How to Write Effectively - 6 Simple Rules

Six Effective Writing Rules

Vietnamese learners of English may find it difficult to understand what a Western person is expecting to see in a business email because of cultural differences.

Writing effectively means:

your manager, colleagues & clients respect what you write;
people respond & action your emails;
you get what you want.

It is important to be an effective writer because it can greatly influence your career.

The answer is we have to learn to write effectively.

Effective emails

Compare these two promotional emails written by stationary supply company to their clients:

Why is one email written more effectively?

it immediately engages the reader talking about them and a benefit;

it is easier to read with short sentences and lots of space;

the writer guides the reader to the last sentence telling them what to do with a value proposition.

Use these rules every time you write

Rule #1 – engage the reader in the first sentence.

Learning to effectively engage the reader in the first paragraph is a key element to writing effectively.

Unless you get the reader’s attention with a first glance at your document it will metaphorically go straight into the rubbish bin. It will not be read further and definitely not actioned.

Busy managers can get +300 emails a day. How is your email going to get their attention? Why would anyone continue reading past the first sentence if it is not interesting?

You must get the reader to continue reading past the first sentence, guiding them to the last sentence where you tell them what to do;

Always try to talk about the person you are emailing using the words ‘you & your’.

Think about what is wrong with the first promotional email.

Why is this not an effective email?

It is written by an office supply company and the first thing it communicates to its readers, who are very busy with their own company, is

‘We continue to be one of the world’s leading business-to-business suppliers of office products and services, and our motto continues to be: ‘Our job is to make your job easier’.

In the first sentence that should be designed to engage the reader, the writer is talking about themselves. Worse, the only person interested in their motto, is them.

This email will not be read past the second sentence and will definitely not be actioned. Most readers will immediately think – I do not care about your business – only mine.

The word ‘you or your’ should be in the first sentence. The reader starts talking exclusively about how they feel using the word ‘we’. This is self-indulgent. The most important person in the conversation is the reader, a client so the writer should be talking about them;

A better solution is to talk about the customer immediately and include a benefit. This is called the WIFM – ‘What is In It For Me’.

Write to your client and say ‘we have made your life easier in two ways’.

You see the same technique used in the Marketing Industry. Why? It works.

Rule #2 – keep your sentences short.

Make it easy for the reader to read. State your point in a short simple manner. Additionally the longer your sentences are the more likely you are to make a Grammar error.

Rule #3 – make it easy to read, leaving lines between your Introduction, Body & Conclusion.

No person enjoys reading text that is crammed up and difficult to read. Make it easy for the reader to read.

Busy managers only read the first and last sentences in an email;

You are guiding the reader to the last sentence where you tell them what to do;

The Introduction gets their attention, the Body justifies your position and the Conclusion tells the reader what to do.

Rule #4 – tell the user what to do in the last sentence.

The function of the email closure is vital.

We are all busy with numerous emails to work through and we are subconsciously grateful when we do not have to spend time trying to figure out what the next step is.

People are busy. They appreciate it when you tell them what the next step is;

How are you going to get what you want, if you do not tell people what to do?

Put a value proposition for the reader in the last thing they read, such as ‘help yourself’;

Never ever, ever, ever end an email ‘I am looking forward to hearing from you’. Tell the reader what to do – people are busy.

Rule #5 – do not start sentences with conjunction words such as – because, and, or, so …

Conjunction words join phrases and clauses together to complete a sentence. Using them incorrectly is poor Grammar.

Correct: I am hungry because I did not have lunch;
Incorrect: Because I did not have lunch, I am hungry.

Rule #6 – take the time to check your work for errors.

Take the time to check your work for errors and build quality in. Frequently we are tied, rushing to finish and press ‘send email’. Leaving silly grammar errors in your text can say a lot about you.

Keep it simple

Vietnamese learners of English are drilled in techniques covering the use of unique and interesting English phrases, collocations and sentence structures to engage the reader.

Often what is forgotten is a simple approach.

An effective writer engages the reader in the first sentence, makes it easy for the reader to read and then tells the reader what to do.

Unless you get the reader’s attention with a quick first glance of a document it will metaphorically go straight into the rubbish bin. It will not be read further and definitely not be actioned.

These six simple writing rules will help you to write effectively.