Writing That Works; How to Communicate Effectively In Business

I purchased this for a New Leader Program with my government job. I was impressed with how detailed and accurate the information was in the book. It covers emails, professional letters, proposals, and even presentations. This book has been updated 3 times to keep with the current mode of written communication and has been a huge asset in how I communicate with my coworkers, contractors, and the public. Just remember, No Mumbling. Don't know what I'm referring to? I highly recommend this book to find out. It will benefit you in many different ways.

Great book about writing.

This book is a must-read. It is short, succinct and relevant - even (or especially) in our era of email, text messaging and social media. While the book is getting dated, the principles of Keep It Simple Stupid, short and to the point, and use proper grammar - including examples. We all need reminders of how to write effectively, and it is a skill that degrades over time. Email and social media make it worse. Read and refresh. Great for students as well.

In an era where attention spans are shrinking, Writing That Works by Kenneth Roman and Joel Raphaelson serves as an essential guide for anyone looking to cut through the noise. This book is not merely a manual for corporate memos; it is a comprehensive masterclass in effective expression that remains timelessly relevant. What sets this volume apart is its incredible versatility. The authors demonstrate that the principles of good writing are universal, applying them to almost any form of communication. Whether you are drafting an intimate letter to a friend, crafting a persuasive fundraising appeal, or detailing complex plans for organizations, the advice remains potent. The book bridges the gap between personal warmth and professional rigor, proving that clarity is the best courtesy you can pay your reader. True to its title, the book practices what it preaches. The prose is refreshingly clear and concise, stripping away jargon to reveal the core mechanics of persuasion. It is filled with invaluable suggestions—from how to start a speech to the subtle art of the email subject line—that can be immediately applied to improve your daily correspondence. Writing That Works is more than a reference book; it is a toolkit for connection. If you want your ideas to be understood and your words to matter, this book is required reading.

I feel like I am reading not a timeless book but one that is outdated. This book needs a serious rewrite.

The pyramid scheme really works: start with the main point, list the supporting points, then expand on them. Starting with the main point seems like such a simple idea, but many times, I used to lead up to the main point, by which time readers got bored. Listing the supporting points is important from a summary and lets the reader know why you are making the argument you are making. If they don't trust you on a point, it's quite easy to jump over to the place where you provide supporting evidence. I used to think I was a good writer (author of 8 technical books, 50+ research papers, and 100s of articles), but this simple concept has really helped improve how effective my business writing is.

Must have book along with The Elements of Style in my opinion. The key point of this book or similar ones is so that people will start to acknowledge the importance of being able to communicate through e-mail effectively. As someone who deals with e-mails 24/7 across different parts of the world in a top tech company, effective e-mailing is the key to getting work done in a timely manner. The biggest thing everyone is failing to notice but always gets frustrated is when others sending in an incomplete e-mail or brain fart! I get it, we all super busy, gets tired in different times of the day, or want to demonstrate our sophistication... but seriously, the objective is to get s*&^ done, so please take that extra 10-20 seconds before hitting the send icon! Please recommend this to your fellow employees, managers, co-workers, families and friends, so that everyone will stop sending in e-mails like: "ignore the last message", "here is the attachment", "what i really mean" and the worst cc'ed everyone in the conversation..... Who on earth is going to read and communicate effectively with 500+ emails a day!? And you still wondering why people don't answer your e-mails? P.S. hope my redundancy in laying out the importance of e-mailing will get your attention :)

Someone enjoys it! It's been read a lot, I'm glad this book helps when one is in need of refreshing their writing, how to make a letter sound better than, I'll text your company to thank them or invite them to the he party, it really helps in times you actually should send a proper letter and mail it or email it. Great book.

This is an essential guide for any writer. The advice is timeless. Written by two bosses from Ogilvy and Mather. It shows how the agency become successful. Some of the information may appear outdated, such as composing a memo, but that's an email today. Using short words, sentences and paragraphs may seem unnatural. It does work and makes it easier to read your stuff. Try putting a piece of text together before reading this book. Run your writing through a readability score such as Flesch–Kincaid. Read the book. Rewrite your work and compare your score now. If you pick this volume up once a year, you will become a better writer.

I thought of enrolling in a short course to improve my business writing skills, then I found this book online with great reviews. I purchased it, and found it to be compact, complete and very resourceful. Its also current, and has so many tips that I found myself improving my memos, emails, documents almost immediately.

Unsere Kommunikation ist oft untereinander miserabel. Das wird einem schnell bewusst, wenn man beginnt zu lesen. Es wird einem klar, dass man evtl. schon einmal ein Geschäft nicht gemacht hat, oder eine Wohnung nicht bekommen hat, weil die E-Mail schlecht war. (Nicht nur laut D. Ogilvy ein muss für Leute in der Kommunikationsbranche)

El libro sigue su propia norma de enseñar a escribir con eficacia y directamente sin rodeos y así se lee tal cual. Rápidamente pude encontrar lo que es útil para mi propósito en la actividad profesional que desempeño. Lo recomiendo ampliamente

Great book. Too many people can't write effectively.