A One Page Business Plan is more useful than you’d think. I was a bit skeptical about writing a one page business plan until my client twisted my arm to write it. I’d wanted to write a more in- depth document or use Business Plan software to scope out the requirements. As an experiment we tried it. Here’s what I learned.

One Page Business Plan: Where’s the real benefit?

Writing a one-page business plan helps the small business owner focus on the main components that make up the company.

Difference Between One Page Business Plan and Traditional Business Plans

The difference between a one page business plan and traditional business plans (e.g. MS Word templates) is that:

• A one one-page business plan is not a replacement for your strategic planning documents.
• A one one-page business plan is not meant to provide in-depth analysis of your business model. How could it?
• A one one-page business plan is not used to seek finance, for example, from your local bank manager or investors. But, there may be exceptions…

• A one one-page business plan gives you a snapshot of the key points in your business
• A one one-page business plan is a framework upon which you can start to build a more comprehensive document outlining your Strategic Plan, Marketing Plan, Technology roadmap, and Training & Development needs, Costs, and Personnel
• A one one-page business plan provides direction for the future growth of your business. It’s a finger pointing in the right direction and

[Video] One Page Business Plan: Example of How It Works

In this video, we look at some of the differences between one-page business plans and the larger documents, for example, Business Plans in Microsoft Word format that you can format to suit your needs.

One Page Business Plan: Who Uses It

What I learned from this exercise is that – if you approach it with the right attitude – you can use this as a stepping stone for more in-depth analysis. The upside is that you get a ‘business plan document’ written in less than a day, while the downside it that it’s a snapshot and needs to be fleshed out if you decide to push ahead with the project.

So, who can benefit from this?

I can see the following benefiting from this:

• Business Units
• Cost Centers
• Cross-functional teams
• Departments
• Divisions
• Government Agencies
• Not-for-profits
• Profit Centers
• Programs
• Projects
• Startup Companies
• Subsidiaries

There are others but you get the idea.

One Page Business Plan: Why It’s Not a Plan

It’s a way to get your business planning up and running quickly and start to explore market strategies quickly.

But, it’s not a plan in the traditional sense. You can’t use this to develop a framework for your marketing plans or use it to seek funding.

There is an upside though. It does allow you to get a quick snapshot of how the business model may work and use this to refine gaps in the process or identify areas where the business plan needs more attention.

Why You Should Write a One Page Business Plan

A one one-page business plan grows with the business. As you change, so to does the business plan.

One final thing. The name of the document is irrelevant. You can call it what you want.

The real purpose of the one-page business plan is to help you navigate the choppy waters of running your business. Keep it simple. Make it useful. Keep it up to date!

What do you think?

One of tricks that Hemingway plays on the reader is that while the prose is ‘ordinary’, you can’t help but keep reading on and on and on… It looks simple until you try it. Look at how he does it. His writing style is crisp, direct and engaging. All the signs of a great writer. Look at how he makes long sentences short, mundane subjects interesting, and clips along at a nice pace. And without ever losing the thread. Us business writers can use these techniques to improve business plans, proposals, white papers and case studies. Let’s get started.

10 Step Guide to persuasive Writing

Here are some ways to improve your business documents:

