Write It Well

The distinction between “that” and “which” is a little blurry. In many cases, you can interchange them without confusing your reader. Even thoroughly experienced writers switch them around sometimes — the New York Times After Deadline blog this week found examples in the paper where writers had confused “that” and “which”. Of course, readers who know the difference will think a misplaced “which” rather awkward. Try this: which of the following sentences sounds better:

• Mine is the one which has silver fenders
• Mine is the one that has silver fenders

More likely than not, most of us would choose the second sentence. We use “which” when the information that follows isn’t essential to the meaning of the sentence. For example:

Why do we give workshops on “E-Mail Efficiency” instead of “E-Mail Etiquette” like other people do? The short answer: our workshops cover more material. To use e-mail most effectively, of course you need proper e-mail etiquette. You won’t get much done with offensive, boring, or badly-timed messages! But you also need to know how to keep a tidy inbox, for example, and how to write persuasive e-mail messages — not to mention the nitty-gritty details of professional grammar and clean prose.

Write It Well works with your company to tailor an interactive e-mail workshop to your specific needs and strengths. We train your company to write e-mail that gets your work done in less time. That’s efficiency!

Twitter — the “microblogging” website that lets users post tiny messages to each other — sounded frivolous at first. Why should I care about the mundane details of everyone else’s lives? Especially when I’m a large company? A recent article in Business Week found that quite a few companies do care, in fact. Listening in on their customers’ “tweets” helps them provide better customer service, for example.

Some tips for using Twitter and other microblogging services:

• Go for crisp details. The 140-character limit will help you practice writing concisely!
• Keep it light. Halting, formal language works better in long legal documents.
• Look at other successful users for cues on how often to post. Posting too much is a bit piggish, but frequency also helps you create your online identity.

From blogs to YouTube, Web 2.0 technology has completely renovated the Internet. Savvy businesses recognize that social networking and user-generated content are great for professionals, too. In fact, a recent study by the McKinsey Quarterly found that three-quarters of executives invest in Web 2.0 trends. How do you maintain your professional identity in a world of up-to-the-minute status updates, wildfire blog memes, and perpetually chattering podcasts?

It’s fun — and addictive — to broadcast your life with a Facebook, MySpace, or LinkedIn profile, a blog, or a Twitter feed. But Facebook’s not just for fun anymore. Potential employers review their applicants’ blogs and online profiles, and colleagues will eagerly “friend” each other on social networking sites. Embarrassing photos aside, the words you write you on the Internet will follow you. Let’s hope they’re all charming and prudent words. Some tips on writing for social-networking and user-generated web sites:

• Look around. Every community has a particular writing style. Avoid being either too formal, too informal, or just plain lost.
• Keep confidential, damaging, and offensive writing off the Internet. It may sound obvious, but people hurt each other and themselves all the time by posting unnecessary garbage.
• Write tidily. Sloppy, error-ridden profiles, posts, and messages make you look careless, no matter where they are on the Internet.
• Keep a professional blog. You’ll be surprised how quickly you can gather a portfolio of writing samples if you blog regularly.
• Choose your level of intimacy. You don’t have to be friends with your colleagues on Facebook. Tell them to link to you on LinkedIn if you’re trying to separate your professional and personal lives.

We are pleased to announce that our two-day course, Business Writing, has been approved for CEU credits.  Read more about how Write It Well can deliver a two-day business writing workshop that gets results.

I like to prop my words on other useless words. I like to fluff them up. Maybe if I fluff my words enough, nobody will notice that I’ve actually expressed an opinion. I find myself writing, “I just thought I’d write to let you know that…” and “I feel that perhaps we ought to consider…” a little too often. Comfortable, empty words don’t make your position stronger. Do, of course, be friendly and diplomatic — but remember that direct writing helps your readers. Their job is easier if they don’t have to sort through props and fluff.

Some phrases that can get in the way:

• I think that…
• as far as I’m concerned…
• the point I am trying to make is…
• at the end of the day…

For more help on cutting the clutter, check out Richard Nordquist’s list of common redundant phrases.

If Google had its way, you would never delete e-mail, let alone file it. Google got rid of the old filing cabinet analogy for e-mail when they introduced GMail, which lets you archive everything and easily search for it later. No folders, no files, no trash.

What about confidential e-mail? The “delete immediately” e-mail with jokes about the boss’s son and inside trading tips? Sorry. Confidential e-mail doesn’t exist, and never has. GMail just makes it a bit more clear that every careless e-mail is carved in electronic stone. Even deleted e-mail. In 2006, a judge requested deleted e-mail held on Google’s servers — and got it. If you want to talk about something confidential or offensive, don’t write an e-mail.

“CC” originally meant “carbon copy,” but what does it mean now that the Internet has replaced carbon paper? Carbon copies — for those of us who remember — were thin, poor-quality reproductions of an original document. You sent a carbon copy to interested people who didn’t need to reply, unlike the intended recipient, who got the original. Electronically, CC works like this: everyone can see all the addresses in the CC field, and if any recipient hits “reply to all,” their message goes to all the original recipients AND everyone in the CC field.

When you are CC’d in an e-mail, go ahead and file the e-mail if you like. The author made no secret that you were looking at the e-mail, and felt that you would find its message relevant. If you’d like to respond, however, think carefully before choosing “reply to all”. Send your message only to people who really need to have your response.

For more tips on using e-mail in the workplace, check out E-Mail: A Write It Well Guide.

Why are you writing? It’s a basic question, but if more writers answered it before they hit the keyboard, I’m convinced the world would be a better place. Think of all the times you’ve run into confusion with the written word — in legal documents, owners’ manuals, and sales brochures. Or think of the times you bristled at a writer’s pompous tone and had to sift through flowery language to find the facts of the matter. Writers create confusion when they don’t know why they are writing.

Before you sit down to write, ask yourself:

• Who will read my words? 
• What should my reader do or learn? 

Keep your goals and your audience clearly in mind as you compose. Your reader will appreciate it, and your words will be more focused and effective. For more tips on writing effectively, check out Write It Well’s selection of books on professional writing.

“I received your report. We need to talk,” read the e-mail.

“Oh no!” I thought, “how bad was my report?”

Not bad at all. In fact, the report was great and my manager just wanted to tell me so in person. Unfortunately, his e-mail was too tersely worded. People often express anger by being curt and blunt. E-mail messages also tend to be curt and blunt, because the medium is so casual. Remember that your reader doesn’t hear your friendly tone of voice, or know that you were rushing out the door to a meeting. Try to find the sweet spot — a businesslike tempo between gushing and surly.