Literally speaking

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Literally is one of many words that are widely misused nowadays. Nevertheless, unlike most of its contemporaries it can bring a smile to the faces of even the most pedantic.

That’s because its use usually evokes ridiculous or impossible situations: I literally died when I heard the news. Really? Then how are you still here?

An accurate version of the sentence would be: When I heard the news I died, figuratively speaking. However, if you want to retain a sense of the dramatic, just drop the word ‘literally’, as in I nearly died.

Perhaps I shouldn’t say this but if at times you still lapse, take comfort from the fact that Charles Dickens, Mark Twain and F. Scott Fitzgerald were apparently occasionally just as fallible.

Nothing is ‘for free’

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Fear not, this isn’t some comment on the absence or otherwise of altruism today. It’s a very practical piece of advice: don’t use the term for free.

Why? Because grammatically it makes no sense.

Free is an adjective. It is a word used to describe a thing (a noun). Simple is an adjective, silver is another, as are easy, rich and poor. You wouldn’t say for simple or for easy (you would say for simplicity or for ease). That’s because as phrases in their own right they simply don’t make sense. Nor does for free.

What you need to use is a noun. For example, nothing is a noun, as are gifts, services and offers. So say for nothing, or just free gift.

Not only will it distinguish you from the crowd, you are far more likely to win over potential customers like me.

Four basic tips on writing

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Written communication is a vital part of how organisations, big and small, conduct their business: policy documents, performance insights, annual reports, statistical bulletins, information brochures, marketing mail shots, website pages – the list goes on. Yet while advice on how to polish our oral presentations abounds, writing skills are widely ignored.

Weak writing takes various forms, all of which can work against you. It doesn’t matter that you provide the slickest services, make the prettiest widgets or have the best ideas if you can’t persuade others to take you seriously. Nor is it just about correct punctuation, grammar and spelling, although all three are crucial. It’s about getting people to read your words, understand your meaning and be convinced by your logic.

So how can you make your writing work for you? My advice is that you start with the four tips below. Let them guide you when drawing up almost any kind of business document and you will come across as legible, credible and considerate of your readers.

1. Shape your format and tone to suit the following:
Your purpose                          –  the reason why you are writing the document;
Your intended readership    –  who you want to read it and why;
Your proposition                    –  the main points you want to make to your readers;
Your evidence                         –  the information you need to support your proposition.

For example, are you trying to secure funding, present disappointing results or win clients? Is your aim to sound formal, technical or cool? Do you hope to appeal to young people, time-strapped executives or fellow professionals? Are your points complex and controversial or straightforward and palatable, and what evidence do you have for them? You are far more likely to win over your readership if you use the answers to shape how and what you write.

2. Keep your language concise, simple and fresh
Except in certain circumstances, you should always write succinctly and in such a way that a lay reader will understand you. Resist the urge to use grandiose or unnecessary words (e.g. say use, not utilise; say IT, not IT-related system); to write in long and convoluted sentences; to turn ordinary verbs into extraordinary nouns (e.g. say sending out, not the dispatch of); or to use the passive rather than active voice (e.g. say we decided, not it was decided). If you do not, you risk losing your readers as well as coming across as slightly pompous.

You should also avoid over-used terms (e.g. it’s a sad fact that we no longer discuss subjects, encounter problems or experience difficulties, we just have issues), clichés (e.g. have you noticed that everything is at the heart of something these days?), Americanisms (e.g. 24/7, roadmap) and management terminology (there is just too much to choose from). All are considered to reflect lazy thinking and writing on the part of an author.

3. Use logical argument and evidence to back up your claims
One of the best ways of persuading people to your way of thinking is to offer irrefutable proof. Unfortunately, few things in life are so definitive. Readers therefore need to be able to see the evidence behind your assertions and assess the logic of your argument for themselves. Otherwise, why should they believe you?

4. Make sure that all punctuation, spelling and grammar is accurate
Even if these are areas in which you genuinely struggle, there is no shortage of websites and reference books offering advice. Take it. From a prospective business client’s point of view, if you can’t be bothered to get the basics right what else might you not be doing?

Above all, it pays to remember that how we write is commonly believed to reflect how we think. So next time you craft a long-winded or convoluted sentence, present an illogical argument or make erroneous claims about your data, borrow a tired cliché or a made-up management term, carelessly drop an apostrophe or misuse a colon, give some thought to the impression you may be giving.

For more helpful starter advice on writing take a look at the Plain English Campaign’s website, consult The Economist Style Guide or commit to memory George Orwell’s six elementary rules in his 1946 essay, Politics and the English Language. Better still, contact us.