Hedging language in business writing: What it is and how to use it Ever found yourself using “maybe” or “perhaps” to sound less direct in an email, even when you’re sure about what you’re saying? That’s hedging, and it’s pretty common in business writing. The term stems from finance, where it means investing in a …
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Why speech and writing are so different Speech and writing are so intertwined that you’d be forgiven for thinking they’re the same thing presented in different ways. Writing is just the visual form of speech, surely? But listen to your energy company or GP’s phone switchboard message and you’ll notice something strange about it. These …
Is AI better at writing than humans? AI is taking on more human writing every day, relieving us of time-consuming tasks – and, unfortunately, sometimes whole jobs. It produces news content, takes care of inconvenient school essays, and it’s often the first result you see in a Google search. But while tools like ChatGPT produce …
How better writing can avoid pointless meetings Time is a precious commodity in the modern workplace. Each day we contend with an ever-expanding inbox, struggle to find meeting slots, and rarely have an uninterrupted hour for productive work. But could meetings themselves be a cause of our chronic lack of time? And how can better …
How to make legal writing clear The legal profession is known for its opaque language. According to Richard C. Wydick in Plain English for Lawyers, “We lawyers do not write in plain English. We use eight words to say what we could say in two. We use arcane phrases to express commonplace ideas. Seeking to …
Why use plain English in your writing? When I got my first marketing job after university, I thought writing well meant using fancy words and flowery sentences. I was tasked with writing clients’ blog posts, and those first few must have sounded like they were straight out of a PHD thesis. Some years and a …
10 things good business writers avoid Writing is more powerful than most people realise. It makes up a large proportion of business communication, and it influences the way colleagues, customers, and other stakeholders respond to you. In other words, your writing has a significant impact on how well you perform at work. So how do …
Why is good business writing important? Good writing isn’t the preserve of copywriters and marketing campaigns; it’s something all professionals can use to achieve more. As so much business communication takes place through writing, from emails to reports, it’s a major factor in how well you perform at work. Your writing shapes the way stakeholders …
What makes good business writing? Most of us spend a great deal of time writing. In fact, research (here and here) shows that skilled professionals spend around a third of their work time on emails. That’s not to mention reports, presentations, and the other writing tasks that take up much of your day. But it’s …
