Managers can be better writers, and some of my clients have asked for help to make that happen.
The thing is, most companies judge their people by how well they handle their specific jobs. While clear writing would help managers communicate, writing doesn’t usually come up in a performance review. That means anyone writing long and confusing memos has no incentive to stop it. And who has time to take a course or read a book to improve?
Rather than courses or books, I expect this group would prefer a short tipsheet once in a while. If there’s already a regular weekly or monthly roundup of tips for managers, that’s a perfect spot to include a short section with writing tips.
One of the things I would start with is encouraging plain language.That means:
Writing that is clear, concise, well-organized, and follows other best practices appropriate to the subject or field and intended audience.
The latest issue of my newsletter, Wordnerdery, has more than a dozen tips to use plain writing principles for reports, emails and other writing. What do you think; will they help?
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