In a casual conversation about the “Save The Monkey in the Middle Website,” a coworker who graduated college just a couple (ha!) of years before me suggested this book. It is probably out of print but seems available in the book reseller world at bargain prices. Written in 1983, all of it’s content is still very relevant today.

Bottom line (business) writing is important and more often than not, we get tied up in minutiae when we are sending a message. Over and over again in long and boring emails or memos, the point is buried somewhere in the middle or end. The reader has to go through hundreds of words, wasting time that could be spent on other tasks, to decipher the purpose of the correspondence.

“Bottom Line Business Writing” calls out 13 rules to effectively send a message. Everything revolves around rule #1: “state your purpose first unless there are overriding reasons for not doing so.”  We are all guilty of writing around the point we are trying to convey, giving too much detail to the wrong person, and hiding the true reason of our correspondence. Why? Because it is a bad habit many of us have picked up and is very hard to break. All of these rules should be put on a poster and prominently displayed in the workspace!

For each bottom line rule, “Bottom Line Business Writing” gives actual examples to highlight the point. Very easy read and recommended to anyone who communicates in any written form.  I will be reviewing the rules periodically to keep me focused.

References

Bottom Line Business Writing (1983). Fielden, John S. & Dulek Ronald E. Prentice Hall Trade: Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. 152 Pages.