Writing Matters
Welcome to the blog – advice, opinions and musings on how to make words work
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Has ‘I hope you’re well’ had its day?
I hope you are well. No, really – I do. But have you ever noticed how those five words have become the default opener for almost every email? Why do...
How apps like ChatGPT actually work (and how we got here)
You might think of artificial intelligence mainly as a new way to draft short emails or outline reports in seconds. If you do, you’re in good...
Is AI writing about to choke us?
AI is already transforming how many of us write. But evidence is beginning to emerge that it may also be harming our organisations in a way that...
Unlocked: the secret of great reports
I’ll never forget the first time I was asked to write a report. I had recently graduated and was two months into a new job with the Environmental...
Why simple scares us
Simplicity is often misunderstood and underrated. One of the biggest myths in business writing is that complex topics need complex documents. The...
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Why storytelling is the language of thought
Years ago, not long after I started Emphasis, I found myself in conversation with a young training manager for one of the UK’s biggest companies. We...
Change this one thing to make 2025 a success
Many of us are still hoovering up pine needles from the living room carpet. There may even be a lone chocolate rattling around the Quality Street...
The best of Writing Matters 2024
Disappointingly, the good people at the Oxford English Dictionary have chosen not to name Documentese as their 2024 Word of the Year. But as their...
What if your employer bans ChatGPT?
There’s one critical problem with most articles and videos on ChatGPT. And it’s glaringly obvious to anyone who works in a sizeable organisation....
The awkward request that transforms a meeting
I faced a slightly awkward moment in a meeting recently. Some consultants were presenting their ideas to me, but I stopped them five seconds into...
Do this before you write to a colleague or customer
A colleague had a bizarre experience recently. While browsing the website of a well-known electrical-goods company, she idly clicked the Get Help...
How (not) to deliver bad news
Some rules are made to be broken – even ones that I laid down just a few weeks ago. You know how I said recently that it’s usually best to put...
What using long words really says about us
How much do big words and flowery phrases really impress our peers? A lot less than many people think, it seems. I’ve talked before about the...
The hidden trap in document deadlines
Have you ever wondered why you can never seem to get a document written until its deadline is looming? You might have been paralysed by...
Why we hate waiting for replies
I confess that I can be a little paranoid at times. And never more so than when I’m sending important emails. It usually goes something like...
Never keep a document’s reader guessing
A client contacted us recently while still recovering from a mild trauma. He was the head of risk at an investment bank and had just finished...
The real reason writing goes wrong (and how to get it right)
If you ever struggle with writing at work, take comfort in knowing that to do it at all should be impossible. In fact, the whole idea of...
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