REVIEW: "How to write in a way that you can be trusted" by Kenneth Rouman and Joel Rafaelson

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Here is a review of the third edition of the book, which in the original is called Writing that works. It was first published when business communications were carried out by regular mail, and the main working tool was a typewriter. But the theses outlined in it are still relevant today, in the era of email. Because in the 21st century, short, succinct and literate texts work.

Joel Rafaelson Former executive creative director of Ogilvy & Mather. Currently retired. Author of articles on working with texts.

Basic principles of successful writing

I consider the chapter of the same name in the book of Rouman and Rafaelson key. It talks about letters. How many letters a day do you write: one, three, ten? Whatever the answer, you should read this chapter.

Otherwise, you will:

1. Mumble. First decide what to write, then write. If you understand the essence of your message, the addressee will also understand it.
2. Confused in thoughts. This happens when the text has no structure. Always write according to a prepared plan.
3. Verbose. The skill to write succinctly comes with experience. You can do it by choosing short words, building short sentences, and writing short paragraphs. Besides, by the way, in the overwhelming majority of cases we write a lot of unnecessary things. (Compare: we usually write too much.)
4. Unconvincing. If you write in the active voice in the first person, your speech will become more energetic. The text looks even more convincing when there are no abstract adjectives and adverbs in it.
5. Indistinct. Write simply and naturally. You will not become smarter in the eyes of the addressee if you express yourself in "high calm". Write without clericalism, avoid terms unfamiliar to the interlocutor.
6. Illiterate. Spelling, punctuation and factual errors are the scourge of business correspondence. If you are not sure about the spelling, check yourself in a text editor (auto-correction is not always, but it saves, at least from typos). If you are not sure about the placement of commas, change the construction of the sentences. If you are not sure about the meaning of words, check them in the dictionary.

The chapter on the basics of successful writing is so good that I think the word "writing" can be thought of as meaning "writing." The tips given in it are universal and applicable to composing other types of written messages.

157 more pages

If you decide that only the second chapter of the book is worth reading, then you are mistaken. "How to write so that you can be trusted" consists of 13 sections - 157 more pages. You will not regret the time spent reading them.

How to streamline electronic communications? How to be polite in email communications? How to say no in business correspondence? How to compose a speech for public speaking? How to prepare a presentation? How to write a resume to be answered? These are just some of the questions that you will get answers to on the pages of the book.

Not everything is equally interesting to read. For example, I was not hooked on the chapter on reports: I do not come across them in my day-to-day work.

But overall, Rouman and Rafaelson have created an excellent textbook on effective writing. It will come in handy:

• businessmen, managers;
• account managers, project managers;
• copywriters, bloggers;
• secretaries, assistants.

Are there any downsides?

In my opinion, there are two of them.

First (and most important). The red thread of the story is to write the very essence right away. After all, business people do not have time for verbal curtsies. In my opinion, this is not always appropriate. Take a look at the letter I received the other day.

On business? Yes, it is possible. Do you understand the idea? Of course. Politely? Quite. But I didn't answer. Although the copy did not include other addressees, this approach seems to me to be stereotyped. Therefore, to follow the rule "go straight to the point", in my opinion, should be done carefully.

Second. There are no practice assignments in the book. There are many examples and recommendations, but there are no exercises that would help to consolidate the acquired knowledge. It is understood that the reader will get his hands on directly in the correspondence.

… the writing principles are really simple. They don't require talent or special skills. They are easy to understand and easy to apply. All you need is determination and persistence to make sure you are writing exactly what you want to say. The purpose of this book is to help you do this with the least difficulty and more confidence in the outcome.

My personal appraisal of the book by Kenneth Rowman and Joel Rafaelson is 7 out of 10.

Writing well is a useful skill, and it's not that hard to develop. The best way is through "", a free and cool writing course from the editors of Lifehacker. A theory, many examples and homework awaits you. Do it - it will be easier to complete the test task and become our author. Subscribe!