Clear Communication: A Refresher

In a professional relationship, displaying a high level of empathy is crucial for building trust. Empathy allows us to understand and relate to others' emotions and experiences, showing that we genuinely care about their well-being. By demonstrating empathy, we create a safe and supportive environment, fostering open communication and collaboration. This helps establish trust, as individuals feel heard, understood, and valued. Empathy also enables us to anticipate and address others' needs effectively, further strengthening the professional relationship. Overall, empathy plays a significant role in building trust and fostering positive connections in professional settings.

Trust is the greatest determinant of success in business relationships because it establishes a strong foundation of reliability, transparency, and mutual understanding. When there is trust, employees and colleagues are more likely to collaborate effectively, clients and partners are more likely to be loyal and satisfied, and overall communication and decision-making processes become smoother. Trust fosters a positive work environment, promotes open and honest communication, and allows for the building of long-lasting relationships based on integrity and credibility.

Writing too formally can prevent you from developing a good rapport with a client. While casual language may give the impression you are not as careful as you should be, excessive formality may give the impression that you are not interested in your reader.

Lead with the most important information - from your reader's point of view. Don't save the main point till last; your reader may not get there!

Keep it short and simple!

Asking ourselves what the reader expects from our advice/correspondence disciplines us to be as clear, relevant and helpful as possible.

Well-planned paragraphs often start with a topic sentence; topic sentences focus the reader's attention as well as disciplining the writer to keep relevant to the main points from her plan.

Keep it short and simple!

Overused "throat clearing phrases" may mean you need to reconsider the relevance of all of your points. Ideally, everything should be 'worth noting'; otherwise why write it?

No. The passive voice often features in professional writing because it is more formal. But that doesn't make it superior to the active. In fact, the active voice is more direct and less abstract, making your message clearer and more memorable.

Think of linking words as signposts: a sign at the beginning of a road helps you know where you are going; putting one further down the road won't stop you from getting lost...

Nominalisations are typical of abstract, academic and hard-to-follow prose. Strong verbs are the antithesis of nominalisations; place the at the core of your writing.

The company offers retraining to help employees move into careers like management, software development, technical service and sales.
The presentation was informative, lively, and inspiring.

Keeping your sentences short - to twenty words on average - will help make make sure you don't lose your reader.

The '4 hats' approach to writing involves different roles that a writer takes on during the writing process. The madman represents the creative and imaginative side of writing, where ideas flow freely without any restrictions. The architect is responsible for organizing and structuring these ideas into a coherent framework. The carpenter focuses on the details and craftsmanship of the writing, ensuring that sentences are well-crafted and polished. The judge evaluates the writing objectively, looking for any flaws or inconsistencies. Together, these roles help the writer approach their work from different perspectives and create a well-rounded piece of writing.

While "Should you have any questions..." is of course 'correct' it is slightly formalistic. If you want to warm up the tone, use one of the other alternatives.

Use a semi-colon (;) or a full stop after the first part; don't use a comma to connect to complete sentences.

The correct answer is "Keep it simple, stupid!" and "Keep it short and simple." The acronym KISS is often used as a reminder to avoid overcomplicating things and to strive for simplicity. It emphasizes the importance of keeping things straightforward and easy to understand. This approach helps in improving efficiency, communication, and problem-solving.

It’s not enough to think of requests as simply ‘more or less formal’.
"Commands and requests are among the most face-threatening speech acts, because they challenge the hearer's automony by assuming her readiness to comply.”
“Politeness is calibrated to the level of threat to the hearer's face. The threat level in turn depends on the size of the imposition, the social distance from the hearer (the lack of intimacy or solidarity), and the power gap between them."
Steven Pinker The Stuff of Thought, Penguin 2007

Remember: keep it short and simple.