The Little Red Writing Book

Principle 1: Write with a Top-Down Approach

- Move conclusion from end to beginning
- Give reader your argument first and then support it, rather than leave it as a surprise

Principle 2: Break Things Down

- Treat your business writing as a five paragraph essay, except within one paragraph
- Use the lead sentence to summarize your arguments and then go into your findings

Principle 3: Use transition words to signal the flow of your writing

Principle 8-13: Keep it Concise and Simple

- Reduce the use of complex vocabulary to cut straight to the point
- Clear up your writing by utilizing shorter sentences
- Cut words that are unnecessary such as self references (I think) qualifications (“rather”
successful or “truly” excellent)
- Favor the active voice over passive voice
- Cut down on nouns, and instead use verbs and adjectives. So instead of “precision of
measurements”, use “precise measurements.” Instead of “reduction of costs” use
“reduce costs”
- Express lists of items in concise parallel form