Read This: Business Writing That Works

by Robert Gentle

Go on, admit most of the business documents that cross your desk really test your patience. If you're brave enough, you'll skim through them in an attempt to capture the key points. More often than not, you'll find them or throw them into the bin. That's because most business writing is long, complex and takes forever to get to the point. This is self-defeating as the available reading time is often only a few minutes or less. In this book, you'll learn It's a fundamental set of techniques that you'll be able to apply to all kinds of business writing - letters, e-mails, reports, memos, websites, business plans, forms, sign boards and even graphs. Read This! Will demolish many of the enduring myths that many of us hold dear about business writing - for example, that Times New Roman is the best font, that you must always start a letter with Thank you, or that a report must always have a conclusion at the end.

179 pages, Paperback

First published October 3, 2001

About the author

Robert Gentle grew up in South Africa and Zambia, and studied aeronautical engineering in France. It is the theme of his recently published memoir, The Scholarship Kids.

After graduation, Robert worked in aviation and IT before finding his niche as a financial journalist with the Johannesburg daily, Business Day. It laid the foundation for a long career in corporate PR, consulting and business-writing training.