3 ms·
How to structure your writing. Not talking about your style, prose or grammar, but how you structure the points you want to come across. It's not just useful i
by sorum 6y ago
How to structure your writing.
Not talking about your style, prose or grammar, but how you structure the points you want to come across. It's not just useful in the context of "business writing", it's useful whenever you want something from someone else: to take an action of any kind.
I see it every week at work where people put a presentation together at first glance seems to be coherent, but if it had been written out as a document / memo, you'd easily see the gaps in their thinking. Forcing yourself to write out full sentences (not bullet points) into paragraphs and those paragraphs having a logical connection to each other, shines a spotlight on places where your thinking is weak or there are unfounded conclusions.
Here's the good news: there's one book that will teach you this thoroughly: Barbara Minto's - "The Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking". Bad news: the book is out of print, since the author wants people to either buy her courses or her updated textbook which she charges $150 for (not a typo): http://www.barbaraminto.com/textbook.html http://www.barbaraminto.com/textbook.html
The book is insanely useful, so find a used copy of the 1987 or 2002 edition in a used bookstore.
- DenisM 6y agoDoes anyone still read though? I feel most of what I write goes unread, but people do engage with screenshots or videos.
- sorum 6y agoTwo thoughts here: 1. Even if the end-medium is something else than a written document (presentation, video etc), you're still presenting your ideas from a->b->c, so the gaps are still there and aren't as apparent, but the recipients' brain still observe it. 2. If your writing goes unread, it can actually be a symptom of the lack of convincing presentation of the ideas. I spend probably 50% on the time on the introduction and it's what I write dead last. Another problem may be length: if it's too long it'll tire the reader (unless your writing is very good). Problem is that to write something compelling that is also short, is very very hard. I can bang out a 10-page document on a deadline in a day without much problem, but a 2-pager I'll have to spend much more time on. Writing is very much a must-have, in the corporate or business environment especially.
- noir_lord 6y agoConstantly. I don't mind high level videos to give a 10,000ft view but for everything else the written word wins every time. Currently re-reading A Philosophy of Software Design and just started "Grokking Algorithms" alongside the 2-3 fictional books I have on the go at any given time.
- chris_wot 6y agoI just managed to buy the third edition from Amazon for less than $150. Thanks for the tip!
- tmaly 6y agoI second this suggestion. I have an older copy of the book. I have applied it to my business prose, and it has made a world of difference.