Principles for clear, effective business writing.
Good business writing is an act of service to your reader. Every document answers these questions:
Adverbs and weasel words let you avoid specifics. A weasel word is, in Wikipedia's definition, "a word or phrase aimed at creating an impression that something specific and meaningful has been said, when in fact only a vague, ambiguous, or irrelevant claim has been communicated." The name comes from the weasel that sucks an egg and leaves the shell intact: the word drains the meaning from the claim beside it while looking whole.
Three to watch for: "some people say", "it is believed", and "research shows" - each implies authority while naming no one accountable for the claim.
| ❌ Weak | ✅ Strong |
|---|---|
| "highly accurate estimate" | "90% confidence interval" |
| "significantly improved" | "improved 15%" |
| "very large project" | "$2M budget, 6-month timeline" |
Sources: Wikipedia, "Weasel word"; on cutting adverbs, Strunk & White, The Elements of Style.
Lead with data and evidence:
| ❌ Vague | ✅ Specific |
|---|---|
| "Customers liked our new CX" | "Conversion increased 12% after launch" |
| "The project is going well" | "3 of 4 milestones complete, on track for deadline" |
Use terms the reader understands:
| ❌ Jargon | ✅ Clear |
|---|---|
| "Turbo usage increased 15 bps" | "'One-click checkout' usage increased 15 basis points" |
| "We need to align with the PRFAQ" | "We need to align with the product vision doc" |
Sources: Orwell, "Politics and the English Language" (use an everyday word where one exists); plainlanguage.gov.
Declarative statements with a clear subject:
| ❌ Passive | ✅ Active |
|---|---|
| "It was decided that..." | "The team decided..." |
| "We are planning to invest in..." | "We will launch on March 31" |
| "Mistakes were made" | "We made a mistake" |
Sources: Orwell ("Never use the passive where you can use the active"); Strunk & White ("Use the active voice").
Say why it matters:
| ❌ Just Facts | ✅ Facts + Insight |
|---|---|
| "We launched the new experience with positive metrics." | "We launched the new experience. Early data shows 12% higher conversion, validating our hypothesis about simplified checkout." |
Don't bury readers in background. Context should be brief; the substance should be clear.
Adapted from advice I received before senior leadership reviews:
Answer first. If someone asks you a question, start with the answer:
Then provide the context and mental model that explains it. Don't start with storytelling before the answer.
Don't guess. If you don't have an answer, say so and commit to follow up. Speculation destroys credibility.
Don't dig when you're in a hole. If you realize you're wrong or underprepared, stop talking. Acknowledge the gap and move on.
Don't create unnecessary surface area. Stay focused on the question. Don't introduce tangents, even interesting ones. You can follow up later.
A note on exec summaries: they can be counterproductive if they're too long or leave holes that require reading the full doc anyway. Consider either:
If possible, write it, sleep on it, edit in the morning.
For every paragraph, ask: "So what?" If you can't answer, cut or rewrite.
Clear writing is clear thinking. If you can't write it clearly, you don't understand it well enough yet.