in the know’ mates at the office, ‘independent’ personal financial advisors or even friends and family. (Some even come disguised as educators. The difference is that a true educator informs to allow us to learn how to think, a spin-doctor informs to control our thinking.) Beware of the spin-doctors in your organization for they can blur your vision, destroy your mission and disrupt your well-laid plans.

IN AUSTRALIA THEY USE A TERM, “BULLSHIT BAFFLES BRAINS” AND TODAY IT SEEMS TRUER THAN EVER! (Pardon my language however it says it clearly)

SPIN ON THE NET

Lets face it today there is so much rubbish on the net and the tide of spin is rising, so many marketers trying to sell get rich schemes to the gullible. I have been on the net for over ten years, I make a little money, however the get rich stuff just doesn’t do it for me at all. Sure I’ve found a couple of systems that work for me, in fact one earns me and 18% return however it takes constant work and effort to get that return, just as it does with any business. Lots of internet marking activitiy I can tell you is boring, mundane and you need persistance and commitment! So don’t throw your hard eaned cash into some thing that some slick spin doctor is telling you. Best remember the old adage “if it sounds too good to be true it probably is”.

PS If you really want an online/net activity to make a few of dollars, that’s free to try and cheap to get into, take a look at this.

If you do like the media ownership idea and need any help you can Skype me at rictownsend

I’m also in another small marketing group that is very helpful and has taught me lots of good stuff that you could take a look at. Although I haven’t personally made a lot of money from it, I have made friends and learned not what to get into. This one is a bit like a marketing social group mainly older guys and girls and the friendship value itself has made it worthwhile let alone the knowledge I’ve gained. This one is Ric’s RML Friends

Ric (orglearn) **Link for direct page viewers return to main career success blog to check out other posts!

Want to ‘spin’ yourself to an employer? While you’re here take a look at the free blank resume form!

Click the banner to take a closer look at what it’s all about… good progam for bloggers! Taking contol of your own media!