Effective writing is a key to professional success Would you rather read this? It is incumbent upon management to display appropriate behaviour and verbalise what is consistent with the messages that are being conveyed via your business communication methodologies. Or this? As a manager, you should always demonstrate the communication methods of your business. Getting your message across clearly and persuasively can make all the difference to your career. Whether you work in government or law, business or finance, engineering or IT, the chances are that writing takes up a fair part of your day. But in every workplace, even the best ideas can fail if you cannot communicate clearly. Writing at Work gives you a practical toolbox to write more effective submissions, reports, letters, emails and memos. Whether you need help with planning a document, structuring the text, selecting the right tone or reviewing the final product, this book has the practical tools to achieve your writing goals. Neil James has road-tested his methods in writing workshops with thousands of professionals. He uses actual workplace examples to show how the principles of effective writing work in practice. Writing at Work offers a systematic method for professionals at all levels to make their writing clear, efficient and effective. 'Businesses are beset by their own bad writing, which bewilders and baffles their internal and external customers. Readers crave clarity and brevity. This excellent book shows how to give them what they want.' Martin Cutts, author of The Oxford Guide to Plain English 'If you write at work, this book is for you. It bristles with practical ideas - your letters, reports and memos will never read the same again!' Peter Butt, Professor of Legal Writing, University of Sydney

Table of Contents

IntroductionPlanning1. Readers2. Content3. StructureStructure4. Focus5. Persuasion6. Coherence7. DesignExpression8. Tone9. Grammar10. Words11. Clutter12. Verbs13. SentencesReview14. Punctuation15. Style16. Editing17. ProofingFurther readingChapter notesAcknowledgmentsIndex