Frankly, good writing is rare
All of us have suffered through obtuse, boring business brochure-ware. Lots of jargon that means nothing.
Read and write a lot
It helps to read a lot. Helps you to pattern-recognize good writing. In particular, the Economist is excellence. Make an effort to be clear in your emails, speech, and client interactions. Play a game and try to use the fewest words.
Ask others to proof your work
All of writing styles vary, so be get diverse feedback. If a half dozen people are editing / correcting your composition, grammar, word choice, or document structure . .pay attention, change it, and say thank you.
Expect edits
However annoying it can be to have a partner or client who is a nit-pick about words and phrases, they are making you better. As it says in the bible, “iron sharpens iron.”
Tip #1: Explain things simply
This is the most common question / advice I give to junior consultants: “How would you explain this to your cousin?” If you can get the main points across in 90 seconds to someone who is not well-versed in this topic, you are in good shape. This implies that you have a tops-down, holistic understanding of the topic (MECE), and a point of view on what’s most important (think: pyramid principle)
Tip #2: Structure the document, email, conversation logically
Always remember that the document is there to help you. No matter how smart your words are, it’s useless if you have to struggle with a verbose, disorganized, or messy document. Words = clear. Document = clear.
- Document should be appropriate to the audience, venue, level of audience understanding, and call-to-action
- Use smart titles, headers, and other ways to organize the document
- Persuade; don’t just clobber them with facts, trivia, and data. Have a point of view.
Too often, consultants can verbally explain it to you clearly in 90 seconds, but oddly, none of those wonderfully clear, basic words are on the page. As a result, I tell them to blow up the PowerPoint slide, and re-do it with the words they just told me verbally.
Tip #3: Don’t ramble
Be succinct. It conveys a command of the content, respect for the audience’s time, and gravitas. All good stuff.
I’m sorry I wrote you such a long letter; I didn’t have time to write a short one. – Blaise Pascal