1. Highlight the Benefits to the Reader – Write from the reader’s perspective. Instead of writing about you and your products, turn it around and show the reader what’s in it for them. How does this proposal solve the company’s financial problems? How does this email keep the project on track? How does this procedure simplify complicated business processes?
2. Give the reader a compelling reason to open your email, read it through, and then take action. We’re all the same. When you get a business proposal, you’re first reaction is, "What’s in it for me?" It is your job as a writer to tailor the material so that it answers these questions.
3. Write at Appropriate Level – Match your writing style and choice of words to your audience. Do not use complex terms or jargon that the reader will not understand. Likewise, do not use simple terms or use poor examples if the reader is capable of understanding your material. They’ll assume you’re being condescending or patronizing them. Get the tone right and go from there.
4. How to Structure Paragraphs #1 – Business letters are not read the same way as articles, reports, or books. Usually, they are read by people in a hurry. Business people looking for answers. Quickly. Structure your material so that it’s easy for the reader to find the answers to these questions. Don’t make them dig it out. Use short paragraphs, lots of information rich headings, bullet points and useful summaries.
5. How to Structure Paragraphs #2- Fine-tune each paragraph for purpose, content, and function. If you have a paragraph that cover more than one idea, consider dividing it into two or more paragraphs. Likewise, if two paragraphs cover the same ground, merge them into one.
6. Be Specific – don’t mix two ideas in the same paragraph. Make it easy for the reader by giving each topic its own paragraph. Use language that describe your ideas correctly and highlights the relative importance of each concept.
7. Understand Relative Importance – Use phrases such as "most important," "major," or "primary" when discussing business concepts you want to emphasize. Use phrases such as "a minor point to consider" or "least important" to introduce ideas of less importance.
8. List Key Points – Use verb-leading lists whenever possible. These are lists that start with a strong action verb. Lists also help the reader identify the important points and get a feel for the material with a quick scan.
9. Prioritize Information – Consider how you introduce and position important information. Remember, content at the start and end of the paragraph tend to be read first. People scan documents. Critical business information buried in the middle of long paragraphs is easily overlooked. Knowing this, put important information in high-visibility points.
10. Get the Tone Right – Consider the tone and word choice when writing negative or critical communications. For example, in a ‘negative’ project assessment email, you can thank the team member for reader for their input or involvement but state that you cannot comply with their wishes. Then follow this response with your explanation.

Business writing is not difficult but…

Business writing is not difficult. What makes it hard is that the way we approach it defeats our purpose. Your goal as a business writer, oddly enough, is to write less.

Why?

Because every time you write something, you goal should be to push it towards completion. Write your emails so that your team knows what to do next and don’t come back looking for clarification. Write your status report so that your Project Manager know the risks and issues and doesn’t reply looking for more information.

PS – do you have a favorite book by Hemingway?

About the Author: Ivan Walsh provides Business Tips for Smart People on Klariti.com. His also writes on the Business Plan Blog at http://www.ivanwalsh.com

‘Always be closing’, Alec Baldwin in GlenGarry Glen Ross.

Don’t know about you but I didn’t like business writing when I started out. It took forever to write white papers, data sheets, and other sales materials. One of the reasons was that it was ‘assumed’ the customer preferred lengthy documents that covered all aspects of the product/service we were offering. How wrong we all were. Sure, it had it’s place but not all documents had to be long. And it’s the same with your Business Plan. It doesn’t have to be fifty of sixty pages. If you can get it under twenty – and keep the material focused – then do it.

14 Ways To Improve Your Business Plan

This brings us onto my buddy Alec Baldwin. Here are fourteen ways to improve your next Business Plan, Proposal, or White Paper as inspired by Alex Baldwin’s slightly nasty character in GlenGarry Glen Ross. If you haven’t seen the movie, get it! He’s a monster salesman trying to motivate his sales team on a rain-drenched night. They only have a few leads left. He uses every motivational technique (youtube video link) he can. Encouragement. Sympathy. Anger. Insults. Abuse. Lots of abuse, actually. Some make it, others don’t…

In Sales, Always Be Closing

Always be closing. What he means is, look at the prospect real hard, understand their problem, see where, how and when you can warm them up, generate some interest, move them onto the right path, and then make the sale. The best salesmen don’t make it feel like a sale. They turn the situation around. The prospect wants them to accept their money. How does this apply to your business documents?

Business Documents Are Sales Documents, Right?

Business documents as sales documents. Not everyone sees it like that. Well, at least not at first. The purpose of every business document is to move the prospect closer to a sale, transaction, or some other form of commitment.

Every sentence, table, and image should be pushing the prospect towards the finishing line.

‘Always be closing.’

Ok, maybe not today, but at some distant point, you want them to open their wallet otherwise you won’t stay in business too long. So, where do we start?

