Management Tip of the Day: 3 Tips for Writing Reader-Friendly Memos

Are you having trouble viewing this email? If so, click here to see it in a web browser. HOME   |   BLOGS   |   THE MAGAZINE   |   BOOKS   |   AUTHORS   |   STORE RSS   |   Mobile JUNE 28, 2010 3 Tips for Writing Reader-Friendly Memos In business today, readers are time-pressed, content-driven, and decision-focused. To write effectively, remember that they want simple and direct communications. Here are three tips for giving readers what they want and need: Avoid complex phrasing. Writing elegantly is not important; delivering smart content is. Let the message stand out more than your language. Be concise. Many memo writers get hung up on "flow." But flowing sentences tend to be long and dense. You don't need choppy sentences, just hardworking ones that deliver content concisely. Skip the jargon. Jargon can be a useful way to communicate among experts, but you should never use jargon if it's meaningless, if you don't understand it, or when your audience isn't familiar with it. Today's Management Tip was adapted from "Guide to Better Business Writing." Buy the guide and learn more about improving your business writing » Share Today's Tip: RELATED PRODUCT Guide to Better Business Writing Special 10-Article Collection One-third of professionals write poorly. Don't be one of them. This article collection lays out proven strategies for improving writing by teaching busy executives and employees how to organize ideas quickly and communicate them clearly and concisely. ADVERTISEMENT Follow the Tip: PREVIOUS TIPS 3 Things to Know About New Ventures 3 Tips for Getting Out of Your Boss' Shadow Don't Let Your Strategy Distract You How to Decipher (and Achieve) Success at Your Company 3 Ways to Start Your Overseas Job Transition 3 Ways to Motivate Your Board of Directors Managing Up As a Gen-Xer 3 Steps to Make Your New Hire Productive Prepare for the Next Defining Moment 3 Cold Call Tactics that Increase Sales BEST SELLERS Guide to Persuasive Presentations HBR's 10 Must Reads: The Essentials Financial Intelligence Collection HBR's 10 Must Reads on Managing Yourself Guide to Better Business Writing PwC View Magazine Sign up for a complimentary subscription of PwC View 12 Magazine. Article topics include: Emerging-market strategies for an anticorruption era; Focusing on healthcare value; Business transformation through M&A; The Cleantech Revolution; Interview with economist Kenneth Rogoff. Sign up now » UNSUBSCRIBE   |   UPDATE YOUR PROFILE   |   MORE EMAIL NEWSLETTERS   |   PRIVACY POLICY Was this email forwarded to you? If so, sign up to start receiving your own copy. ABOUT THIS MAILING LIST You have received this message because you subscribed to the "Management Tip of the Day" email newsletter from Harvard Business Review. If at any point you wish to remove yourself from this list, change your email address, or sign up for other email newsletters and alerts, please visit the Harvard Business Review Email Newsletter Preference Center. ADVERTISE WITH HBR This enewsletter is read by thousands of decision makers every day. Learn more about connecting your brand with this audience. Copyright © 2010 Harvard Business School Publishing, an affiliate of Harvard Business School. All rights reserved. Harvard Business Publishing | 60 Harvard Way | Boston, MA 02163 Customer Service: 800-545-7685 (+1-617-783-7600 outside the U.S. and Canada)