workplace writing

Workplace writing and the fairy tales we tell
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Workplace writing and the fairy tales we tell

Life isn’t always fair. Take Cinderella and her 2 stepsisters. Once upon a time, poor Cinders had it pretty rough. The disproportionate workload, the harsh treatment, the ostracism. Constantly having to prove herself. Three siblings, but only 1 of them always singled out for criticism. Not too different then, from the 3 professions that use plain language: journalism, fiction and workplace writing. Three sister fields that all uphold clear communication principles. Yet just 1 – workplace writing – bears the brunt of disapproval when it fraternises with plain language. Why is writing clearly so acclaimed in journalism and fiction, yet […]
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By Greg Moriarty

April 22, 2024
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Power up your persuasive writing
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Power up your persuasive writing

By Dr Josh Meyer

Imagine you have put a lot of effort into writing a document for your manager. You’re keen to find out if they agree with you. But you’re also worried they might not. Will your document be successful? We all want our workplace writing to succeed. But how do you write a successful document? More importantly, what does a successful document do? It all starts with persuasion. Successful documents get outcomes. They influence our readers to act. For example, if your manager is persuaded by your brief that explains the importance of a costly change, they might give that change the […]
Why we learnt to write the way we do
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Why we learnt to write the way we do

By Greg Moriarty and Stephen Howat

Workplace writing cannot succeed with a one-size-fits-all approach. Yet most of us enter the workforce having learned exactly that: the essay. Why do we use this approach and how does it limit successful communication? An essay is the perfect writing tool for an education setting. The simple beginning, middle and end pattern helps students tackle the challenging task of assignment writing. And the predictable structure allows teachers to mark dozens of essays more efficiently. But surely more complex writing tasks call for different tools in our writing toolbox? Here are 4 features of essay writing that can slow us down […]