Cut the Jargon, Lead with the Point =================================== We're talking about Writing That Works, the no-nonsense guide to business writing that actually gets read. Sam and Sophie dive into the inverted pyramid, the WIIFM principle, and why 'utilize' should be banned. ---------------------------------------- SAM: Hey, welcome back to 7 Minute Books. I'm Sam, and today we're cracking open 'Writing That Works' by Kenneth Roman and Joel Raphaelson. So Sophie, what hooked you first? SOPHIE: Hey there Sam, I'm glad we're doing this one. It starts with the idea that we were all trained to write for a teacher who got paid to read our work. In business, nobody's paid to read your memo. SAM: They're paid to act on it. That changes everything about how you write. SOPHIE: The first sentence is the most important one. If you bury your main point in the third paragraph, you've already lost half your readers. SAM: So it's like the inverted pyramid in journalism. Lead with the conclusion, then the details. SOPHIE: Exactly. A busy executive should get the essence in ten seconds and decide if they want to read more. SAM: Totally. And that's why the authors are so ruthless about brevity. They can't stand jargon. SOPHIE: They hate 'utilize' when you mean 'use.' And 'at this point in time' when you mean 'now.' It's not sophistication. SAM: It's muddled thinking. They want specific, concrete language. SOPHIE: Like 'answer the phone by the second ring' instead of 'improve customer interface.' SAM: Right. That's measurable. And the test is simple. Can it be cut? Can it be simpler? SOPHIE: If yes, cut it. That's the discipline. SAM: I also like what they say about outlining. You need to know what you want to say before you start. SOPHIE: Write the conclusion first. Then you can build the path to get there. SAM: Without that, it's just a stream of consciousness and the reader gets lost. SOPHIE: And tone. Good business writing is like an intelligent person talking to another intelligent person. SAM: So use 'you' and 'I' and 'we.' And stay in the active voice. SOPHIE: Passive voice lets you dodge responsibility. 'A mistake was made.' SAM: Instead of 'I made a mistake.' Good writers own the action. SOPHIE: There are also specific templates for memos and proposals. The subject line is a headline. SAM: So 'Subject, Meeting' is useless. 'Decision Required by Friday' works. SOPHIE: And for proposals, the executive summary is make or break. SAM: Every document is a sales document. You're selling an idea or a point of view. SOPHIE: One of my favorite parts is the permission to write a terrible first draft. SAM: Yes. Get the ideas down first. The real work is rewriting. SOPHIE: That's the two-step process. Write quickly, then edit ruthlessly. SAM: If you try to edit while you write, you'll never finish. And it solves empty page syndrome. SOPHIE: Start anywhere. Even a bad sentence is better than a blank page. SAM: Exactly. SAM: And what about the fear of sounding too simple? I've definitely felt that. SOPHIE: The book says that's backwards. Clarity is a sign of mastery. SAM: Einstein said, 'If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.' SOPHIE: The before and after examples are incredible. A hundred words become forty without losing anything. SAM: That's wild. Those examples really show the difference. It's not theoretical. SOPHIE: And then there's WIIFM. What's In It For Me. Every piece of writing must answer that. SAM: Why should the reader care? What's the benefit? That's the empathy part. SOPHIE: And design matters. Walls of text are intimidating. People scan before they read. SAM: Right. So you use short paragraphs, subheadings, and white space to guide the eye. SOPHIE: A well-formatted document invites you in. A bad one makes you want to leave. SAM: So it's all about respect. For the reader, for your ideas, for time itself. SOPHIE: And writing is a skill, not a talent. It can be learned. SAM: My takeaway is that good writing isn't about impressing. It's about serving the reader. SOPHIE: And if you want to go deeper, the whole library is over at 7minutebooks.com/app. Over 6,000 fiction and nonfiction titles you can read or listen to in any language. It's $2.99 a month, $9.99 a year, or $19.99 lifetime. SOPHIE: Because clear writing is a gift you give to your reader. And it's also a gift to yourself. We'll see you in the next one.