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Periodically, this column has raised questions such as:
Why is so much business writing so darned bad?
Does anyone care?
What can be done about it?
Since “Working Words” addresses professional communicators, our criticism has remained “in the family.” Now similar questions have been raised in a public forum—no less than the online business magazine Inc.
Jason Fried’s column, called “Why Is Business Writing So Awful?” ran on 1 May and has generated a lot of interest.
Here’s the deck:
Nearly every company relies on the written word to woo customers. So why is most business writing so numbingly banal?
And his lead:
What’s bad, boring, and barely read all over? Business writing. If you could taste words, most corporate websites, brochures, and sales materials would remind you of stale, soggy rice cakes: nearly calorie free, devoid of nutrition, and completely unsatisfying.
Fried goes on to cite words and phrases he especially hates (e.g., full-service solutions provider, provider of value-added services, cost-effective end-to-end solutions) and some copy he loves, from the web sites for Woot.com, Saddleback Leather and Polyface farm. His comment: “These are businesses that care about what they say and how they say it. They don’t write to fill up space on a page. They write to fill up your head.”
But here’s the interesting thing: Since Fried’s column ran, more than 140 comments have been posted, and they’re still coming in as people find the piece via retweets and networks. Many comments are in the “thank heavens someone said this” category, and elaborate from different vantage points—those of writers who feel that employers and clients “make them do it,” people on the receiving end of press releases and company materials, and some who say they are inspired to seek a writing course or re-do their web site. Some of those who left a comment blame poor writing on the education system (in this case, the U.S. system)—as does Fried—and in fact so does the only solid survey, done back in 2003 by the College Board’s National Commission on Writing.
I talked to Jason Fried about why he wrote the column, what he thinks of the response it generated and what it will take to change the situation. Fried is not a writer but a former web site designer turned business owner. His company, 37signals, supplies web-based software for use by small teams. He began writing the “Get Real” column in April, so the piece on business writing was his second.
Fried chose the subject because, he says, “I’ve been really annoyed by writing in general. We put so much effort into our own web site and I don’t see that level of attention. When I was a web site designer, I saw that people didn’t care about the copy—they’d put any old thing in. I see more and more bad writing on corporate sites.”
And the print communication he sees? “Terrible. I find that to be even worse. E-mails, letters, corporate press releases, reports, job applications, corporate sales materials—it’s as if no one’s even reading what they’re writing. It makes no sense, except if you’re ingrained in it. But not to understand that someone has to read this blows me away. It’s so unbelievable that managers aren’t paying attention and saying, ‘you can’t send this out, it doesn’t make sense.’ It’s a problem everywhere.”
Fried says that the number of comments posted about his column didn’t surprise him because he senses that a lot of people feel the same way. He was pleased that a number of writers responded. “I think I touched a nerve in a good way, with people who write for a living and feel they’re ignored and that what they do isn’t valued.”
Some of the commentators observed that the copy Fried cited was suited to quirky products and companies, rather than the typical business. An example is Saddleback Leather’s explanation of the company’s guarantee:
All of our products are fully warranted against all defects in materials and workmanship for 100 years. If you or one of your descendants should have a problem, send it back to me or one of my descendants and we’ll repair or replace it for free or we’ll give you a credit on the website (be sure to mention the warranty in your will).
(And, note that the Saddleback tagline is: “They’ll Fight Over It When You’re Dead.”)
Fried grants that he chose several consciously idiosyncratic businesses that can represent themselves in writing with personality. His central point is not about being clever, but being clear and concise—finding your own voice rather than emulating the generic terms that are so common.
It might be said that it’s a lot harder to write about software...or is it? Here’s a paragraph from the home page of Fried’s own business, a web applications provider called 37signals:
WHO USES OUR PRODUCTS?
Our products are built for small businesses and individuals (we call this group the Fortune 5,000,000), but companies of all sizes use them every day. From 1 person to teams of 3-5 people to companies of 5,000. Everyone loves simple tools that help get the job done.
This is straightforward, tight, snappy copy that conveys the “meaning” of the product line and does it with a bit of fun.
Fried has a staff of 20 but writes the site’s copy himself, as well as all the product material, and he at least reviews everything else that goes out. (He also wrote a recently released best-selling book called Rework, which presents lessons from his own business experience.)
His writing mode of operation: “I’m inherently impatient. I can’t stand when things aren’t clear and straightforward. Design and writing are the exact same things—how to make the most sense in the least amount of space. When you design with words it must be just as clear and intuitive. It frustrates me most when someone writes something that doesn’t make sense to me. It’s such a waste of time.”
What to do about this immense challenge: Would it help if more people cared?
“Hopefully it will change over time,” Fried thinks—but a long time. “It will require a complete fundamental shift in how writing is taught. Someone’s going to do it because when communication isn’t clear, everything goes wrong.”
Meanwhile, he says, someone at the top of a corporation has to say, “I don’t know what this means. They have to be aware of the messaging going out and say, ’this has to change.’”
Thinking about the costs of confusion can help. “They’re incredibly high. Customers are frustrated—we can all agree that that’s a bad thing—and when they call or e-mail to ask questions, you must have a staff of people trained to respond. Each time there’s a back and forth, it’s an opportunity for the customer to go away.”
Fried is “absolutely convinced” that good writing makes his business succeed. “Our products are simpler because of it. We need less customer support, get fewer e-mails and letters—for the number of customers we have the support requests are incredibly low by industry standards.”
Of all the things you can do to make customers happier, the easiest, Fried believes, is to improve writing. “So it’s the logical place to go.”
So what can organizational communicators—or all professional communicators, for that matter—contribute to the cause of better writing? I’d be happy to hear your ideas and share them in this column. Here’s what I think.
- We need to recognize that writing is still the base for communicating effectively. Digital technology doesn’t change that: It demands first-rate writing every bit as much as print media.
- Think about consciously sharpening your own writing skills, and those of your staff, as an ongoing process.
- Use good writing principles in everything you write, including everyday e-mails. Like it or not, you’re an important role model.
- Find ways to heighten your company leaders’ awareness of good writing and its value to the bottom line.
- Think about taking more responsibility for raising the bar on writing organizationwide. Public perception is often determined by the lowest common denominator.
Natalie Canavor is a business writer, author and workshop presenter who teaches writing-for-results (full disclosure!). She has been a journalist, national magazine editor and communication department director, and is a two-term past president of IABC/Long Island.
With Claire Meirowitz, she owns and operates C&M Business Writing Services, which creates publications, e-media content, training programs and workshops. Their book, The Truth About the New Rules of Business Writing, is published by Pearson/FT Press.
Reach Natalie at
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