Description: Learn how to write for the results you want every time, in every medium! Do you wish you could write better? In today’s business world, good writing is key to success in just about every endeavor. Writing is how you connect with colleagues, supervisors, clients, partners, employees, and people you’ve never met. No wonder strong writers win the jobs, promotions and contracts. Business Writing For Dummies shows you, from the ground up, how to create persuasive messages with the right content and language every time―messages your readers will understand and act on. This friendly guide equips you with a step-by-step method for planning what to say and how to say it in writing. This sytem empowers you to handle every writing challenge with confidence, from emails to proposals, reports to resumes, presentations to video scripts, blogs to social posts, websites to books. Discover down-to-earth techniques for sharpening your language and correcting your own writing problems. Learn how to adapt content, tone and style for each medium and audience. And learn to use every message you write to build better relationships and solve problems, while getting to the “yes” you want. Whether you’re aiming to land your first job or are an experienced specialist in your field, Business Writing For Dummies helps you build your communication confidence and stand out. • Present yourself with authority and credibility • Understand and use the tools of persuasion • Communicate as a remote worker, freelancer, consultant or entrepreneur • Strategize your online presence to support your goals • Bring out the best in people and foster team spirit as a leader • Prepare to ace interviews, pitches and confrontations Good communication skills, particularly writing, are in high demand across all industries. Use this book to gain the edge you need to promote your own success, now and down the line as your career goals evolve. Table of contents : Title Page……Page 3 Copyright Page……Page 4 Table of Contents……Page 5 Introduction……Page 13 Foolish Assumptions……Page 15 Icons Used in This Book……Page 16 Where to Go from Here……Page 17 Part 1 Winning with Writing……Page 19 Chapter 1 Making Writing Your Weapon for Success……Page 21 Putting Strategic Writing to Work for You……Page 22 Planning and Structuring Every Message……Page 25 Succeeding with email, letters and business documents……Page 30 Writing online: From websites to blogs to tweets……Page 31 Remembering to think globally……Page 32 Chapter 2 Planning Your Message Every Time……Page 35 Adopting the Plan-Draft-Edit Principle……Page 36 Defining your goal……Page 37 Defining your audience……Page 39 Brainstorming the best content for your purpose……Page 45 Imagining your readers……Page 48 Connecting instantly with your reader……Page 50 Focusing on what’s-in-it-for-me……Page 51 Persuading with benefits, not features……Page 52 Finding the concrete, limiting the abstract……Page 53 Choosing Your Written Voice: Tone……Page 55 Sound positive, never negative……Page 56 Align tone with the occasion, relationship and culture……Page 57 Writing as your authentic self……Page 58 Showing active caring and respect……Page 60 Personalizing what you write……Page 61 Framing messages with “you” not “I”……Page 62 Chapter 3 Making Your Writing Work: The Basics……Page 65 Writing to be understood……Page 66 Applying readability guidelines……Page 67 Finding the right rhythm……Page 71 Achieving a conversational tone……Page 73 Relying on everyday wording……Page 75 Choosing reader-friendly words……Page 77 Focusing on the real and concrete……Page 78 Finding action verbs……Page 79 Crafting comparisons to help readers……Page 80 Employing Reader-Friendly Graphic Techniques……Page 82 Choosing a typeface……Page 83 Adding effective graphics……Page 85 Breaking space up with sidebars, boxes and lists……Page 86 Chapter 4 Self-Editing: Professional Ways to Improve Your Work……Page 89 Choosing a way to edit……Page 90 Distancing yourself from what you write……Page 92 Assessing content success……Page 94 Assessing your language……Page 95 Avoiding telltale up-down-up inflection……Page 97 Looking for repeat word endings……Page 98 Pruning prepositions……Page 101 Cutting all non-contributor words……Page 103 Thinking “action”……Page 106 Trimming “there is” and “there are”……Page 107 Using the passive deliberately……Page 108 Reining in jargon……Page 109 Cooling the clichés……Page 111 Minimizing modifiers……Page 112 Energizing What You Write……Page 113 Chapter 5 Fixing Common Writing Problems……Page 115 Paragraphing for logic……Page 116 Building with subheads……Page 118 Working with transitions……Page 119 Working in lists: Numbers and bulleting……Page 121 Catching Common Mistakes……Page 125 Using comma sense……Page 126 More punctuation tools……Page 128 Using “however” correctly……Page 130 Weighing “which” versus “that”……Page 131 Beginning with “and” or “but”……Page 132 Ending with prepositions……Page 133 Match nouns and pronouns……Page 134 Be mindful of personal pronouns……Page 136 Spot common pronoun errors……Page 138 Their, there and they’re……Page 139 Your, yours and you’re……Page 140 Checking the big picture……Page 141 Cutting to fit……Page 143 Creating your personal writing improvement guide……Page 145 What about my personal style?