i PRAISE FOR H OW TO W R I T E EFFECTIVE BUSINESS ENGLISH THIRD EDITION ‘If you need a handy toolkit for improving your business writing across media and generations, this practical guide is packed with advice, tips and examples to help you do just that. It works for both native and non-native English speakers wishing to inject more vitality and clarity into their business writing. I recommend you keep it close to your computer or laptop – or in the office to help colleagues boost their writing skills. Dip into it when you need some inspiration.
As language evolves so too should our business writing skills if we wish to stay ahead of the competition. The author’s #wordpowerskills system (in four easy-to-use steps), checklists and tips will ensure your writing leads to action, reaction and results. It will energize your business writing and your readers’ experience. I will definitely recommend this book to my students, especially the section on generational writing.
It’s not all WhatsApp and Snapchat in the world of work. Writing effectively so your business messages shine through today’s digital noise is a valuable, sought-after skill for your employability.’ Louise Stansfield, Senior Lecturer, Metropolia Business School, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Finland ‘I have been managing international initiatives with native and non-native English-speaking colleagues from many countries. This means working together…without ever meeting in person! ii English words, especially written words, are the most powerful tool we have in these teams. If they fail, as they sometimes do, no matter what your enthusiasm and talent, the best chance you will ever get is to try again with better English words.
This is why I have used several of Fiona Talbot’s books over the years. This latest edition of How to Write Effective Business English has some new features that are especially relevant for my work. For instance: ●● What to do with paper – printed, even handwritten letters. Paper is here to stay, often in increasingly specialist areas.
●● How to manage communication in multinational and virtual teams – including inter-generational teams where leaders are often younger than members. ●● How to write when microblogging and instant messaging – and how to write e-mails now that instant messaging and social network sharing make an impact on the style needed. How to Write Effective Business English makes you aware of the pitfalls you encounter every day you work with written English, and will give you a very good chance to get your message right and powerful today.’ Gianluca Marcellino, Global Retail Industry Manager, Avanade ‘How to Write Effective Business English is an invaluable toolkit for any business, especially in today’s environment of instant, digital, global communication, where the clarity of our language is essential to ensuring that our message is heard as intended. Written in accessible language, covering the many and diverse ways in which we all use written words in our daily working lives, this book really does help create impactful communication.’ Katie Page, Content Director, GlobalData ‘An absolute must-read for all business owners and, indeed, businesspeople alike! Perfect for those who want to invigorate their written work to really pack a punch.
I never leave my desk without it! Follow Fiona Talbot’s wise words and success will follow.’ Paul Corcoran, Chief Executive, Agent Marketing iii Third Edition How to Write Effective Business English Your guide to excellent professional communication Fiona Talbot iv Publisher’s note Every possible effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this book is accurate at the time of going to press, and the publishers and author cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions, however caused. No responsibility for loss or damage occasioned to any person acting, or refraining from action, as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by the editor, the publisher or the author. First published in Great Britain and the United States in 2009 by Kogan Page Limited Second edition published in 2016 Third edition published in 2019 Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or re- view, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior per- mission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms and licences issued by the CLA. Enquiries c oncerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the publishers at the undermentioned addresses: 2nd Floor, 45 Gee Street 122 W 27th St, 10th Floor 4737/23 Ansari Road London New York, NY 10001 Daryaganj EC1V 3RS USA New Delhi 110002 United Kingdom India www.com © Fiona Talbot, 2009, 2016, 2019 The right of Fiona Talbot to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
ISBNs Hardback 978 1 78966 020 3 Paperback 978 0 7494 9729 3 eBook 978 0 7494 9730 9 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Talbot, Fiona, author. Title: How to write effective business English : your guide to excellent professional communication / Fiona Talbot. Description: Third edition.
| London ; New York : Kogan Page Limited, 2019. Identifiers: LCCN 2019013425 (print) | LCCN 2019016212 (ebook) | ISBN 9780749497309 (Ebook) | ISBN 9781789660203 (hardback) | ISBN 9780749497293 (pbk.) Subjects: LCSH: English language–Business English–Study and teaching. | Business communication–Study and teaching. | English language–Textbooks for foreign speakers.
