Getting People in Your Organization to Write Better

Good writing is becoming a scarcer and scarcer commodity, especially in the corporate world. In today’s instant-communication, speed-obsessed world, people don’t have time to write well, and bosses, by and large, don’t value it.

It’s too bad, because good writing can move mountains.

As a writer and someone who has taught writing, I can tell you that it’s hard to get people to improve their writing. It takes three things: good guidance, good editing, and lots of practice and patience. Few business people have all three, and most don’t have even one. Hence, the downfall of well-written communications.

There are, of course, lots of guides to good writing, but I came across one brief overview online that I wanted to share at Ragan.com.

Here’s a summary of Ragan’s tips:

• Produce a style sheet that outlines the elements of good writing


• Marshal third-party experts to bolster your case for the value of good writing


• Find and share examples of good writing


• Establish benchmarks against other organizations that are doing a good job