Written Communications That Inform and Influence (Results-Driven Manager, The) [Paperback]

Harvard Business School Press (Compiler)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 19, 2006 | Series: Results-Driven Manager, The

Knowing how to produce effective written communications - proposals, executive summaries, important e-mails - is more crucial than ever for today's managers. In "Written Communications That Inform and Influence", readers will find powerful tools for crafting communications that get results. Experts provide suggestions for structuring your written pieces, striking the right tone and style, and avoiding all-too-common grammar goofs and gaffes. "The Results-Driven Manager" series collects timely articles from "Harvard Management Update" and "Harvard Management Communication Letter" to help senior to middle managers sharpen their skills, increase their effectiveness, and gain a competitive edge. Presented in a concise, accessible format to save managers valuable time, these books offer authoritative insights and techniques for improving job performance and achieving immediate results.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

As a manager, you write everything from project proposals and e-mails to executive summaries and product descriptions. How can you ensure that these communications exert the impact you intend? Written Communications That Inform and Influence provides potent guidelines. Learn to:

• Craft persuasive proposals
• Organize the contents of your written piece
• Strike the appropriate tone and style
• Avoid common grammar gaffes

THE RESULTS-DRIVEN MANAGER

The Results-Driven Manager series collects timely articles from Harvard Management Update and Harvard Management Communication Letter to help managers sharpen their skills, increase their effectiveness, and gain a competitive edge. Presented in a concise, accessible format to save managers valuable time, these books offer authoritative insights and techniques for improving job performance and achieving immediate results.

About the Author

Since 1984, Harvard Business School Press has been dedicated to publishing the most contemporary management thinking, written by authors and practitioners who are leading the way. Whether readers are seeking big-picture strategic thinking or tactical problem solving, advice in managing global corporations or for developing personal careers, HBS Press helps fuel the fire of innovative thought. HBS Press has earned a reputation as the springboard of thought for both established and emerging business leaders.

Product Details

• Paperback: 175 pages
• Publisher: Harvard Business Press; First Trade Paper Edition edition (December 19, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1422103226
• ISBN-13: 978-1422103227
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,141,547 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cleaning up those trouble spots in your business communication..., December 22, 2007

By 

Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Written Communications That Inform and Influence (Results-Driven Manager, The) (Paperback)

The fact that I blog, review, and otherwise spend a great deal of time writing should point to the value I place on written communication. Harvard Business School Press has a concise book titled Written Communications That Inform and Influence that does a very nice job in honing in on typical trouble areas when it comes to business communication. It's definitely well worth the minimal time investment you'd need to go through it.

Contents:
Writing Persuasive Proposals: First, Don't Write an Outline; Making Your Proposal Come Out on Top; Building a Bridge over the River Boredom; When to Ignore Your Readers
Spotlight On Structure: A Winning Proposition; Writing Well When Time Is Tight; The Best Memo You'll Ever Write
Striking the Right Tone and Style: Find the Right Tone for Your Business Writing; Communication as a Change Tool; Rhyme and Reason - What Poetry Has to Say to Business Writers; Ayn Rand on Writing; When One Style Does Not Fit All
Surmounting Special Writing Challenges: Don't Push That Send Button!; How to Engineer Compelling Prose - Teaching a Techie to Write; Writing an Executive Summary That Means Business; Five Quick Ways to Trim Your Writing
Avoiding Grammatical Goofs and Gaffes: Misused Words and Other Writing Gaffes - A Manager's Primer; How to Write Correctly Without Knowing the Rules; Is Following the Rules Tripping Up Your Message?
About the Contributors

Many people in the business world don't like to "officially" write stuff as they aren't necessarily very good at it. Granted, not everyone will be Hemingway with an office memo, but with a little knowledge and practice it's not that hard to be effective. While this book is targeted for business writing situations, the ideas and concepts cross over into all types of writing. For instance, How to Write Correctly Without Knowing the Rules offers up a time-honored (at least by me!) technique for those sentences that don't quite sound right... just rewrite the sentence! If you're not sure if "compliment" is the right word, just use "praise" instead. Why fret over those small things? The chapter on Trim Your Writing is also quite valuable. I've been trying to do a better job at that lately, and the ideas offered in the chapter really do help in allowing your ideas to avoid drowning in a sea of words.

Effective writing skills can be a significant way to set yourself apart at work. If you've never taken the time to try to improve that aspect of your personal portfolio, starting here would be a good way to begin.