28. Why is it important for professionals to write well? Part 2

07/28/20 • 28 min

Good writing is not complicated. As one guest notes, “it’s about injecting personality, making it engage and entertaining for your audience. But most importantly, it's about structure. ... How is one paragraph leading to the next, how are they connected? The worst kind of writing, and we all see it all the time, is just rambling. It's not at all clear. People get lost and the idea gets lost.”

This is the second part of our two-episode conversation about the value of effective business writing.

In this episode, Jeff Bradford, Laura Brown, and Ryan Craig join us again to discuss:

How writing and critical thinking go hand-in-hand—and why practice makes perfect.

Why employers are often reluctant to teach remedial writing skills.

The characteristics of good writing: storytelling, personality, metaphors, and symbols.

Websites and other hacks that professionals can use to improve the quality of their writing.

Jeff Bradford leads a PR and advertising agency, The Bradford Group. A former journalist, he wrote a 2019 Forbes article entitled, “Why Writing Ability Is The Most Important Skill In Business (And How To Acquire It)”.

Laura Brown is a writer and writing coach, and the author of two bestselling books: “How to Write Anything: A Complete Guide,” and “The Only Business Writing Book You'll Ever Need.”

Ryan Craig is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of University Ventures, and the author of “College Disrupted: The Great Unbundling of Higher Education,” and “A New U: Faster + Cheaper Alternatives to College.”

This is the second part of our two-episode conversation about the value of effective business writing.

In this episode, Jeff Bradford, Laura Brown, and Ryan Craig join us again to discuss:

How writing and critical thinking go hand-in-hand—and why practice makes perfect.

Why employers are often reluctant to teach remedial writing skills.

The characteristics of good writing: storytelling, personality, metaphors, and symbols.

Websites and other hacks that professionals can use to improve the quality of their writing.

Laura Brown is a writer and writing coach, and the author of two bestselling books: “How to Write Anything: A Complete Guide,” and “The Only Business Writing Book You'll Ever Need.”

Previous Episode

27. Why is it important for professionals to write well? Part 1

As one of our guests asserts, “it's very, very difficult to get to the top in any organization without being able to communicate in writing.”

But how to become a better writer? Consider these two suggestions from another guest: “One is just simply read more and read better stuff. And secondly, write a lot. The more you write, the better you're going to get.”

This is the first part of our two-episode conversation about the value of effective business writing.

In this episode, Jeff Bradford, Laura Brown, and Ryan Craig join us to discuss:

Why schools don’t prepare students to write well.

How business writing is more interactive than many other forms of writing.

The characteristics of poor writing: verbose, full of jargon, and failing to consider for the reader’s needs.

Why professionals rarely receive feedback on their writing—and how executives model often bad habits.

Laura Brown is a writer and writing coach, and the author of two bestselling books: “How to Write Anything: A Complete Guide,” and “The Only Business Writing Book You'll Ever Need.”