Page 22 - How to write effective business English your guide to excellent professional communication by Fiona Talbot

Business writing for today 11

at school that we can’t use “I” and “we” in the same sentence in a
letter’, or ‘You can’t write “I” in business; it must always be “we”’.
Many companies feel that a key driver of business success is
empowerment of the individual. For them, it’s about everyone
being given the power and encouragement to make a difference
within their organization. There may be ‘no I in team’ (I’m using
this management speak ironically here!) but to embrace the con-
cept of ‘I/me’ can be crucial. And such companies may also encour-
age you to write ‘we’ (even within the same piece of writing), to
demonstrate that each person is an integral part of the total com-
pany.
You will certainly find plenty of evidence from companies
worldwide that you can use ‘I’ and ‘we’ within your sentences – but
always research company culture first.

Other things you may wish to ‘unlearn’

You may have been taught that you cannot begin a sentence with
‘And’ or ‘But’. Actually, you can – and many acclaimed writers do.
For traditionalists, let me mention the famous English novelist Jane
Austen as one example. I often begin sentences this way through-
out the book, as the style seems relevant for today. This is largely
because e-writing is today’s predominant business writing and its
style is mostly halfway between conversation and formal writing.
Some call it ‘talk writing’. There’s a knock-on effect on the way
people write other business documentation. It’s not about ‘dumb-
ing down’; it’s about expressing facts simply, in accessible writing
that speaks to people.
It’s true to say that if I had a specific customer or line manager
who hated sentences beginning with ‘And’ or ‘But’, I wouldn’t use
that style with them. Similarly, if my publishers didn’t accept the
style, I would avoid it – but they agree it’s appropriate for standard
business English writing. Naturally, it is essential to be reader-
driven when you write. As I cannot have the advantage of knowing
each of you, my readers, I will use a generic style.