Writing That Works

The problem it solves

Most work runs on written messages that busy people do not read twice. The authors open with complaints from executives who get messages that do not say what action the writer wants. Nobody tells you your email was unclear, they just do nothing. The book cites one federal insurance office that trained its staff to write more clearly, saw replies to its letters go up, and saved half a million dollars a year. Roman and Raphaelson both came from the advertising agency Ogilvy, where writing had to win over clients and colleagues.

What changes after you read it

You start each piece by deciding what you want the reader to do, and you put that first. You treat the subject line as a headline. You swap vague claims for numbers and end with a specific next step. Then you read the draft as the recipient would and cut what they would skip. None of this takes long, and it changes how people respond to you.

When to read it, and when not to

I'd read it early, before bad habits set, or at the point your writing starts to carry money or reputation. The third edition dates from 2000, and it shows. The chapter on computers talks about floppy disks, dial-up modems and monitor sizes, and the email chapter predates smartphones and chat tools. I'd skim those and spend the time on the principles, the memo and letter advice, and the chapters on plans and proposals. Do not expect a grammar course or help with creative writing.

Why it fits a business that wants to grow

As a company grows, more of the work moves into writing: proposals, plans, reports, briefs, job applications and sales mailings. If those are unclear, other people have to ask questions, and the owner ends up as the translator. The book has a full chapter on sales and fund-raising letters that still holds for email campaigns: get the offer right, test one change at a time, and work out what a customer is worth over time before deciding how much to spend winning one.

How I would connect it to decisions and playbooks

This part is my reading, not the book's wording. The report structure the authors suggest, purpose, summary, findings, conclusions, recommendations and next steps, doubles as a decision record. Their rule to keep fact apart from opinion is what makes a logged decision worth rereading later. Their advice to end with what must be done, by whom and by when turns a message into an action someone can pick up. Instructions that are short, specific and in order are the raw material of a playbook.

Kenneth Roman and Joel Raphaelson, who both worked at the advertising agency Ogilvy, argue that business writing should be judged by one thing: does the reader understand it and do what you hoped? This third edition adds a chapter on email, notes that decks are replacing memos, and keeps the same core principles. The book works through the main forms of business writing one at a time.

Writing That Works

The first chapter says clarity is not the goal. Effective communication is: the reader understands, agrees and acts. The authors argue that people who write well do well, because for many readers your writing is the only evidence of how you think. They also say writing better does not mean writing more. As they put it, "Bad writing slows things down; good writing speeds them up."

Don't Mumble, and Other Principles of Effective Writing

This is the core chapter, with eighteen numbered principles. Make the organisation of a long piece clear, with an outline and headings. Use short paragraphs, short sentences and short words. Prefer the active voice and avoid vague adjectives and jargon. Be specific, choose the right word and make it free of typos. Come to the point, write the way you talk and cut words you do not need. Write so you cannot be misunderstood, and use plain English even on technical subjects.

I Love My Computer

This chapter is about writing with a word processor. The advice is to write first and format later, keep more than one copy, give files logical names and proofread on paper. It warns that spell checkers miss real words used wrongly and that a tidy screen can hide a loose draft. Much of the hardware and software detail has aged, so I'd treat this chapter as a period piece with a few lasting habits.

E-mail: The Great Mailbox in the Sky

The email chapter is about getting a message read by someone drowning in them. Write a clear, compelling subject line, cut to the point, give context so replies do not turn into tag, and set the right tone. Limit copies, think before using Reply All, and put the person who must act alone in the To line. Remember that nothing is private. The authors quote a Gartner Group chairman who says he has never seen an email message that was too short.

Memos and Letters That Get Things Done

For memos: put a title on each, address them only to the person who must act, make the structure obvious and end with a call to action. For letters: get the name right, make the first sentence work hard, stop when you are through and be specific about next steps. The chapter then covers common cases. Letters that ask for something say what you want first. A refusal should sound human and give reasons. Collection and complaint letters should be firm and courteous.

Writing for an Audience: Presentations and Speeches

Here the authors move from writing for a reader to writing for an audience. A presentation deck should follow a flow of objective, background, facts, conclusions, recommendations and next steps, and Barbara Minto's pyramid principle helps organise the logic. Keep one simple theme, say where you are going, talk about the audience instead of yourself, and use headlines in place of labels. For speeches, find your single point, start fast, write to be spoken, and rehearse.

Plans and Reports That Make Things Happen

A plan starts with a clear statement of purpose, builds on selected facts, states recommendations step by step and calls for action. A report needs a stated reason for being written and a structure the reader can follow. State the facts fully and accurately, and keep fact and opinion visibly apart. The chapter also covers readable annual reports and the business plan for a new venture, where investors want candour, a real customer and a credible team.

Recommendations and Proposals That Sell Ideas

Recommendations should be treated as selling. Tell people where you are going, lead them through with headings, recommend early, and emphasise the benefits, because the audience is always asking what is in it for them. The authors advise bringing bad news up front, and reframing a question your audience may raise into the one that matters. For grant proposals the advice is to get to the point fast, show how the project meets the funder's needs, organise to persuade, make it urgent and improve the product, not only the proposal.

Asking for Money: Sales and Fund-Raising Letters

The authors say that techniques for mailings have changed little, and the one rule you cannot ignore is to test. Estimate what a customer is worth over time, then decide how much to invest in winning one. Get the offer right, start in the first sentence, find the audience before the message, and expect long letters to beat short ones when they hold attention. Use the P.S. For fund-raising, say thanks before please, name an amount, make the appeal personal, and build trust.

Coping with Political Correctness

This chapter asks you to be sensitive but not hypersensitive. Use the terms a group currently prefers, and weigh the likely consequences of a word before you write it. The authors suggest practical ways around the he-or-she problem, such as putting the sentence in the plural or addressing the reader as you. Written in 2000, its examples feel dated, but the underlying point about courtesy holds.

Writing a Resume, and Getting an Interview

The goal of a resume is an interview, so keep it to a page or two and open with a summary of what you offer. Describe results, not activities, leave out clutter, and keep it truthful. The covering letter should name the job, address a real person, be specific and factual, and propose a next step, such as a call you will make. Follow up an interview in writing. A short section covers electronic resumes.

Editing Yourself

Nothing important should go out as a first draft. The first rule is, "If it isn't essential, cut it out." Then check whether you are mumbling, whether the order is best, whether the argument has holes, whether the facts are right and whether the tone is right. Leave time between drafts and ask others for comments. The authors show their own early draft of the email chapter to prove the point.

Making It Easy to Read

Layout is part of writing. Start with a heading, keep paragraphs short, use numbered or bulleted points, avoid long runs of capitals, and number your pages. Handle numbers consistently and keep charts easy to use. The authors close with a list of other books that will help you write better. A pair of before-and-after examples shows how breaking up a dense legal resolution makes it readable without changing a word.

What to do with it

• Before your next important email or proposal, write the one thing you want the reader to do and put it in the first lines.
• Take a recent message that got no reply and rewrite it so the request comes first, the next step is specific, and the rest is half the length.
• Read each draft once as the recipient and cut every sentence they would skip.
• Keep short templates for the messages you send often, such as proposals, status reports and handovers, with the point and the next step at the top.
• Ask a colleague to tell you in one sentence what your message wants, and fix it if they cannot.