14 Tips on Better Business Plan Writing

Let’s look at style, format, writing and length:

1. Write it last - When writing business plans, business proposals, grants or case studies, write the main document first, and then Executive Summary last. Some prefer to write it first and get it out of the way. That’s why I don’t. It’s too important to rush through.
2. Introduction – The Executive Summary is not the Introduction. It’s a high-level document that should be able to stand apart from the main document.
3. Always be closing – while this is a business document, add some sales pixie dust to your text. Every sentence should push the prospect towards making the sale.
4. Preface – The Executive Summary is not a preface. Same as above.
5. One Pager – The Executive Summary is your Business Plan reduced to one page. Remember the idea of an advert for your business plan. Think of it in those terms.
6. Abstract – The Executive Summary is not an abstract of your business plan, proposal or grant. It’s the ‘ad’ for your business plan. It say, ‘Hey read me, I’m interesting. Want to know more, read on!’
7. Standalone – Investors and prospective customers should be able to read it by itself and understand your business proposition instantly. Write it as a standalone document and you can’t go wrong. Don’t fudge the key points. Every sentence should push the prospect towards wanting to know more. Generate interest.
8. Call to Action – Every line should encourage the prospect to move towards taking action. After reading it, they should be prompted to take action, for example, call your Sales team, get more information about your product, sign up for a newsletter, download a trial product, or request more information about your product line. What’s the one thing you want them to do after reading the exec summary?
9. Short – Investors, Customers, Journalists and Business Bloggers should be able to read it in less than five minutes. If you can’t write in less than 300 words, then print it out, review it, and start again.
10. Focus – While the Business Plan proper may discuss several areas, focus on the key points. Don’t cover too much. Grab the reader’s attention and make sure they want to turn the page and read more…
11. Prioritize the key points – Write your business plan so that the most important points are introduced first. Don’t relegate or bury important points down the first page. Place them in the first or second paragraphs. This is where you hook the reader’s attention. Make sure the most interesting parts of your document are introduced first.
12. Framework for main document – if you do write the Executive Summary first, and maybe this suits your own writing style, then use it as a launch pad or cornerstone for the rest of the document. Many business writers prefer this approach. Otherwise write the maintenance chapters first, digest the material, and then write the Executive Summary based on what you’ve read.
13. Grab attention – Your Executive Summary shouldn’t be boring. Read what you wrote. Does it excite you? If not, how you can make it more interesting, more engaging, more intriguing. Don’t go overboard but look at little ways to draw the reader in. See if you can add a personal story or human interest element that will interest the reader.
14. I’m a Big Deal! - You might be forgiven for thinking that all business writing was meant to be dry. It’s not. Look at best-selling business writers like Chris Brogan. Their style is personal, immediate and factual. It engages you; you want to read more. No-one’s forcing you. Look at how Neil Patel does it on Quick Sprout. He’s a big deal, y’know. Investors read hundreds of business plans every year. They make snap decisions based on the opening pages. Make sure your opening generate enough interest to whet their appetite.

Conclusion

One of the strange things about writing business documents for a living is that the older I get, the less I write. I don’t mean I do less work, rather the word count goes down. I think this is partly due to the education system whereby long documents are seen and valued more than pithy and sharp summaries. Maybe that’s changed. The mentality longer is better runs deep and for novice business writers it can be hard to resist the temptation to keep typing.

What do you think?

About the Author: Ivan Walsh provides Business Tips for Smart People on Klariti.com. His also runs the popular Business Planning Blog at http://www.ivanwalsh.com. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ivanwalsh

Let’s say you’re about to write your first Business Plan. Or maybe write another one for a new business. Or maybe re-write a Business Plan that didn’t work in the past. And you have a choice… You can trawl the web and download some free Business Plan or get out the credit card and buy one. Tricky, isn’t it? There is so much out there, it’s hard to resist. Ok, why am I rambling on about this?

What Google Thinks of Business Plans

A quick search on Google shows us that the business community has some strong opinions on the value of business plans. Some deride them as antiquated whereas others see them as the foundation stone for a business growth. Who’s right? Well, it would be nice if someone did some research on the value of business plans. Actually, they have and Tim Berry presented the findings.

can Business Plan Software really Help your Business?

Here is a quote from a paper presented to the University of Oregon Department of Economics by Eason Ding and Tim Hursey:

Results suggest that planning with software is highly correlated with subsequent successes for a variety of firms.’

Business Plan Software, a closer look

Tim Berry is the founder of the well-respected Palo Alto Software (Business Plan Pro software firm) and, in fairness, flags this upfront.

