Phrasing it right: The case for good professional writing

Writing as a human endeavour has stayed prominent over the ages because it is irreplaceable. It offers opportunities the spoken medium does not.Impressive professional writing is indispensable for several worthy achievements. It is clear, persuasive and carries a narrative that attracts endorsement. It carries and creates value and enabled by technology today, can make an unimaginable impact in extremely rewarding ways

The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter– ‘tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning

—Mark Twain

Writing is an art that seems to have seen its own trajectory in modern times. From language continually changing with inclusion of new words and trending abbreviations, with the appearance of technology-driven tools like autocorrect and phenomena like instant writing and posting on social media, it is difficult to discern the value of the craft of writing today. However, despite the presence of technology-assisted writing, it is undeniable that well-crafted writing is a human marvel and in academic and professional settings, it can propel careers. It is, at once, a synthesis of knowledge, judicious thought and pragmatism, which can be of tremendous importance at work.

What is good professional writing, then? Why should we and how do we “phrase it right”?

First of all, we must understand that writing as a human endeavour has stayed prominent over the ages because it is irreplaceable. It offers opportunities the spoken medium does not by giving us space to reflect upon a composition, instead of instantaneously compelling responses from people. Good professional writing is thus a judicious composition, which offers possibilities only the written word has to offer. The right email, the right offer letter or the right way to raise a request can make a world of difference to how work takes place. Consider the case study of Priyanka Murthy, documented by Forbes, who started Access79, a “try-before-you-buy” luxury jewellery service.

“To start the company, Murthy needed jewelry designers. So she reached out to them via email. She knew storytelling would be essential to persuading designers she had no existing relationship with. It’s true that people make decisions based on facts, she says, but they also decide based on their gut, and stories address that. Stories are part of what Murthy calls people’s “decision-making metric.” […] In the first line, she intrigued her audience by establishing what she calls “authentic relatability.” So she introduced herself as a fellow designer. After building this rapport with her audience, she added a line letting them know how she knew of this designer and why she wanted to work with them. The emails were especially powerful, Murthy notes, if she could say, “a client told me about you.” […] After this intriguing opening, she’d explain her business model using only one line, so that she could quickly move on to a story about why Access79 was important. […] Murthy then ended with the line, “We’re launching Access79 to solve this problem.” She then asked them if they would be willing to meet with her face-to-face.”

This approach garnered enough response for her endeavour to be adequately supported, and all of it happened through a carefully crafted email. The same can apply to countless professional scenarios and therefore, good professional writing is definitely a skill worth mastering. As the aforementioned example illustrates, good writing tells a convincing story, is composed using words with clarity and is full of particularities that pique the interest sought. Bill Birchard, writing for HBR, comments,“If you write “Profits are loved by investors,” for example, instead of “Investors love profits,” you’re switching the standard positions of the verb and the direct object. That can cut comprehension accuracy by 10% and take a tenth of a second longer to read. […] Specifics awaken a swath of brain circuits. Think of “pelican” versus “bird.” Or “wipe” versus “clean.” In one study, the more-specific words in those pairs activated more neurons in the visual and motor-strip parts of the brain than did the general ones, which means they caused the brain to process meaning more robustly.”

On the whole, impressive professional writing is indispensable for several worthy achievements. It is clear, persuasive and carries a narrative that attracts endorsement. It carries and creates value and enabled by technology today, can make an unimaginable impact in extremely rewarding ways. To quote C.S. Lewis, “You can make anything by writing.”

This is indeed true for the professional world, where the right words can create the most incredible results and the most inspiring successes.

(The author is Founder, Upsurge Global; Venture Partner, Silverneedle Ventures, and Adjunct Professor of EThames College)