There is Value in Clear and Simple Business Writing

One of the longest projects I had ever handled involved overhauling the poor documentation practices of a technical support organization and introducing them to a set of writing guidelines based on web writing principles. It took over four years of very patiently hammering in the value of clear and simple writing into business communications, despite the challenge of people often returning to bad habits out of complacency. I knew that my work was finally done when I heard my own words being echoed by the majority even with my back turned.

This is what makes me fully agree with the points outlined in Harvard Business Review's article, "Bad Writing Is Destroying Your Company’s Productivity". These excerpts below especially made me nod with gusto:

"A majority say that what they read is frequently ineffective because it’s too long, poorly organized, unclear, filled with jargon, and imprecise."

"...the whole organization drowns in productivity-draining blather."

"Clear leadership, expressed in writing, creates alignment and boosts productivity."

Here are some points I would like to add, based on my experiences handling business communications in corporate environments:

Jungle of Acronyms

Big corporations absolutely love their acronyms, don't they? It's even more amusing when top executives' initials also get included in a company's dizzying web of abbreviated terminologies. I know from experience that as a corporation grows larger, new acronyms get invented within the ranks and, like Gretchen Weiners, use them so often you'd think they were so fetch.

The danger with using acronyms willy-nilly though is assuming that they are necessary in communication. Most things do not need to be shortened into acronyms.

At this webpage is a very clear guide on how much is too much when it comes to acronyms. Here is a summary of the finer points:

• Define acronyms
It's arrogant to assume that people should just wade through your alphabet soup and expect them to catch up through constant exposure. The burden of clarity will always be on the communicator.

• Stick to one definition per acronym
Only one description per acronym please! Or just spell it out to prevent the danger of misinterpretation. 

• Be consistent in how you use them
Always spell them out at the start of each discussion or paper. Use them in subsequent mentions according to the definition that you have already set.

Wanted: Vowels in Text Messages

Is using a complete sentence so exhausting and impractical? Why forego clarity for...laziness?

10 Rules for Writing First Drafts

Reposted from Copyblogger

Engineers & Technical Writing

Being a Technical Writer/Editor for IT companies has made me realize this: I have a job because most engineers can't write or can't be bothered to do it properly. I guess it's the same excuse I'd use when it comes to crunching numbers: I'm generally bad at math so why bother?

Most writers aren't IT nerds. To be able to translate technical jargon into human language, we have to exert three times the effort to understand the nerdspeak first.

Here are a few things that I wish engineers I work with kept in mind so my job would be a little less brain-draining: