Good Writing
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Learning Resource
Good Writing
One common concern is to simply address the question, what is good writing? As we progress through our
study of written business communication, we’ll try to answer it. But recognize that while the question may
be simple, the answer is complex. Edward P. Bailey (2008) offered several key points to remember.
Good business writing
follows the rules,
is easy to read, and
attracts the reader.
Let’s examine these qualities in more depth.
Bailey’s first point is one that generates a fair amount of debate. What are the rules? Do “the rules” depend
on audience expectations or industry standards, what your English teacher taught you, or are they
reflected in the amazing writing of authors you might point to as positive examples? The answer is “all of
the above,” with a point of clarification. You may find it necessary to balance audience expectations with
industry standards for a document and may need to find a balance or compromise. Bailey (2008) pointed to
common sense as one basic criterion of good writing, but common sense is a product of experience. When
searching for balance, reader understanding is the deciding factor. The correct use of a semicolon may not
be what is needed to make a sentence work. Your reading audience should carry extra attention in
everything you write because, without them, you won’t have many more writing assignments.
When we say that good writing follows the rules, we don’t mean that a writer cannot be creative. Just as
an art student needs to know how to draw a scene in correct perspective before he or she can “break the
rules” by “bending” perspective, a writer needs to know the rules of language. Being well versed in how to
use words correctly, form sentences with proper grammar, and build logical paragraphs are skills the writer
can use no matter what the assignment. Even though some business settings may call for conservative
writing, there are other areas where creativity is not only allowed but also mandated. Imagine working for
an advertising agency or a software development firm; in such situations success comes from expressing
new, untried ideas. By following the rules of language and correct writing, a writer can express those
creative ideas in a form that comes through clearly and promotes understanding.
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Similarly, writing that is easy to read is not the same as “dumbed down” or simplistic writing. What is easy
to read? For a young audience, you may need to use straightforward, simple terms, but to ignore their use
of the language is to create an artificial and unnecessary barrier. An example referring to Miley Cyrus may
work with one reading audience and fall flat with another. Profession-specific terms can serve a valuable
purpose as we write about precise concepts. Not everyone will understand all the terms in a profession,
but if your audience is largely literate in the terms of the field, using industry terms will help you establish a
relationship with your readers.
The truly excellent writer is one who can explain complex ideas in a way that the reader can understand.
Sometimes ease of reading can come from the writer’s choice of a brilliant illustrative example to get a
point across. In other situations, it can be the writer’s incorporation of definitions into the text so that the
meaning of unfamiliar words is clear. It may also be a matter of choosing dynamic, specific verbs that make
it clear what is happening and who is carrying out the action.
Bailey’s third point concerns the interest of the reader. Will they want to read it? This question should
guide much of what you write. We increasingly gain information from our environment through visual,
auditory, and multimedia channels, from YouTube to streaming audio, and to watching the news online.
Some argue that this has led to a decreased attention span for reading, meaning that writers need to
appeal to readers with short, punchy sentences and catchy phrases. However, there are still plenty of
people who love to immerse themselves in reading an interesting article, proposal, or marketing piece.
Perhaps the most universally useful strategy in capturing your reader’s attention is to state how your
writing can meet the reader’s needs. If your document provides information to answer a question, solve a
problem, or explain how to increase profits or cut costs, you may want to state this in the beginning. By
opening with a “what’s in it for me” strategy, you give your audience a reason to be interested in what
you’ve written.
More Qualities of Good Writing
To the above list from Bailey, let’s add some additional qualities that define good writing. Good writing
meets the reader’s expectations,
is clear and concise, and
is efficient and effective.
To meet the reader’s expectations, the writer needs to understand who the intended reader is. In some
business situations, you are writing just to one person: your boss, a coworker in another department, or an
individual customer or vendor. If you know the person well, it may be as easy for you to write to him or her
as it is to write a note to your parent or roommate. If you don’t know the person, you can at least make
some reasonable assumptions about his or her expectations, based on the position he or she holds and its
relation to your job.
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In other situations, you may be writing a document to be read by a group or team, an entire department, or
even a large number of total strangers. How can you anticipate their expectations and tailor your writing
accordingly? Naturally, you want to learn as much as you can about your likely audience. How much you
can learn and what kinds of information will vary with the situation. If you are writing website content, for
example, you may never meet the people who will visit the site, but you can predict why they would be
drawn to the site and what they would expect to read there. Beyond learning about your audience, your
clear understanding of the writing assignment and its purpose will help you to meet reader expectations.
Our addition of the fifth point concerning clear and concise writing reflects the increasing tendency in
business writing to eliminate error. Errors can include those associated with production, from writing to
editing, and reader response. Your twin goals of clear and concise writing point to a central goal across
communication: fidelity. This concept involves our goal of accurately communicating all the intended
information with a minimum of signal or message breakdown or misinterpretation. Designing your
documents, including writing and presentation, to reduce message breakdown is an important part of
effective business communication.
This leads our discussion to efficiency. There are only 24 hours in a day, and we are increasingly asked to
do more with less, with shorter deadlines almost guaranteed. As a writer, how do you meet ever-increasing
expectations? Each writing assignment requires a clear understanding of the goals and desired results, and
when either of these two aspects is unclear, the efficiency of your writing can be compromised. Rewrites
require time that you may not have, but will have to make if the assignment was not done correctly the
first time.
