Persuasive business writing: achieve results and raise your profile with better business communication

127 Pages·2002·0.55 MB·English

by  Patrick Forsyth

Persuasive
Business Writing
Practical books that inspire
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Forfulldetails,pleasesendforafreecopyofthe
latestcatalogueto:
HowToBooks
3NewtecPlace,MagdalenRoad
OxfordOX41RE,UnitedKingdom
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Persuasive
Business Writing
Achieve results and raise your
profile with better business
communication
PATRICK FORSYTH
PublishedbyHowToBooksLtd,
3NewtecPlace,MagdalenRoad,
OxfordOX41RE,UnitedKingdom.
Tel:[phone].Fax:[phone].
e-mail:[email protected]
www.howtobooks.co.uk
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisworkmaybereproduced
orstoredinaninformationretrievalsystem(otherthanfor
purposesofreview),withouttheexpresspermissionofthe
publisherinwriting.
©Copyright2002PatrickForsyth
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checkthecurrentpositionwiththerelevantauthoritiesbefore
makingpersonalarrangements.
Contents
Listofillustrations 8
Preface 9
1 Afirmfoundationforpersuasion 15
Appreciatehowcommunicationcanbedifficultfor
boththesenderandreceiverofthecommunication.
Beawareofthepowerofclarity.Learnwaysto
overcometheobstaclestocommunicationand,by
respondingtotheseobstacles,acquireasound
understandingofhowtomakeyourcasepersuasive.
2 Makingapersuasivecase 23
Understandthethinkingprocesssothatyou
encouragepeopletomakeuptheirminds.Make
sureyourwayofthinkingmatchesyourreaders’
wayofthinking:usepersuasion’smagicformula
andstateyourbenefits.Ensureyoursuggested
courseofactionisthebestchoiceyourreaders
couldmake.
3 A basisforsuccess 34
Before youcommitanythingtopaper,setclear
objectives,prioritiseyourintentionsanddecide
howyoucanmakeyourmessagepersuasive.
5
6 / PERSUASIVE BUSINESS WRITING
Appreciatethelikes,dislikes,motivationsand
expectationsofyourreaders.
4 Gettingitdowninwriting 44
Worksystematicallyandtoaplan.Decideonwhat
youwanttosayandestablishhowyoucanbestsay
this.Settleonanapproachtowritingthatsuitsyour
styleofworkingand,intheprocess,acquiregood
writinghabits.Giveyourselfenoughtimetocomplete
yourworkandprioritiseyourtasks.
5 Thepitfallsandopportunitiesoflanguage 52
Avoidthetrapsofgobbledegookandformulaic
writing.Makesureyourintentionsareclearand
understandablebykeepingyourmessagesimple
butpersuasive.Ensurethelanguageyouuseand
thestyleyouadoptworkforyou,ratherthan
againstyou.
6 Makinglanguagemorepersuasive 65
Consideryourmessagecarefully.Giveitstructure
andpayattentiontothedetails.Establishthe
mostappropriatetonesothatyoureflectyour
readers’wayofthinking:influenceyourreaders
positivelysothattheywillcometoadecisionto
acceptyouroffer.Uselanguagetothebestpossible
effect–promoteunderstandingandmakeanimpact.
Beaccessibleandmakesurewhatyousayhasa
punch.
CONTENTS / 7
7 Securingagreement 102
Toguaranteeresults,whatyousayshouldbeclear,
appropriateandexpressedwithconfidence.Make
yourmessageconvenient,accessibleandvisually
appealing.
Appendix 109
Postscript 121
Index 125
List of illustrations
1 Letterfromconferencehotel 40
2 Howpeopleread 66
3 Originalmemo 83
4 Revisedmemo 86
5 Pressrelease 90
6 Letterofcomplaint:version1 93
7 Letterofcomplaint:version2 94
8 Chasingdebtors:letter1 95
9 Chasingdebtors:letter2 96
10 Chasingdebtors:letter3 97
11 Tandemsalesletters:letter1 98
12 Tandemsalesletters:letter2 99
13 Revisedconferencehotelletter 110
14 Letterfromasecuritycompany 112
15 Revisedletterfrom asecuritycompany 114
16 Messageseekingacommission 120
Preface
‘IwritewhenI’minspired,andIseetoit
thatI’minspiredatnineo’clockeverymorning’
PeterDeVries
Successful communication can be difficult. Poor communi-
cation can cause problems. This may involve a momentary
hiatusastwopeopletrytosortoutexactlywhatismeant.Or
it may cause a major misunderstanding that causes a project
of some sort to be stopped in its tracks. Why is this? There
are many reasons, but one is certainly an assumption that
whatisbeingdoneisnotdifficult,coupledwithasubsequent
unwillingness to check out the principles on which success
might bebased. Perhapsthatisactuallytwo reasons already,
andmore areinvestigatedinthefirstchapter.
Furthermore, some kinds of communication are inherently
more difficult than others. The intentions of communication
may vary. It may need to inform, explain, motivate,
challenge, prompt a debate or more; and such intentions are
notmutuallyexclusive–one communicationmayneedtodo
several of these things at once. It may well prove difficult
just to succeed in even the simplest of these. Perhaps the
messageissimplysuperfluous, likethemotorwaysignsaying
‘This sign is not in use’. Sometimes the message may be
9