OVERVIEW
Clients
→ Achieving Success
The Writer's Skills
U.S. ARMY WORK
Newspaper Editing
Newspaper Writing 1
Newspaper Writing 2
Newspaper Writing 3
CASE STUDIES
WITH SAMPLES
Employee Coms
Speeches
Trade Shows
Video
Websites
MORE SAMPLES
Brochures
Business Websites
Consumer Websites
Direct Response
Feature Stories
Press Releases
Sales Sheets
Slide Presentations
White Papers
Results-Based Communicator
Editorial Expert
Skillful Navigator
Versatile Writer
Introduction
How does the business writer help businesses succeed? In my article The Skills of the Business Writer, I spell out the essential skills of the business writer. The business writer, the article says, is "a results-based communicator, an editorial expert, and a skillful navigator of complex information, business puposes, and corporate environments." Below you will see how these skills help businesses and organizations prosper.
Results-Based Communicator
The skillful business writer writes with purpose. He or she understands the strategies and tactics that create the need for the writing and the outcomes that the writing is designed to help produce.
Example: Working with the president of the 1.3 million member Women’s International Bowling Congress (WIBC), I wrote a speech to persuade WIBC’s membership to vote the organization out of existence. Reason: WIBC’s leadership had determined that unity with other national bowling organizations was in WIBC’s best long-term interest. Read the speech, which helped lead to a “Yes” vote on the part of WIBC’s membership to unify with other organizations.
Editorial Expert
The business writer should be able to take charge of every aspect of the editorial process— planning, research, writing, editing, proofreading, and production. This is because business organizations that hire writers often do not have editors, proofreaders, and production coordinators on staff.
Example: Working with a manufacturing expert, I helped develop a white paper aimed at showing manufacturers ways to improve productivity and profitability. My roles as writer and editor included original writing, rewriting, copyediting, and clarification. As is often the case when working with subject experts like the manufacturing expert, I needed to draw out unstated thoughts and ideas for the published piece. I also formatted, proofread, and coordinated production of the paper. Read the white paper on improving manufacturing operations.
Skillful Navigator of Business Environments
The business writer must be able to immerse himself or herself in all areas of a business environment, gathering and synthesizing complex information from across the corporate organization. The skillful writer also can adapt and reshape existing materials to meet current communication needs.
Example: Called in shortly before a rollout of the SAP business software system at battery company Rayovac, I was asked to prepare a presentation to introduce the corporate initiative to employees. Working with subject experts and Rayovac’s director of corporate communications, I wrote a video script that simplified the complexities of the initiative and used a humorous appeal to help gain employee acceptance for the idea. Read the case study on the Rayovac video.
Versatile Writer
The business writer should be versatile and able to write in a variety of formats. I have experience in the following areas: brochures, email campaigns, employee communications, multimedia, news and feature stories, press releases, proposals, sales presentations, slide presentations, speeches, technical documentation and training, trade-show presentations, video, websites, white papers, copyediting, proofreading, and editorial production.