Table of Contents

Introduction
Writing: a core competency
How to meet the standard
1. Fortune 500 Survey Results
It matters
Guidelines, with caveats
The content explosion
Influence of technology
How employees are writing
When you need a stylebook
Stylebooks used by companies’ professional writers
Coping with lag time
Strong views on buzzwords
Preferred dictionaries
How it all adds up
2. Why Style Matters
Language is dynamic
Writing that gets the job done
Take charge
Pulling it together
3. The Case for Standards
Time for companies to invest in the users
Create a standard
Win employee buy-in
4. Write WITH Purpose
Have a goal
Know your audience
Write and think at the same time
Use the right language
Keep it short . . . most of the time
Make longer documents user-friendly
Get right to the point
Take the credit
Shift the emphasis
Take a stand
Think about point of view
Keep a tight timeframe
Strengthen your professional brand
Review everything
Make it look good
Budget your time
5. Email: Before You Hit Send
Write smartphone-friendly emails
Choose the right style
Be cautious with content
When to use email, and when not to
Use cc, bcc and Reply to All appropriately
Make it easy on your reader
Be formal in formal email
Be appropriate with greetings
Sign off
Be smart about email
The A-to-Z Entries
Sources We Like
Notes
Bibliography
List of Fortune 500 Companies

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