He explains, “Palo Alto Software asked thousands of Business Plan Pro users a couple of dozen questions about their businesses, goals, type of business, years in existence, and business planning. Almost 3,000 people responded.”

The research findings suggests that those who finished their business plans were about twice as likely to:

1. Successfully grow their business,
2. Get investment, or
3. Land a loan than those who didn’t.

You can see the numbers on the chart above

What’s the real reason Business Plan Software Makes A Difference.

The researchers used the completion of a business plan as the explanatory variable, the success of the business plan as the dependent variable, and a number of related results – original intent of the plan, type of company, stage of company growth, and so on – as controlling variables.

Tim’s interoperation, which I largely agree with, is that ‘

completing a business plan correlated with increased success in every one of the business objectives that came up in the study (which were: getting a loan, making a major purchase, getting investment, recruiting a new team member, thinking more strategically, and growing the company). In every one of these cases, well beyond the threshold of statistical validity, completing a business plan improved the proportion of respondents who achieved the goal.

The authors of the study said:

The analysis indicates that completion of a business plan is positively correlated with every success variable indicated, even when controlling for intent of using the business plan.

And here’s their conclusion:

Except in a small number of cases, business planning appeared to be positively correlated with business success as measured by our variables. While our analysis cannot say that completing a business plan will lead to success, it does indicate that the type of entrepreneur who completes a business plan is also more likely to run a successful business.

the problem with free

I’m not sure it’s to do with the software or the templates….

Why?

I feel that when you make an investment in something, for example, buying business planning software or templates out of your back pocket, then you’re more likely to follow through. It’s not guaranteed but no-one likes to buy something and then let it sit there on your hard drive doing nothing.

For example, the investments I make in my career, business and people ensure that I am more likely to follow through and less likely to take them for granted. I’ve invested in them financially or emotionally and dont want to see the investment wasted.

In a society where ‘Freemium’ is seen as a new business model, we may need to consider the true returns we get from paying for things.

If you get it for free, do you really value it? Does paying for something mean you value it more?

About the Author: Ivan Walsh provides Business Tips for Smart People on Klariti.com. His also runs the popular Business Plan Blog at http://www.ivanwalsh.com

PS: The Business Plan Template is here.Discloser: I work as a consultant for Klariti Ltd just so you know and all. I still think this template pack is the best ten bucks you’ll spend this week

This article is about writing headlines, summaries and abstracts. Before we start, what is an Abstract?

Philip Koopman, at Carnegie Mellon University, reminds us that, “Writing an efficient abstract is hard work, but will repay you with increased impact on the world by enticing people to read your publications. Make sure that all the components of a good abstract are included in the next one you write.”

Photo Credit Pjern

Why We read Abstracts and Summaries?

When you open your inbox every Monday morning and see a stream of emails crying for attention. Which do you choose? I’d guess it’s the ones with the snappiest headlines, like these:

• Zen and the Art of Remarkable Blogging
• A Simple Four-Step Strategy for Developing Content That Connects
• The Benjamin Franklin Guide to Marketing Your Business Online
• Five Common Headline Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
• Become a Master of Metaphor and Multiply Your Blogging Effectiveness
• Metaphor, Simile and Analogy: What’s the Difference?

These are from CopyBlogger .com and show how smart headlines can tickle your fancy. So, when you read, ‘Are You Leaving Your Readers Out of the Conversation?’ you can’t help but start to answer the question in your mind. And when you do that, you open the article and start to read.

So, good headlines act like hooks bringing you into the story.

Abstracts are also important. We have an ever-increasing need for quick access to information we rely on abstracts and summaries to provide a snapshot of what’s in the article.

If you visualize it as a pyramid, on the top is headlines, then summaries, and then the body of the article. You can see how one leads to the other.

How To Write An Abstract

You have two options. Write it before you start on the main document or after you’ve finished writing, take a break and explore:

• What is the main subject in this article?
• What conclusion has the writer made?
• What message does the writer want to convey?
• What do you want the reader to do after reading the document?

Analyze this and define it in one sentence – this is your ‘topic’ sentence.

Write one topic sentence that covers the entire document, regardless of whether the document is a five page letter or a hundred page annual report.

