5.0 Add a Personal Touch

The message is simple:

Your writing is you. It shows how your mind works. In fact, many of your business contacts may only know you through your writing, so be aware of the written image portrayed through your business correspondence. One elementary school teacher takes this theory a step further, saying that she would rather stand naked in front of a room full of parents than have her writing skills exposed. If you approach your writing with the knowledge that you can—and should—be yourself, then you are on your way to success! YOUR STYLE Style: It is not what you say, but how you say it. How true. E.B. White (coauthor of the acclaimed Elements of Style) asserted that all writers reveal something of their spirit, their habits, their biases, and their abilities by the way they use their language. And, when you write, you are making not only a first impression, but also a permanent impression on the reader. So, make it a good one. We have established the fact that a conversational tone is the trend in business writing today. Our letters come across warmer, livelier, and easier to understand when we write naturally. So, let your personality gracefully flow through your words and watch your writing style unfold before you. It is first important to distinguish between a business-appropriate style and one that may be you but is not good business form. An executive for a technical company says this about one of his employees: He is a brilliant analyst, but he is from another country and only speaks English sparingly. Unfortunately, the first words he has learned are a few basics and a few expletives. So, whenever he writes, he doesn’t necessarily realize how he’s coming across to his audience. He sees his writing as his personal style, but what he’s really laying the groundwork for is either a lawsuit or a client bailout. It can be funny internally, but when you imagine yourself sitting at the other end of the line, reading this thing written by this person whose personality you are not familiar with, it does not conjure up the best mental picture. The lesson here is to be careful with your choice of style. Take the basics of your personality and apply them in a professional way at all times. 

HOW TO DEVELOP YOUR STYLE

■ Practice some personal feng shui: Take time to get to know yourself. Learn the things about your personality that others appreciate. Are you funny? Are you kind? Are you personable and engaging? Emphasize the positive things about you in your writing style, and work them into your words to create a classic, original piece.

■ Ask yourself some key questions: What kinds of things would you like people to say about you, based on your writing? What kind of qualities would you like them to see in you? What kind of business relationships are you looking for? What level of professionalism are you after in your career?

■ Use I and You: Don’t be afraid to refer to yourself as I in your letters. If you try too hard to take the focus off yourself, then your writing comes off sounding unnatural and stilted. Better to let it flow easily and normally, and sound like an actual human being. And, it is in keeping with the widely accepted conversational tone of today. You can also use the word you. But, be careful not to overdo the you approach, or you will sound patronizing: A bit patronizing: Your work on the Letterman project was insightful, thorough, and right on target, Melanie. Better: I think the whole office benefited from your work on the Letterman project, Melanie. It was insightful, thorough, and right on target.

■ Use We and I: Use we when you want to speak for your whole company, and use I when you are just speaking for yourself. As a rule, if you are in constant contact with a particular employee from another company, it is safe to stay with I. But, if you need to convey a message that has the backing and the clout of your entire corporation, then use we.

■ Always use discretion: There are many different situations in business that require you to handle yourself diplomatically. When things go wrong, you can either choose to handle an issue emotionally, or you can handle it professionally. Of course, you are not expected to become a robot when you enter your office, but you should try to maintain a calm and cool manner at all times— especially in your writing. One of the best ways to express your dissatisfaction at something (or someone) is to turn your anger into disbelief, with a professional tone: Emotional: I am livid at you and the other ignoramuses in your department who dropped the ball on the Kelly account. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves. Don’t ever expect to work with us again. 

Professional:

We are confused as to how the Kelly account fell through. Let’s arrange a meeting between our two departments so we reach an understanding of what happened, and devise a plan about where to go from here.

■ Think like a CEO and avoid platitudes: You don’t have time for them. Impress your reader with the real you, and be someone who is focused on getting things accomplished. Refer to the section “Keep It Simple” and avoid flashy words.

■ Apply the Conversation Test: Do you sound like yourself in your words? Read your letter aloud and ask yourself if your written words sound like you are actually speaking to that person. Again, this doesn’t mean get sloppy; it means get real. If you sound like the real—professional—you, then you have done it!

ACTIVE VERSUS PASSIVE VOICE

Active and passive voices in writing set the tone in every sentence. The active voice directly connects the action with the person who is performing that action. The passive voice renders the doer of the action less obvious, if that person is ever identified at all. The active voice is concise and energetic, and it is the preferred writing style: Active Voice: We recommend you file a claim. Passive Voice: It is recommended that you file a claim. Active Voice: Let’s meet soon. Passive Voice: A meeting should be held as soon as possible. Even though the active voice is more straightforward, there are times when the passive voice is necessary:

1. When you don’t know who the subject is: Our proposal was submitted late because critical details were still missing.

2. When you want to emphasize the receiver: Hannah was accepted at Harvard Medical School.

3. When you want to put some variation into your text, or smooth thought transition: This year’s Holiday Party will be held at Snoqualmie Falls ski lodge. It should be a warm and festive celebration—see you there!

SUMMARY

The verdict is in: Authentic, original writing is the best way to personalize your business correspondence. It establishes your personal style and adds flair to what might be an otherwise dull business letter. So tap into yourself! 

Find out what your strengths are and use them in every sentence you write. Discover where you want to go with your writing and how you want to be perceived by asking yourself some important questions: What kind of qualities do I want others to see in me through my writing? What kind of business relationships am I interested in? And, don’t be afraid to get personal by using words like, I, we, and you—it sounds more natural. Also, don’t get so carried away with your conversational tone when dealing with an adversarial situation—always practice discretion and professionalism. Stay basic, simple and natural in your style.You don’t have time for anything else. This doesn’t mean that you are not allowed a complex thought, but it does mean that you should think in terms of Einstein’s simplified brilliance: E = mc2 . Come up with your own style, and simplify. Then allow yourself to shine through your writing. It is a powerful and wonderful expression of who you are.