As we have discussed previously, making a habit of reading similar documents prior to beginning your
process of writing can help establish a mental template of your desired product. If you can see in your
mind’s eye what you want to write, and have the perspective of similar documents combined with
audience’s needs, you can write more efficiently. Your written documents are products and will be required
on a schedule that impacts your coworkers and business. Your ability to produce effective documents
efficiently is a skill set that will contribute to your success.
Our sixth point reinforces this idea with an emphasis on effectiveness. What is effective writing? It is
writing that succeeds in accomplishing its purpose. Understanding the purpose, goals, and desired results
of your writing assignment will help you achieve this success. Your employer may want an introductory
sales letter to result in an increase in sales leads, or potential contacts for follow-up leading to sales. Your
audience may not see the document from that perspective, but will instead read with the mindset of, “How
does this help me solve X problem?” If you meet both goals, your writing is approaching effectiveness.
Here, effectiveness is qualified with the word “approaching” to point out that writing is both a process and
a product, and your writing will continually require effort and attention to revision and improvement.
Rhetorical Elements and Cognate Strategies
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Another approach to defining good writing is to look at how it fulfills the goals of two well-known systems
in communication. One of these systems comprises the three classical elements of rhetoric, or the art of
presenting an argument. These elements are logos (logic), ethos (ethics and credibility), and pathos
(emotional appeal), first proposed by the ancient Greek teacher Aristotle. Although rhetoric is often applied
to oral communication, especially public speaking, it is also fundamental to good writing.
A second set of goals involves what are called cognate strategies, or ways of promoting understanding,
developed in recent decades by Kostelnick and Rogers (1998). Like rhetorical elements, cognate strategies
can be applied to public speaking, but they are also useful in developing good writing. "Rhetorical Elements
and Cognate Strategies," below, describes these goals, their purposes, and examples of how they may be
carried out in business writing.
Rhetorical Elements and Cognate Strategies
Aris
totle
’s
Rhet
oric
al
Ele
men
ts
Logo
s
C
o
g
n
a
t
e
S
tr
a
t
e
gi
e
s
Foc
us
Example in Business Writing
Cl
ar
it
y
Clea
r
und
erst
andi
ng
An announcement will be made to the company later in the week, but I wanted to tell you
personally that as of the first of next month, I will be leaving my position to accept a three-year
assignment in our Singapore office. As soon as further details about the management of your
account are available, I will share them with you.
C
o
n
ci
se
Key
poin
ts
In tomorrow’s conference call, Sean wants to introduce the new team members, outline the
schedule and budget for the project, and clarify each person’s responsibilities in meeting our
goals.
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n
es
s
Ethos
Path
os
A
rr
a
n
g
e
m
e
nt
Ord
er,
hier
arch
y,
plac
eme
nt
Our department has matrix structure. We have three product development groups, one for each
category of product. We also have a manufacturing group, a finance group, and a sales group;
different group members are assigned to each of the three product categories. Within the
matrix, our structure is flat, meaning that we have no group leaders. Everyone reports to Beth,
the department manager.
C
re
di
bi
lit
y
Char
acte
r,
trust
Having known and worked with Jesse for more than five years, I can highly recommend him to
take my place as your advisor. In addition to having superb qualifications, Jesse is known for his
dedication, honesty, and caring attitude. He will always go the extra mile for his clients.
E
x
p
e
ct
at
io
n
Nor
ms
and
anti
cipa
ted
outc
ome
s
As is typical in our industry, we ship all merchandise FOB our warehouse. Prices are exclusive of
any federal, state, or local taxes. Payment terms are net 30 days from date of invoice.
R
ef
er
e
n
ce
Sour
ces
and
fram
es of
refer
ence
According to an article in Business Week dated October 15, 2009, Doosan is one of the largest
business conglomerates in South Korea.
T
o
n
e
Expr
essi
on
I really don’t have words to express how grateful I am for all the support you’ve extended to me
and my family in this hour of need. You guys are the best.
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E
m
p
h
as
is
Rele
vanc
e
It was unconscionable for a member of our organization to shout an interruption while the
president was speaking. What needs to happen now—and let me be clear about this—is an
immediate apology.
E
n
g
a
g
e
m
e
nt
Rela
tion
ship
Faithful soldiers pledge never to leave a fallen comrade on the battlefield.
Key Points
Good writing is characterized by correctness, ease of reading, and attractiveness; it also
meets reader expectations and is clear, concise, efficient, and effective. Rhetorical elements
(logos, ethos, and pathos) and cognate strategies (clarity, conciseness, arrangement,
credibility, expectation, reference, tone, emphasis, and engagement) are goals that are
achieved in good business writing.
References
Bailey, E. (2008). Writing and speaking. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Kostelnick, C., & Roberts, D. (1998). Designing visual language: Strategies for professional communicators
(p. 14). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Licenses and Attributions
4.3 Good Writing (https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_business-communication-for-success/s08-03-goodwriting.html)
from Business Communication for Success was adapted by Saylor Academy and is available
under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
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