Well-crafted writing can win over people and further your career.

Everyone knows an e-mail horror story: Messages sent to the wrong people; e-mails containing private information that became public; and e-mails written so badly that misunderstood instructions caused costly errors.

“A poorly written e-mail can destroy your credibility and cost your employer dearly,” says Tom Sant, author of The Language of Success: Business Writing That Informs, Persuades, and Gets Results. “However, well-crafted writing can win people over, get the job done efficiently, and further your career.”

Polish Your Prose
“If you are able to speak and make yourself understood, you have the language skills you need to write effectively,” Sant insists. His first advice? Keep it simple. For example:

• Limit sentence length to 15 to 17 words on average. This is as much as educated adults can read comfortably. Any longer and they’re likely to stumble over your words.
• Choose one- to two-syllable words when possible. Ninety percent of the words you use should fit this description.
• Avoid passive voice constructions. Instead of “The report was presented to the client,” say: “We presented our report to the client.” Sant notes, “Writing in a passive voice is like putting speed bumps on the highway.”
• Avoid starting sentences with long dependent clauses. Before: “Based on your priorities and your proposed strategy as outlined to us in last week’s meeting at our headquarters, a partnership with our firm will provide you with the tools you need.” After: “Our firm will give you the tools you need to accomplish your goals.”
• Write to a grade level of 10 or below. “You’re not dumbing down your content by writing to a lower grade level; you’re just choosing language that’s less complex,” Sant explains. Many word processing programs have a built-in tool that can determine the grade level of any document.

Recognize Bad Writing
Poor writing is the norm in many business environments. Your challenge is to resist the pressure to write the same way. Sant divides poor writing into four main categories:

• Fluff is the language of marketing professionals, laden with clichés, hype, and jargon. Think of “leadingedge solutions,” “synergistic,” “state of the art”—words with an impressive sheen but no substance.
• Geek is specialized language that disregards what the audience is likely to understand: “These are the Prioritized P3 tickets for FIMS.”
• Guff, the language of academics and bureaucrats, favors the passive voice, big words, and complex sentences: “The dimensionality of expected problems coupled with the limited time available for preparation means that choices will have to be made to assure the viability of …”
• Weasel qualifies nearly every word or statement and comes across as wishy-washy or deceptive: “We would like to thank you…” “We believe we can add value…” “It should be possible to achieve…”

His other tips include write the way you speak; always have your goal in mind as you write; and know your audience.

“An occasional typo usually won’t matter,” he says, “but failing to think through your purpose and your audience is a recipe for disaster.”

One final tip: Treat your e-mails to a second look before you click “Send.”

“E-mails have great power to bring results,” Sant explains. “It’s up to you whether those results are positive or negative.”

Polly Turner spoke with Tom Sant, Ph.D., author of The Language of Success: Business Writing That Informs, Persuades, and Gets Results. New York: AMACOM , 2008, $15.

© StayWell Custom Communications. Information is the opinion of the sourced authors and organizations. Personal decisions regarding health, diet, and exercise should be made only after consultation with the reader's own medical advisers. This material may not be reproduced for redistribution without written permission from StayWell Custom Communications.