Why we’re writing a book about writing (for experts).
Business writing is boring to read (and to write). AI writing tools have revolutionised the speed at which we can write. But business writing is still very dull. Somehow professional writing has become a synonym for long-winded or difficult to read. And that’s before AI slop appeared.
The writing may be boring, but the people doing the writing are not. When they discuss their work (often in the pub) they are interesting and engaging. They know how to communicate. It’s just there’s something wrong with business writing.
We want to change this. So we’ve devised a writing method for tech experts. It’s for people who need to write about complex ideas in a way that non-specialists can understand them.
The first iteration was the 3 Pint Blog. We ran workshops where tech experts could write their blog in the time it would take to drink three pints. The approach had three sections: think about your reader and map out your blog; write it; edit the writing to make it easier to read. We tested this out with some cyber security professionals and found it made their writing process quicker and easier.
Then we looked at Writing for a Decision. We removed the drinking references, and took it to a large organisation that produced recommendations for government and industries. There we tested writing for a decision; get your main question in first and be kind with appendices. Make it easy to take a decision and get less nit-picky feedback. It seemed to work. Participants said: ‘[Our paper] got very good feedback in terms of readability, which was very impressive given the size of it!’.
We focussed on the tech approach to problem-solving. We even created an acronym: Reader, Structure, Story, Edit! But RSSE is a rubbish acronym. So we changed the Structure to Order. We like to think that Reader, Order, Story, Edit mirrors the way tech experts map out a project:
Reader - What are the use requirements? What does your reader want to know?
Order - How do we design the solution? Write down your key points and order them.
Story - What does it need to work? Fill in the details and proof.
Edit - Check that it works properly. Go through our check list to make it easy to read.
We’ve published the first section on reports. We’ll bring free copies to our writing coaching sessions, or you can buy a copy from Libreria.
Business writing doesn’t have to be dull. We’ve studied how language functions, worked in Public Relations, taught communication, researched narrative structures and written and read almost every business and academic document you can think of. In writing, reading and teaching, we’ve wondered why business writing is often so boring and impenetrable, when the people writing it are not.
Now it doesn’t have to be.
Drop Kate a line if you want to chat about your words.
