Skip to main content

Book Review: Brilliant Business Writing - How to inspire, engage and persuade through words


I thought I would change it up a little bit since I promised to review small business resources as well so this month we’ll take a look at Brilliant Business Writing by Neil Taylor.  I would like to start off by saying it is brilliant because he gives a lot of advice that I give in my workshops myself and use on a daily basis with my writing projects! 

All kidding aside, I enjoyed Taylor’s tongue in cheek, humorous approach to a sometimes very dry subject.  Most of us who call writing our passion and vocation can devour (and enjoy) books on writing that others would find extremely dull.  I would say that Brilliant Business Writing is a resource for any level of writer.  A novice writer will probably pick it up and read it cover to cover in one sitting.  The more veteran writer may keep it on the desk and refer to it periodically over a month or so and read a few pages at a time while waiting for large documents to download or for the computer to boot up (as I did).  I found myself nodding and grinning as Taylor gave examples of language use blunders he’s come across in his career.

In the first pages of the book he suggests that the reader “think of it like circuit training:  you’ll be gradually building up your linguistic muscle.”  I love this metaphor!  He goes on to say that good business writing should be clear and concise but you should inject stories, rhythm and metaphor to keep it from being boring.  He gives great analogies like suggesting that you approach your writing like an actor in a play.  An actor can show up, say their lines accurately and on cue and walk through the right doors but if they’re not lively and engaging they won’t be winning any Tony Awards.  “Writing is a presentation you’re not in the room to deliver,” says Taylor.

He has a whole chapter on “Myth Busting” and my favorite chapter is called “Don’t Hedge.”  Basically, the message is all about not dancing around bad news.  He recommends a straight forward approach and saying it like it is.

Every chapter is spotted with “Brilliant Tips” or little tidbits of information to get you thinking like “Check what you write by reading it aloud.”  I agree that this is a great proofreading strategy and works beautifully to catch awkward sentences and other errors.

Improving your writing requires lots of practice and often reminding yourself of good, basic writing habits and strategies to grab and keep an audience.  At the end of the book Taylor says, “Keep this on your desk and on a slow day you’ll be able to dip in for a linguistic top-up.”  Not a bad idea, really.

Comments

Hi Anne - thanks for commenting on my blog. I just read your profile and I also spent so many years writing for business - there was a time when I feared that the best thing anyone would be able to say about my work was, "she wrote a darn good memo!" But what I've realized is that there is so much good discipline in that kind of writing - we are forced to edit and revise and edit and revise - an important thing that many never get the hang of. I'm following your blog now and invite you to follow mine. Regards,
Melissa

Popular posts from this blog

Adverbs & Cliches in a Nutshell - Guest Post by Jessica Bell

Too many adverbs and clichés in your writing? I've got just the fix for you. by Jessica Bell Writers constantly have rules thrown at them left, right, and center. Show, don’t tell! Stop using so many dialogue tags! More sensory detail! More tension! Speed up the pace! Yada yada yada ... it can become overwhelming, yes? I used to feel overwhelmed by it all too. In fact, I still do sometimes. It’s hard enough to get the words on the page, let alone consider how to put them there. In Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird , she says that in order not to be overwhelmed, a writer needs to focus on short assignments. She refers to the one-inch picture frame on her desk and how that little picture frame reminds her to focus on bite-sized pieces of the whole story. Basically, if you focus on one small thing at a time, the story will eventually come together to create a whole. I believe the same applies to learning the craft of writing. If writers focus on one aspect of the craft at a time, t

Virtual Book Tour for The Healing Begins April 23

As we approach launch day for Lynda Faye Schmidt's novel, The Healing , a women's fiction/family drama based on the author's life, we're excited to announce the blog tour schedule and introduce you to the bloggers and book reviewers who have joined the tour. The tour begins on launch day, April 23rd. Take a look, follow these bloggers and make sure you visit on the tour dates indicated (check back regularly for updates): Pre-Tour - March 2 - Thrive Global - pre-launch announcement  April 16 - Fit for Joy - pre-launch podcast interview with Lynda April 23 - IndieView - author Q&A with Lynda April 24 -  Canadian Bookworm  - featuring a guest blog by Lynda, "What Inspired Me" April 26 - Dartmouth Book Exchange - author spotlight April 29 - Storybook Reviews - review May 4 -  Help Me Sara  - podcast interview May 13 -  My Question Life  - review and author interview June 30 - Reader's Favorite - review  As new bloggers come on board we will update our

The Author-Preneur – Are you Ready for it? Book review: APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur by Guy Kawasaki and Shawn Welch

“Starting your book is only the first five miles of a twenty-six mile marathon that’s one-third of a triathlon.” APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur If you’re a self-published author or are contemplating taking the plunge (for whatever reason), be prepared for the demand of being an ‘Author-Preneur.’ Actually, it’s not a bad idea to do it even if you’re traditionally published. Start switching your mind-set from, ‘I’ve got to sit down and get a chapter done today’ to ‘I’ve got to sit down and write a chapter today AND post a tweet about my progress, share a sneak preview on Facebook, take that tutorial on how to convert to ebooks, and review the cover design proposals that are sitting in my in-box.’ There are plenty of books, blogs, websites, newsletters and videos out there on how to do it all... some helpful and others not so much. One that I would highly recommend is Guy Kawasaki’s and Shawn Welch’s APE: Author, Publisher,Entrepreneur . It takes you through the entire