1. Getting Ideas

Then, look at the recommendations, conclusions, summaries, and results in the final document. When abstracting a technical manual, look at the tutorials and see if these help form the topic sentence.

2. Don’t Use the Document’s Title

Avoid using the formal name of the document as this can be misleading and may not help you write the topic sentence. Chances are the ‘working title’ will be too vague. Parts of the title might serve as modifiers in your topic sentence, but you’ll probably need to go beyond the title.

3. Be Specific

Make the topic sentence as specific as possible.

Avoid writing

“This report describes [document title].”

Instead, write something like

“The results of this [subject] study show that [result].”

4. Use Supporting Sentences

After you identify your topic sentence, write supporting sentences. Make each of these supply specific details about the ideas in the topic sentence. Think of what supports the topic sentence.

• Who?
• What?
• Where?
• When?
• Why?
• How? and
• How much?

Give statistics, results, conclusions, or recommendations that back up the topic sentence. Only use two or three major supporting ideas. Include the less important evidence as subordinate clauses and modifiers.

5. Use Transitions

Arrange the supporting sentences in a logical sequence after the topic sentence. Add whatever transition is needed to connect the supporting sentences to the topic sentence and to connect ideas within the sentences to each other.

Re-write the sentences to improve the connections.

10 Other Ways to Write a Better Abstract

1. Write the abstract only when the document is finished. Abstracts written before then are just previews.
2. If you are forced to write an abstract before the document is completed, think about its purpose and write a topic sentence. Keep in mind that you’ll need to rewrite the abstract when the document is finished because it will no longer accurately reflect the contents of the document.
3. Before starting the abstract, list your thoughts on the document. Group related items together.
4. Prioritize the list and put the most important group first. The first few groups form the core of the topic sentence. The rest lead to supporting sentences.
5. If you can’t create a topic sentence, write the supporting sentences first. The topic sentence may then become obvious.
6. Write for an audience not necessarily up to speed in your subject area. This is important because you never know who will read your abstract.
7. Choose acronyms, abbreviations, and technical terms carefully as they may confuse many readers.
8. Define the scope of the project in the abstract.
9. Re-read your abstract after several days have passed and remove superfluous information and padding.

This technique works for documents of any length from a couple of pages to multi-volumes.

Using Keywords in Abstracts

I’ve added this in as many business documents are published directly to the web. This tip applies to writing abstracts, headlines and summaries.

Use keywords in your Titles, Abstracts, Headlines are documents are file electronically. As users search for documents by keywords, write the documents headings with these keywords in mind.

Likewise, your abstract must contain keywords that about the article, proposal, or report so readers can retrieve it quickly.

What other ways can we improve our business documents?

About the Author: Ivan Walsh provides Business Tips for Smart People on Klariti.com. His also runs the popular Business Planning Blog at http://www.ivanwalsh.com

Carsten Mende explains how loan words are used in China and Japan. These are English words that are commonly used in everyday Chinese, (i.e. loaned) but may not translate correctly if taken literally. He looks at how the ‘Chinese and Japanese languages incorporate English terms and how they are used’ and gives suggestions on what to avoid when translating documentation into these languages.

Difference between English, Chinese and Japanese syllables

He starts by showing the different between how syllables are created in these languages. And as someone who has studied Chinese for a few years, it’s both fascinating and frustrating. Oranges and apples, so to speak.

Latin – allows ‘numerous variations for combining letters and the amount of syllables is extremely large. English has more than 11,000 syllables.

Chinese and Japanese is very different: Chinese (Mandarin) is written in characters; each reflects a syllable and not a single letter.

Adopting loan words in Chinese and Japanese

He shows three mechanisms for the adaptation of English words in both languages:

• Phonemic way
• Semantic way
• Adaptation without any transformation

For example: Coffee 咖啡 ka fei

Suggestions

He cautions that when translating or transferring into a foreign language, ‘even obvious things may shape up as something completely different. So you should always treat your customer attentively, take him seriously and be prepared to communicate in his mother tongue.’

Read Carsten Mende here

Opportunities

The quality of technical documentation in China is often very poor. It’s not for lack of trying, rather they lack experience technical writers and have had little exposure to international audiences.

