Write the Right Words

According to Proverbs, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." Brian Tracy takes this to discuss a personal vision of the future and directing where a business grows and operates.

Individuals must have a vision when they write--usually called the purpose. What are you writing? Why? What is your goal? Are you informing, persuading, illustrating? What do you hope to accomplish? Once you have the intended outcome in mind, then you can start creating your piece. Much like an artist must have an idea (physical or emotional) for the creative piece before touching the medium, you should have an intended outcome before you put pen to paper and use this vision as you work through your draft.

Later, once you have a rough draft, you will want to work on a revision: re-vision your piece. Look over what you wrote. Do those words convey the meaning you have in your head? Could those words be misinterpreted? How? By whom? Are there better, more efficient words?

Think of the word "blue." Now look around you. How many shades of blue are there in your vicinity? Words have shades of meaning. Use a dictionary or thesaurus to check your words. Work crossword puzzles and read items outside your field to see how words can have different meanings. Especially if your intended audience operates outside your field, make sure you understand how people in that field use that word.

Your job is to communicate effectively and efficiently. Use simple direct language. No one wants to read pages when three lines will suffice. Get to your point. Be care of the words used so the reader understands your point quickly.

Emails are short and to the point. Business letters have more room for explanation. Advertising quickly sells a point.

Next time you sit down to write, envision your purpose, your voice, and your audience. Write your draft. Then re-vision, become the reader, check your words.

Taking a few moments in this writing stage will save you time later having to explain yourself and your words. You don't want to lose a prospective client or partner or job simply because you weren't clear or you offended with the mis-use of a word.

If your business (personal or professional) is important, so should all your communications. Have a clear vision and take time to re-vision.