
"In a world that grows more complex by the moment, simplicity of style becomes increasingly important."
·· Richard Lauchman
Good writing is good business. Simple, straightforward writing saves time, creates good faith, and prevents expensive misunderstandings. But why is it so hard to achieve?
This incisive guide suggests ways to think about writing -- what it should look like and sound like, as well as what it should accomplish -- that can simplify how writers choose to express their ideas. It examines the reasons why many businesspeople with good skills tend to write strange, needlessly complicated sentences -- and shows them how to break the habit.
Plain Style offers 35 practical techniques that foster simplicity, conciseness, and emphasis. For example, readers will learn how to:
- Write with verbs instead of nouns
- Decide when to use active versus passive constructions
- Recognize wordy phrases and redundant expressions
- Distinguish the uses of "that" and "which"
- Put modifiers in the right place
- Use idiomatic expressions
"This book is terrific -- fun to read and full of practical advice! It will be a great help to anyone in business whose success depends upon good writing. I intend to provide a copy for each member of my staff."
John K. Watsen, Vice President for Auditing
Federal National Mortgage Association
"Finally, a book that looks at the English language with humor and compassion, and brings
us back to what we really meant to say."
Marcia B. Riley, Director of Training and Development
Student Loan Marketing Association
"Call us naive, but when we pick up a book on how to improve your
business writing, it had better be pretty damn well written. And Plain
Style: Techniques for Simple, Concise, Emphatic Business Writing is.
Moreover, the author's common-sense attitude toward writing is refreshing.
. . . If you're training fellow workers to be better writers, borrow from
it; if you want to sharpen your own writing, depend on it. Plain Style
won't let you down."
Curriculum Review
"Here's a throughly practical guide to better communication."
Orange County Register
"The author, in an exemplary plain style that's clear, forceful,
persuasive, and humorous, explains how to write for a business audience.
He hacks away at the thicket of phony "rules" you may have picked up over
the years . . . and he shows how clear, concise, and "emphatic" writing
makes you more effective on the job. This excellent short guide to writing
will serve you well."
Soundview Executive Book Summaries
"Plain Style is a fine addition to any memo writer's reference shelf."
Booklist
"Lauchman, who teaches business writing to corporations, adopts a
low-key, practical, sometimes iconoclastic approach to the writing that
people are required to do every day "where money changes hands." He talks
in terms of "the order of words" rather than of dangling participles and
misplaced modifiers. The many examples are often humorous and the
comparisons excellent. . . . Business writers will enjoy and benefit from
Plain Style."
Library Journal
Published by:
American Management Association
135 West 50th Street
New York, NY 10020
(212) 903-8076
Available at bookstores, through amazon.com, or from the publisher.
1324 Wild Oak
Rockville, MD 20852
Telephone 301-315-6040
Fax 301-838-9044
email richard@lauchmangroup.com