Page 53 - How to write effective business English your guide to excellent professional communication by Fiona Talbot

42 How to Write Effective Business English

being proactive will take everyone forward. Effective writing helps
do just that.

Effective writing blends disciplines
and departments

All too often, we see departments or disciplines within larger
organizations compete with each other in their written communi-
cation. You sometimes wouldn’t believe they work for the same
outfit. Have you come across this?
My advice is simple: appreciate what each brings to the table,
pool your writing strengths and see how you will strengthen your
teams. All need to pull together, to see as one: ‘what’s the true com-
mercial purpose of what we write?’
Here’s a writing exercise I use in my workshops that brings peo-
ple together in a surprising way.

I ask attendees (from differing professional disciplines) to imagine
they have to write a set of instructions for a new entrant to the
workplace. It’s about how to make a cup of tea, with no vending
machine to hand. Just jot some ideas down now, before reading on.
It’s fascinating to see the differing approaches. Those of a
technical persuasion tend to start the exercise by describing all
the equipment and ingredients needed from the outset, then
numbering each step in a logical sequence. Some focus on the
health and safety aspect: once brewed, let your hot drink cool
before tasting. Marketers often wax lyrical on making the event
an experience: they routinely suggest adding a slice of chocolate
cake, then relaxing and seeing how the ideas flow!
Then at the end, I ask attendees to read out their instructions
and we take a vote on the ‘best bits’, which would then be
adopted as best practice, were the instructions ever needed.