……Page 146 Part 2 Applying Your Skills to Business Messages and Documents……Page 147 Chapter 6 Writing Email and Letters That Get Results……Page 149 Fast-Forwarding Your Agenda with Email……Page 150 Writing subject lines that pull people in……Page 152 Drafting a strong email lead……Page 155 Clarifying what you want……Page 157 Assessing what matters to your audience……Page 158 Determining the best substance……Page 161 Structuring Your Middle Ground……Page 162 Closing Strong……Page 164 Monitoring length and breadth……Page 165 Going short: Words, sentences, paragraphs……Page 166 Using graphic techniques to promote clarity……Page 167 Using the signature block……Page 169 Using Email for Marketing……Page 170 Composing Effective Letters……Page 173 Creating Valued Reports……Page 181 Writing activity reports……Page 182 Reporting project results……Page 187 Fast-Tracking Your Proposals……Page 188 Writing formal proposals……Page 189 Writing informal proposals……Page 191 Writing a business plan……Page 194 Applying for grants……Page 195 Writing an Executive Summary……Page 197 Giving perspective to complex material……Page 198 Determining what matters……Page 199 Putting headlines to work……Page 201 Writing Tips for All Business Documents……Page 202 Part 3 Writing to Present Yourself Effectively……Page 205 Connecting with Your Readers……Page 207 Drawing from psychology……Page 208 Communicating with conviction……Page 209 Centering on benefits……Page 210 Creating a friendly and reasonable tone……Page 211 Giving people time……Page 212 Step 2: Characterize your audience……Page 213 Step 3: Determine the best content……Page 214 Step 6: Draft the rest of the message……Page 215 Choosing words that persuade……Page 216 Structuring material to support persuasion……Page 218 Knowing what language to choose and what to avoid……Page 220 Finding Your Core Business Message……Page 221 Searching for true value……Page 223 Making your case in business terms……Page 226 Finding, Shaping and Using Stories……Page 227 Finding your business story……Page 229 Building your story……Page 230 Story-writing tips……Page 232 Translating Words into Visuals……Page 233 Chapter 9 Speaking Well for Yourself……Page 237 Building Your Elevator Speech……Page 238 Defining your goal……Page 239 Strategizing your content……Page 240 Using your mini-speech……Page 243 Representing your organization and yourself……Page 244 Preparing and Giving Presentations……Page 245 Planning what to say……Page 246 Crafting your presentations with writing……Page 250 Integrating visuals……Page 252 Standing and delivering……Page 253 Composing Talking Points for Live Interaction……Page 254 Chapter 10 Writing for the Job Hunt……Page 257 Knowing and Expressing Your Value……Page 258 Pinpointing your personal strengths……Page 259 Pulling your ideas together……Page 261 Assessing All Your Skills……Page 262 Writing Résumés That Win the Race……Page 265 Choosing a format……Page 266 Sidestepping presentation problems……Page 268 Styling Language for Résumés……Page 269 Using keywords: An essential……Page 270 Writing the summary statement……Page 271 Building your work history section……Page 273 Showing off strengths……Page 274 Planning a cover letter……Page 277 Opening with pizzazz……Page 278 Requesting informational interviews……Page 280 Saying thank you……Page 282 Part 4 Writing for Online Media……Page 285 Chapter 11 Writing for the Digital World……Page 287 Positioning Yourself Online……Page 288 Choosing Your Platforms……Page 289 Breaking down your goals……Page 292 Finding your audiences……Page 293 Writing for Digital Media……Page 296 Loosening up……Page 297 Keeping language simple and clear……Page 298 Communicating credibility……Page 299 Cutting hype, maxing evidence……Page 300 Devising nonlinear strategies……Page 301 Incorporating interactive strategies……Page 302 Engaging with social media……Page 304 Exploring content ideas……Page 306 Networking with Twitter……Page 307 Planning your Twitter program……Page 308 Guidelines for tweeting……Page 309 Working with LinkedIn……Page 310 Creating a Website from the Ground Up……Page 315 Shaping your site to goals and audience……Page 317 Planning a basic website……Page 319 Creating the site structure……Page 321 Assembling and writing a home page……Page 322 Writing the About Us page……Page 324 Writing the inside pages……Page 325 Graphic tips for websites……Page 327 Creating a Blog……Page 329 Choosing your best subject……Page 331 Drawing from the journalist’s toolkit……Page 333 Creating magnetic headlines……Page 336 Considering articles for publication……Page 337 Telling Your Story with Video……Page 338 Using video to accomplish goals……Page 339 Scripting your video……Page 340 Producing video step-by-step……Page 341 Sharing expertise with video……Page 345 Introducing yourself with video……Page 346 Part 5 Leveraging Your Writing Skills……Page 349 Chapter 13 Writing for the Workplace: Managing Up, Down and Sideways……Page 351 Communicating as a Manager……Page 352 Relating to your team members……Page 354 Writing to inspire and motivate……Page 355 Delivering bad news……Page 356 Writing good news messages……Page 362 Criticizing with kindness……Page 364 Writing requests and giving orders……Page 365 Writing to Manage Up……Page 366 Guarding your tone……Page 369 Avoiding the blame game……Page 371 Making it easy to respond……Page 372 Writing to Colleagues, Collaborators and Teammates……Page 373 Using Backup Memos……Page 374 Language for Communicating Sideways……Page 375 Using Turnaround Techniques……Page 376 Communicating with a Team of Equals……Page 378 Chapter 14 Writing for Entrepreneurs and Virtual Workers……Page 381 Communicating as a Virtual Worker……Page 382 Teaming Techniques and Practices……Page 383 Making email more personal……Page 386 Using team chat to your advantage……Page 387 Using teleconferencing effectively……Page 388 Charting your communication plan……Page 391 Pitching the media for free publicity……Page 394 Introducing yourself in writing……Page 398 Writing to pitch your services……Page 402 Creating letters that get you in……Page 404 Part 6 The Part of Tens……Page 413 Use Writing to Problem-Solve……Page 415 Handwrite to Spark Creativity……Page 416 Take Notes about Your Work……Page 417 Prepare for Confrontation……Page 418 Create Profiles of Your VIPs……Page 419 Write Gratefully……Page 420 Chapter 16 Ten Steps to Writing Your Own Book……Page 421 Envision Your Finished Book……Page 422 Think about Marketing — Early……Page 423 Break the Writing into Pieces……Page 424 Assess the Practicalities……Page 425 Write a Proposal……Page 426 Draft the Copy……Page 427 Liven Up Your Content……Page 428 Check Out Self-Publishing Options……Page 429 Index……Page 430 EULA……Page 435
