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Truth About the New Rules of Business Writing, The

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Truth About the New Rules of Business Writing, The

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Features

The truth about business writing that packs a punch: how to say it fast, say it right, and get what you want!

  • Easy, painless techniques for supercharging your business writing: no experience needed!
  • Make it simple, direct, clear, conversational, and convincing!
  • Specific, expert advice for writing more effective presentations, proposals, resumes, brochures, press releases, web copy, emails, blog entries, and much more.
  • Description

    • Copyright 2010
    • Dimensions: 5-7/16" x 8-1/2"
    • Pages: 224
    • Edition: 1st
    • Book
    • ISBN-10: 0-13-715315-5
    • ISBN-13: 978-0-13-715315-2

    Give yourself a powerful competitive advantage by becoming a better business writer. Better writers get better jobs and more promotions; they persuade people through emails, Web sites, presentations, proposals, resumes, grant proposals, you name it. Businesses know this: that's why they spend $3 billion a year helping their employees become more effective writers. The Truth About the New Rules of Business Writing shows you how to master the art of effective business communication replacing the old standards of jargon, pomposity, and grammar drills with a simple, quick and conversational writing style. Authors Natalie Canavor and Claire Meirowitz demonstrate how to plan and organize your content; make your point faster; tell your readers what's in it for them; construct winning documents of every kind, print and electronic, even blog entries and text messages! The Truth about the New Rules of Business Writing brings together the field's best knowledge, and shows exactly how to put it to work. With an "aha" on every page, it presents information in a clear, accessible style that's easy to understand and use. Written in short chapters, it covers the entire field, cuts to the heart of every topic, pulls back the curtain on expert secrets, and pops the bubble of commonly-held assumptions. Simply put, this book delivers easy, painless writing techniques that work.

    Sample Content

    Online Sample Chapter

    The Truth About the New Rules of Business Writing: Most People Aim for the Wrong Target

    Sample Pages

    Download the sample pages (includes Chapter 1)

    Table of Contents

    Introduction xi

    Part I The truth about what makes writing work

    TRUTH 1 Most people aim for the wrong target 1

    TRUTH 2 If you can say it, you can write it 5

    TRUTH 3 Forget yesterday--write for today 9

    TRUTH 4 Planning is the magic ingredient 13

    TRUTH 5 To achieve your goal, look below its surface 17

    TRUTH 6 Cut to the chase: Put the bottom line on top 21

    TRUTH 7 “Me”-focused messages fail 25

    TRUTH 8 People are not the same: Write for differences 29

    TRUTH 9 Tone makes--or breaks--your message 33

    TRUTH 10 Knowing your inside story is the key 37

    TRUTH 11 Forget outlines--organize your thinking 41

    TRUTH 12 How to organize is a personal choice 45

    TRUTH 13 Every message you send has a psychological impact 49

    TRUTH 14 Effective messages lead with strength 53

    TRUTH 15 To succeed, cover your ground and remember “the ask” 57

    TRUTH 16 Your goal and audience determine the best way to communicate 61

    Part II The truth about self-editing

    TRUTH 17 The best writers don’t write; they rewrite 65

    TRUTH 18 Rhythm and transitions make writing move 69

    TRUTH 19 Less can be a whole lot more 73

    TRUTH 20 Passive thinking and jargon undermine clarity 77

    TRUTH 21 You don’t need grammar drills to spot your writing problems 81

    Part III The truth about successful e-mail

    TRUTH 22 Use e-mail to communicate in the fast lane--powerfully 85

    TRUTH 23 Good subject lines say, “Open sesame” 89

    TRUTH 24 Know your e-mail do’s and don’ts 93

    TRUTH 25 Writing good progress reports is worth your time 97

    Part IV The truth about letters

    TRUTH 26 Letters: They live! And you need them 101

    TRUTH 27 Letters build relationships 105

    TRUTH 28 Cover letters matter, big time 109

    Part V The truth about reports and proposals

    TRUTH 29 Good reports generate action 113

    TRUTH 30 Organizing complex projects isn’t that hard 117

    TRUTH 31 Well-crafted proposals win 121

    TRUTH 32 The letter format lets you shortcut proposals 125

    TRUTH 33 Root grant applications in “mission”--yours and the funder’s 129

    Part VI The truth about Web sites

    TRUTH 34 Writing is the missing factor in your competitors’ Web sites 133

    TRUTH 35 Web sites built on keywords and content build traffi c 137

    TRUTH 36 A home page must crystallize who you are 141

    Part VII The truth about new media

    TRUTH 37 Blogging and social media are powerful business tools 145

    TRUTH 38 To blog for yourself, be yourself, but carefully 149

    TRUTH 39 Good business blogging is edgy 153

    TRUTH 40 Tweeting and texting: the ultimate self-edit challenge 157

    TRUTH 41 E-letters focus marketing and reinforce branding 161

    TRUTH 42 Good PowerPoint is more than pretty faces: It starts with writing 165

    Part VIII The truth about writing to self-market

    TRUTH 43 Strong resumes focus on accomplishments, not responsibilities 169

    TRUTH 44 Fliers are easy all-purpose promotional tools 173

    TRUTH 45 It pays to think PR and send news releases 177

    TRUTH 46 Writing articles boosts your career 181

    TRUTH 47 The virtual world offers self-publishing power 185

    Part IX The truth about tricks of the trade

    TRUTH 48 Good headlines help your writing work--a lot 189

    TRUTH 49 Skillful interviewing is a major (but unrecognized) business asset 193

    TRUTH 50 Readers are global: Try not to confuse them 197

    TRUTH 51 Clarity is next to godliness 201

    TRUTH 52 You can fix your own grammar goofs 205

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