Executive Writing Skills for Managers

Master Word Power to Lead Your Teams, Make Strategic Links and Develop Relationships

Fiona Talbot

• Publisher: Kogan Page
• Year: 2009
• Print ISBN: 9780749455187
• eBook ISBN: 9780749458492
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Business Communication
• Index: Business

Executive Writing Skills for Managers deals with the English business writing you need at the top of your career. It focuses on writing English as a key business tool in international business which may have to be tailored for a multicultural readership. The invaluable guidance includes how to harmonize the English you and your teams use (for example, for performance evaluation, sales pitch etc) and introduces the notion of Word Power Skills 2.0 for unified writing that keeps everyone in the loop.



The book is for anyone who has to excel in their English business writing and the guidance helps you understand how to write successfully for both a native or non-native English readership, avoiding the misunderstandings and other impediments to performance that can so easily arise.

1

English as a language of global communication

Defining readers, customers and audience

Throughout this book I use the terms readers, target readership, customers and audience interchangeably. I use ‘customer’ both in its most common usage as a person who buys goods or services from a business, and in the broadest sense of signifying a person that you deal with in the course of your daily work. So the term applies just as much to internal colleagues, suppliers, those in the public sector etc as it does to those who are external buying consumers.

Your audience can be anyone and everyone

I use many practical examples and scenarios in this book that relate to standard sales or customer pitches. Because we are all consumers in our private lives, we can easily relate to and understand these examples. What I would like to stress is that the concepts apply equally to every scenario in the list that follows. Think of lobbying; think of politics; think of charities; think of fundraising; think of promotions.

Cross-cultural differences in writing

Agree on the business English to use in your sector

Before considering how to deal with any cross-cultural differences in writing, it is a good idea to define what you mean by business English. This may be for:

• communicating within your organization;
• communicating with external readers generally;
• communicating with a particular sector.

You see, there can be far-reaching consequences if you unknowingly mix modes.

Let me explain what I mean by business English. As we know, English is a major language of commercial communication generally. It is also the world’s language of the internet and global access to knowledge. Business English is quite simply the name given to the English used for dealing with business communication in English. Defining English itself is more complicated, however, as there are many varieties.

I use a ‘standard UK English’ throughout this book that is likely to be understood in international business. It is the English you see in most mainstream UK English dictionaries and grammar books – though it may not be used in a standard way by differing cultures. So this book is about helping you design English writing that works for most readers.

When I write in this book about ‘native English speakers’, I mean anyone who speaks any variety of English as their first language. Non-native English speakers may learn English in any of the following categories: English as an acquired language (EAL), English as a foreign language (EFL) and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL), which are self-explanatory terms; and English as a second language (ESL). In the ESL category, learners are likely to be in a setting where the main or official language is English but their native tongue is not. It can be a confusing term when used to describe someone who is actually learning English as a third or fourth language, as can be the case.

There is some debate within academic circles as to which of these terms (or others) should be used. As this is not an academic but a business-oriented book, I choose to use a different convention here. Throughout the book you will find that I use:

• the term native English (NE) speaker or writer to denote a person whose first language is English, and native English (NE) writing to refer to their writing;
• the term non-native English (non-NE) speaker or writer to denote a person whose first language is not English, and non-native English (non-NE) writing to refer to their writing.

Without a doubt, the way English can be written in business can puzzle both NE and non-NE speakers alike. Sometimes it is because non-NE writers use it in unusual ways. One example that springs to mind is the continental-European use of the word ‘handy’ to mean ‘mobile phone’ in UK English or ‘cellphone’ in US English.

At other times, written English can puzzle readers because of the different varieties of English. Alongside UK English, you will find US English, Australian English, Caribbean English, Indian English, Singapore English and South African English, to name just some.

Then we find instances such as Chinglish (Chinese-English), Manglish (Malaysian-English) and Singlish (Singapore-English), where English is mixed with some of the language patterns of the native country. Users of Chinglish, to take just one example, may understand perfectly what they mean. But they may still fall into the trap of mistranslating (even to the point of unintelligibility) for the foreign reader. Naturally enough, these mistranslations appear where foreigners are most likely to see them. This can be in public places, on menus in restaurants, on road signs etc, and also where exports are concerned, for example, on product labels or in instructions.

Indeed, during the planning stage for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Chinese authorities rightly anticipated a huge influx of foreign visitors. They identified a need to try to root out some of the problems they knew existed. One municipal spokesman voiced their concern, acknowledging that ‘this misinformation has become a headache for foreigners’. Examples of the Chinglish the authorities identified were:

‘To take notice of safe, the slippery are very crafty’ = Warning: slippery path.

In a gym: ‘The treadmill is in the middle of repairing’ = The treadmill is being repaired.

More non-native speakers of English than native ones

The Chinese are not alone in trying to solve this tricky problem. Did you know that more non-native speakers of English use English than native speakers do?

The UK government currently estimates that more than a billion people speak English, and projections indicate that by 2020 two billion people worldwide will be learning or teaching English. So English is not just for the nation that gives the language its name. It does not belong to a single culture but acts as a bridge across borders and cultures. Whichever variety you choose to use, make sure that it is understood by those with whom you are doing business.

You know how important effective business writing is. Get it right and a company can build on success. Get it wrong and it can contribute to an organization’s failure. Why? Because written words are judged for what they are, when we may not be there to explain them. And it can be difficult enough to get them right first time, even in our native language, let alone a foreign one!

Office guidelines and house style can help

If you are leading cross-cultural teams and you want to manage effectively, be one step ahead. Be aware that each member of the team may approach their writing differently. But it’s not enough simply to note the differences.

Make a difference

You will be a far more effective manager if you draw up guidelines:

• to foster some consistency in corporate approach;
• to help develop effective working relationships in your cross-cultural teams;
• to then consider making these part of any induction programme that your company may operate.

How? Well, I will show you a four-step guide to premier business writing in Chapter 3, which will outline how to go about it. By the end of the book, you should see a way forward to customizing the tips into guidelines that are right for your business.

Part of the reason that every culture may start from a slightly (or even very) different perspective is this. Much depends on national teaching curricula. Also, teachers may even teach English (or at least some aspects of it) wrongly – in this case it can become hard for learners to break bad habits. Even if not taught wrongly, some nationalities are taught rather old-fashioned styles of English that do not suit today’s business writing.

Three practical examples are these. Some teachers still state:

• that passives are always a better writing style than actives;
• that you cannot use personal pronouns such as ‘I’ or ‘we’ in business writing;
• that you can never start a sentence in English with ‘And’ or ‘But’.

But actually you can do all of these things – this sentence is an example of one of them. And native English writers do. Pick up any quality business publication in English and you will find these usages over and over again. If, however, you or your company prefer to observe the rules above, including not starting a sentence with ‘And’ or ‘But’, then that is a different matter. That’s your choice.

Itemize all aspects of what you need to write in English

If you adopt guidelines, be systematic. Itemize all aspects of your writing, so that staff know how to apply house style in each case. Sometimes companies call me in to help as a troubleshooter for specific writing tasks such as report- or minute-wri...

Table of contents

• Title page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• Introduction
• 1. English as a language of global communication
• 2. Writing in English: support your people
• 3. Why we communicate commercially
• 4. Word Power Skills 2.0: interacting with readers as customers
• 5. Adapt: stay ahead or stay behind
• 6. Time is money
• 7. Helping you write those documents
• 8. Writing to lead, inspire – and change
• 9. Writing e-mails
• 10. Feedback and performance reviews
• Conclusion