Tag Archives: Business Writing

12 ways to make your child a better writer

Wish your kids had a passion for writing? Most parents worry about their children falling behind. Maths, writing and science are the three that come up in our house. Like most nervous, first-time parents we tried hard – maybe, too hard – to get our son to read and write. And like most kids he […]

How to Use Clichés When Writing (+Audience Analysis template)

Most people wag their finger and tell you cliches are bad – Google clichés in writing! – but I have a certain warped affection for them. Here’s why. Where do clichés come from? One of the occupational hazards of being a writer is that you see things that others don’t. Y’know, like clichés? Let’s look at […]

How to kill ‘killer’ headlines

I don’t know about you but I feel it’s time to bury ‘killer’ headlines. Once upon a time… killer was fresh. It had an edge. Attitude. But then it went mainstream. A bit like Talking Heads. Remember Psycho Killer? David wouldn’t write that now… or get away with it 🙂 Why Killer Headlines? Is there […]

4 Business Report Writing Tips

Do you freeze when sitting down to write long reports? While most of us can write short emails, status reports, and project plans, writing long business documents can be more difficult. How do you start? Here’s a four step approach for writing long documents. It makes it easy for you as the writer and more […]

The Jennifer Hudson Guide to Size Zero Writing

You have to admire Jennifer Hudson. When most celebrities go from ‘full-bodied’ to size zero, there’s a backlash, especially from loyal fans who feel they’ve sold out. Jennifer seems to be the exception. As a business writer, I try to look at situations like this. What makes it so different? What kernel of an idea […]

The Ryanair Guide to Assertive Writing

A quick Google for ‘Ryanair sucks’ returns thousands of hits. It’s one of the most despised airlines in the world. And rightly so. It makes huge profits, destroys old monopolies, and ‘names and shames’ those that cross its path. As a business writer, you can learn a lot from Ryanair. I’ve studied their press releases, […]

10 Steps To Better Writing

Here’s a ten step formula to writing better business documents. What would you change? Write the first word. Write the first line. Write the first paragraph. Write the second paragraph. Connect the first and second paragraph. Write the third paragraph. Connect the first, second, and third. Read it aloud. Write it again. Continue writing.

How to Write Bullet and Number Lists (with examples)

It’s easy to go wrong with bullet lists. Should it have a period at the end? Should it start with a capital letter? Here are some guidelines to make things simple. Bullet Lists v Number Lists When do you use bullets instead of numbers? Use number lists to: Identify a sequence of actions to be […]