For foreigners this represents a huge opportunity. Technical writers who can come to China and test the waters could do very well. The pay is increasing all the time and the cost of living significantly lower than elsewhere.

Fancy moving?

If you want to see great web copy, read Andrew Chen. I’m going to show you his top 15 posts from last year. What do you see? The headlines are very compelling; smart little nuggets that draw you in. The secret is how he combines several copywriting techniques so well. It looks seamless. And that’s what makes it so great.

What Andrew Chen Can Teach You About Writing Killer Headlines

Let’s look at the first seven. Remember, Andrew writes about business models, design and metrics. Not very sexy. But, armed with the right attitude…

1. How to create a profitable Freemium startup (spreadsheet model included!)

Includes Freemium (good keyword) and adds the spreadsheet teaser. How many headlines have you seen include offers in brackets?

2. Built to Fail: How companies like Google, IDEO, and 37signals build failure-tolerant systems for anything!

Nice twist on Built to Last, the best-seller business book.

3. Free to Freemium: 5 lessons learned from YouSendIt.com

Squeezes two killer keywords, uses a number to grab attention, lessons learned implies that there will be some benefit for you the reader into the same headline

4. Product design debt versus Technical debt

Product design Technical debt. Four short words, nice and punchy.

5. Friends versus Followers: Twitter’s elegant design for grouping contacts

Do you see a pattern emerging here? Andrew counterbalances popular keywords (Twitter) against Friends and Followers. Also, ‘versus’ implies conflict or tension. A nice way to stir the reader’s emotions.

6. 5 warning signs: Does A/B testing lead to crappy products?

Crappy isn’t seen in too many headlines. When’s the last time you saw it?

7. Freemium business model case study: AdultFriendFinder ARPU, churn, and conversion rates

The 7^th most popular article has 13 words, including several acronyms, all flying in the face of convention wisdom.

FYI Andrew is here http://andrewchenblog.com/2010/01/03/top-posts-for-2009-freemium-design-and-metrics/

Those are the first seven on his list. Here’s the rest.

8. Which startup’s collapse will end the Web 2.0 era?

9. 2009 conference schedule for the digital media industry

10. Does every startup need a Steve Jobs?

My Fav!

11. Why low-fidelity prototyping kicks butt for customer-driven design

12. What if interviews poorly predict job performance? What if dating poorly predicts marital happiness?

13. How to calculate cost-per-acquisition for startups relying on freemium, subscription, or virtual items biz models

14. 5 crucial stages in designing your viral loop

15. Age (and ARPPU) ain’t nothing but a number: Data on how age impacts social gaming monetization

Over to you

What do you think of these headings? It’s not PC, it’s not the ‘correct’ way – but I think it works?

Does it work for you?

Ben Parr (Mashable) asks: “Say your project manager comes to you with his proposal that will be going out to investors, business partners, and potential clients.

Then you find that your manager has used “4” instead of “four”, “r” instead of “are”, and abbreviations such as lol, atm, and idk.

How would you react? “How To Mind Your Grammar On The Web.

When is it appropriate to use this type of language shorthand?

Ben has come up with this short guide on grammar on the web for business:

Do: Understand your audience and understand your company’s personality, especially when communicating with customers.

Do: Utilize some forms of Internet shorthand while tweeting.  Occasionally abbreviating to fit within the limit is an acceptable practice

Do: Be Authentic. If you’re known as someone that uses shorthand and you’re comfortable with that, then you shouldn’t do a complete 360 in your communications.

Don’t: Use Internet shorthand in emails.  It doesn’t matter whether it’s a customer, an employee, or a potential business client.

Don’t: Use Internet shorthand in business-to-business communication. This includes Facebook, Twitter direct messages, and email.

Ben: http://www.openforum.com/grammar-on-the-web-some-rules-of-thumb-for-business-ben-parr

To this I would add:

• Think Local: don’t write localize (US) when it’s localise for those in the UK
• Jargon – avoid using insider speak that only you and your company use.
• TLA – cut out three-letter-acronyms. Sometimes it’s fine, but if you are going to use it, then make sure you spell it out somewhere in your report, preferably near the start. Otherwise, no-one will have clue when you’re ranting on about.
• Small words are fine. Don’t try to impress people with multi-syllable words and strange noun structures. Keep it simple.

