HBR Guide to Better Business Writing

HBR Guide to Better Business Writing

by Bryan A. Garner
Source: Harvard Business Press Books
240 pages. Publication Date: thg 1 29, 2013. Prod. #: 10946E-KND-ENG

One-Third of Professonals Write poorly

Don't Be One of Them

DON'T LET YOUR WRITING HOLD YOU BACK. 

Does writing for an audience of senior managers or key stakeholders get your heart pounding—in a bad way? Do you stare at your blank screen for several painful minutes, type in a few words, delete them, type a few more, delete again, and then go refill your coffee? Do your reports meander and raise more questions than they answer? When you send e-mails to colleagues, do your messages disappear into a void, never to be read, or acted on?

Many of us fumble for the right words and tone when we write, even if we're confident and articulate when we speak. But it doesn't have to be that way. Good business writing is a skill you must cultivate to succeed: you'll lose time, money, and influence if your e-mails, proposals, and other important documents fail to win people over.

The HBR Guide to Better Business Writing, by writing expert Bryan A. Garner, gives you the tools you need to express your ideas clearly and persuasively so clients, colleagues, stakeholders, and partners will get behind them.

This guide will help you:

Push past writer's block Grab—and keep—readers' attention Earn credibility with tough audiences Organize your ideas Trim the fat from your writing Strike the right tone Brush up on grammar, punctuation, and usage