Classification: LCC PE1479.06/665–dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.gov/2019013425 Typeset by Integra Software Services, Pondicherry Print production managed by Jellyfish Printed and bound by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon CR0 4YY v With thanks to my clients and readers, my editor Rebecca Bush and all at Kogan Page, for your interest in the wonderful world of #wordpowerskills. Special thanks go to my dear husband, Colin; to Alexander, Hannah-Maria, Johanna and Daren. It’s with great joy that I also see the youngest members of the family, Jude, Dominique and Xanthe, already taking delight in words. I dedicate this book to you all.
vi THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK vii CONTENTS Introduction 1 01 Why are you writing? 3 Who are your readers? 3 What’s the purpose of your writing? 4 Readers take just a few seconds to judge your writing 6 How formal or informal do you need to be? 7 Your checklist for action 8 02 Business writing for today 9 Winning business through English 9 Academic writing compared to business writing 9 Can you use ‘I’ in business writing? 10 Listen to readers’ feedback 12 Choosing the right style 14 Ideal communication 17 The word power skills system: four easy steps to premier business writing 18 Your checklist for action 20 03 Quality matters 21 Shine through your writing! 21 To make mistakes is only human 21 How readers can react to written mistakes 22 Further costs of getting your writing wrong 24 You can never fully outsource your writing 27 Checking for mistakes 27 Proofreading tips 28 Your checklist for action 29 viii Contents 04 Writing across generations – for colleagues as well as clients 31 Pool communication strengths: the rewards of generational diversity 31 Write to get that job 33 Write to recruit 33 Use word power to develop your career and get the results you need 36 Write for your boss 37 When you’re the boss, writing brings extra challenges! 39 Your checklist for action 43 05 Telling your story through social media 45 Social media has shaken ‘the rules’ of business writing 45 Get into the social media mindset 45 Get your business message to anyone, anywhere, anytime 46 What are the key objectives? 48 How do companies shine through their social media interaction? 51 Writing that creates trust can create a community 53 The long and the short of it: past, present and future 55 Further writing tips for key channels such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn 56 What excites people so much they want to share it? 62 Call people to action – and check it’s worked 63 Telling your story 65 Your checklist for action 67 06 Standard or variant English? 69 ‘Standard’ and ‘variant’ English 69 Writing for both native and non-native English speakers 71 Some surprising problems with English for global business 71 Define business English within your company 72 Your checklist for action 73 Contents ix 07 Writing globally? Or in multinational teams? 75 Looking at how you use English at work 75 Converting thoughts into words, then into writing 77 Better to ask if you don’t understand something 78 These features can perplex readers too 79 Muddled business writing costs on so many levels 82 Tune in to how English continues to evolve 83 Non-native English writers can have an advantage! 84 Your checklist for action 85 08 E-mail and instant messaging 87 General 87 Writing e-mails 88 E-mail scenarios to watch out for 88 Multilingual and other e-mail threads 89 Structure your e-mails 93 Designing how you write e-mails 94 Instant messaging and texting 97 Your checklist for action 102 09 Punctuation and grammar tips 105 Why punctuation and grammar matter 105 Punctuation and other marks 106 Parts of speech and other grammar 107 Paragraphs 112 Verbs and tenses 113 Agreement of subject and verb 115 Comparison 118 Fluidity in writing 119 Your checklist for action 120 x Contents 10 Practical conventions and common confusions 121 Writing a date 121 Time 124 Numbers 126 Measurements 127 Words that can confuse both native English and non-native English writers 128 Acronyms 130 Active and passive 132 Nominalization 133 Your checklist for action 134 11 Paper is here to stay 135 Letters 137 Traditional letter format 138 When flexibility is key, you need to adapt letter-writing templates 140 A letter that involves the reader with the company’s narrative 142 Specific tips about addressing letters 144 CVs/résumés and cover letters 144 Your checklist for action 147 Conclusion: what will you do differently – and better? 149 1 Introduction Don’t just be enthusiastic in #socialmedia. It’s passion that engages readers throughout all your corporate communications. Fiona Talbot Who is this book for? Think about sector, culture and generation If you’re in business (or are preparing to enter the workplace) you’ll see how the written word dominates in business communi- cation today, largely due to the unremitting rise in e-writing. Everyone now has a voice and almost everyone is now a writer, though few are actually trained in this.
That’s why this business English primer is ideal for both native and non-native English speakers (proficient at intermediate level and above). Its extensive task-based guidance helps you develop the highly prized workplace skills that bosses cry out for. Increasingly, English is the language of choice in the information age, widely used on the web and in multinational gatherings. Staggeringly, it’s estimated that English is spoken by a quarter of the world’s population (and rising), as a language of common global currency.
So it becomes a powerful tool for communication and inclusion – as long as you realize that you’ll need to tailor it to suit the expectations of: ●● your target business sector; ●● your target culture and the variety of English they use; ●● today’s multigenerational workplace and client base. 2 How to Write Effective Business English Ensure content of value in everything you write Effective writing today isn’t just about reports, presentations, let- ters and so on. Writing skills arguably matter more than ever in e- mail, instant messaging, the plain English needed for technical documents and coding, marketing, PR, infographics and social media – even in video storytelling and audiobooks where scripts are also key. Today’s need is for content of value and I’m keen that you de- velop a passion for business writing that creates a consistently good reader experience.