What’s the most common grammar mistake you see on the web?

Lots of dumb mistakes can slip into even the best writing. Here we look specifically at reports and other technical documents to provide authors with a checklist they can use for their work.

1. Numbers that don’t add up

Just one table where the numbers don’t add up correctly is enough to shatter confidence in an entire report. Usually this happens when tables are updated manually.

The best thing to do is to keep all original tables in a spreadsheet and copy them in each time. You can make sure that colleagues are not tempted to make changes manually if you paste tables in as graphics.

2. Incorrect table and figure references

What does a reader think when he/she reads that “evidence is provided in Table 3″ but then is unable to find that table?

Tip: How to choose the Right Style Guide

Or what happens if the reader finds Table 3 but the evidence is completely unrelated because it should have referred to Table 4?

To make sure it doesn’t happen to you, use automatic cross-references.

3. Unsourced data

Numbers that appear from nowhere can be just as infuriating as numbers that do not add up. To present a credible argument, evidence needs a source. Insert footnotes as you write.

4. Leaving in details to be completed later

Have you ever come across a document that refers to a XX% increase? A sure-fire way of alerting your reader to careless checking is to leave in phrases like “more details to be added on this later”, or “note to self: check this is correct”.

A good way to avoid this is to agree a format for all comments within your company and for everyone to adopt the same one.

That way a search can pick these out. You can also use automatic tools to find these errors. PerfectIt contains a test that scans documents for any of these editorial comments that have been left in.

5. Blinding with science

Technical reports are often intended for a non-technical audience. Sometimes authors can get away with blinding the audience with technical language and complex theory.

More often, authors that try that will have to face a complete re-write. Technical explanations belong in an annex, keep the flow of your text simple.

6. False accuracy

The way that numbers are presented conveys important information about confidence in the result.

If the benefit to the US economy is $1billion, it means that it could be anywhere from $0.5bn to $1.5bn. If the benefit to the US economy is $1,050,023,178 then it means we are confident that the benefit is exactly $1,050,023,178. The degree of rounding should reflect the degree of confidence and the likely range implied.

7. Inconsistent writing

There are an incredible number of consistency errors that can creep into technical documents, especially if there is more than one author. A review of those can be found here. With careful checking and tools like PerfectIt, you can cut down on consistency errors and present your results in your corporate style

8. Over-reliance on spell check

Spell-check is a great tool. But it cannot spot every error. It’s easy to write the word “manage” without the second “a”. A Google search shows that there are thousands of documents that use the phrase “project manger”. Errors like these can be difficult to spot and can also be the most embarrassing when clients find them. PerfectIt includes a test for some of the most frequently found typos andcustomised versions of PerfectIt can be geared to specific industries to increase the power of automated checking.

9. Less is more

Technical reports are not paid for by the word. So long reports are not an advantage. They are difficult to read and harder to check. Sharp, concise reports that are accompanied by more detailed annexes and supporting evidence are better for making almost any case.

10. Acronyms / abbreviations that are not defined

TLAs help to keep your text short. However, if your readers do not know that ‘TLA’ stands for ‘three letter acronym’ then it’s important that you define the word in its first instance. Tools like PerfectIt can be used to scan your text for acronyms that are missing a definition as well as instances where the acronym is used long before the definition appears. A table of acronyms can also be helpful for the reader and PerfectIt can generate this automatically.

More mistakes

What mistakes annoy you the most? Is there a simple solution? Drop us a line and let us know what you think are the worst mistakes in business writing. We’ll put the best entries on the Intelligent Editing website.

About the Author

Daniel Heuman, Founder, Intelligent Editing Ltd.

Intelligent Editing Ltd specializes in software solutions that deliver faster, more accurate editing for professionals. http://intelligentediting.com

Grant writers can become certified online, but they are generally judged by their experience and training. Become a grant writer with tips from a credentialed teacher in this free video on writing lessons.

Grant writers can become certified online, but they are generally judged by their experience and training. Become a grant writer with tips from a credentialed teacher in this free video on writing lessons.