Everyone Writes
E-mail dire warning in 2002:
• Four hours a day
• 50 work-related messages
• Up 50 percent from 2001
Overall writing:
• From 2003 - 09, the amount
of written documents workers
deal with increased 600 percent.
Everyone Writes
Two-thirds of workers are now
expected to produce professional
e-mails, memos, letters, business
cases, reports and more.
Importance of Writing Well
“In today’s fast-paced, highly competitive
world, clear and concise writing is no
longer a specialized skill – it’s essential.”
-- Richard Sterling, executive
director of the National Writing
Project.
Importance of Writing Well
• 81 percent of survey participants say
their high school graduate hires were
deficient in written communications.
• 47 percent report that two-year
college graduates are also deficient.
Source: Conference Board. “ 2006.
Importance of Writing Well
• One-third of today’s national
workforce does not meet the
minimum writing requirements for the
jobs they currently hold.
• The greatest deficiency about
readiness of skills in the workplace
was written communications
(memos, letters, complex technical
reports).
Source: Conference Board. 2006.
Importance of Writing Well
• Businesses now spent more than $3
billion in writing-related training every
year.
• Over 40 percent of companies
offer or require such training
for salaried employees.
Does It Matter?
Does it really matter how well an e-mail
is written? A letter? A report?
All can be considered legal documents.
But there is more to consider.
Does It Matter?
Dear Ms. Jones:
We want to inform you we are making several changes to
your automobile insurance policy. First off, we are
increasing your deductible from $500 to $750.00. In
addition, if you still want to carry your boat on the policy
you will have to fill out a new registration form and then
we’ll add it as a rider to your current policy. Thirdly, we
are adding a new benefit: we will pay for towing for your
car if you have any problems when you are driving. This
benefit is available once a year and we believe you will
find it it will be a helpful addition to your policy.
Does It Matter? Grammar, Punctuation
Dear Ms. Jones:
We want to inform you we are making several changes to
your automobile insurance policy. First off, were
increasing your deductible from $500 to $750.00. In
addition, if you still want to carry your boat on the policy
you will have to fill out a new registration form and then
we’ll add it as a rider to your current policy. Thirdly, we
are adding a new benefit: we’ll pay for towing your car if
you have any problem when your driving. This benefit is
available once a year and we believe you will find it it will
be a helpful addition to your policy.
Does It Matter? More Than That
• It gives bad news upfront and good news at the
end.
• It doesn’t provide a way to get more information.
• It doesn’t explain where to get the registration
form.
• It doesn’t really explain how the new benefit
works.
• It doesn’t answer whether Ms. Jones’ premiums
are going to go up.
Does It Matter?
E-mails
Does It Matter?
E-mails
Does It Matter?
E-mails
Does It Matter?
E-mails
• It’s not just the grammar and the punctuation.
• It’s how the information is presented.
• It’s how easy or difficult it is for your readers to find
the information they need.
• It’s whether all the information they need is
included.
• It’s how fast they can get the main points.
Does It Matter?
Here’s the thing:
We don’t notice good writing;
we notice poor writing.
We immediately make assumptions
about the writer, the organization,
and the message when we read
something not written well.
ROI of Business Writing Skills
More than typos or transposition of numbers that can
cost a company millions of dollars.
• Veteran’s Administration Life Insurance Division –
$500,000
• Analysis Group (AG) -- $268,349
• Carlyle, Inc. -- $64,667
• Snohomish County Public Utilities District -$107,154
ROI of Business Writing Skills
Why?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Productivity
Customer satisfaction
Employee morale
Reputation
Legal issues
Competitive edge
Global marketplace
ROI of Business Writing Skills
But writing well takes time, right?
ROI of Business Writing Skills
“The time it takes to create written communication is
a huge hit on the corporate payroll, and a critical
component of how corporations and brands are
perceived.
“If companies can maintain a high-quality standard
writing style across internal and external
communications, they can effectively use written
communication as a strategic tool to win sales, garner
partnerships and evolve their image.”
--Brain Hanington, CEO of BackDRAFT
ROI of Business Writing Skills
Companies either need to have writers and editors
who can review every document that goes out to the
public
OR
Train their employees to
be better writers and editors.
ROI of Business Writing Skills
Companies with writers on staff
can still have problems:
A lot of writing is done by committee
• Seen the document too many times
• Need an unbiased eye
Or written by employees who have enough on their
plates and shouldn’t have to worry about the finer
details involved in checking or improving written
pieces.
Teaching Employees to Write Better
People waste time in the writing process:
• Don’t understand their audience or purpose
• Start writing without a plan
• Edit as they write
• Have to look up spelling, grammar, punctuation,
correct style, etc.
• Unsure about structure
• Make documents difficult to read
• Don’t include all the information or put it in
incorrect order
• Edit with themselves, not their reader(s), in mind
Teaching Employees to Write Better
• Don’t include all the information or put it in
incorrect order
• Edit with their reader(s) in mind
• Can’t organize their thoughts
• Spend time knowing the document sounds right,
but don’t know how to fix it.
• Make the same mistakes over and over again.
The Good News
Most people can become competent business writers:
• No magical writing talent – more craft than art
• Not high-school grammar or even college term papers
• Set skills that can easily be learned
• Tricks of the trade
The Even Better News
Employees who understand
how to write well can reduce
the amount of time they spend
writing by 30 percent.
The Even Better News
What does that mean for your company?
Number of employees who write: 8 people
Amount of time per week they write: 10 hours
Average pay: $20/hour
5 people x 10 hours/week = 80 hours
80 hours x 52 weeks = 4,160 total hours
4,160 total hours x $20/hour = $83,200 annual investment
$83,200 annual investment x 30% savings =
$24,960 First-Year Savings
Best Approach
• Helpful and supportive, not rigid
• Not elementary school grammar classes
• Not high school or college
writing techniques
Best Methods
• Online
• In-person classes
• Coaching
Adult students learn better through
experiential learning, especially for
topics generally seen as dull or boring.
Best Methods
“With the fast pace of today’s electronic
communications, one might think the value
of fundamental writing skills has diminished
in the workplace. Actually, the need to write
clearly and quickly has never been more
important than in today’s highly competitive,
technology-driven global economy.”
--Joseph M. Tucci, chair, president and CEO of EMC Corp.
and chair of the Business Roundtable’s Education and
Workforce Taskforce.