IT hiccups, I've had a few, and usually an IT expert has
fixed them for me. Problems have arisen only when the said expert
has advised me in writing.
Take a recent letter I received from the technical services
department of a well-known telecoms company. The letter included an
extremely comprehensive breakdown of the technical issues blighting
my firm's telephone system, together with some convoluted
instructions on how to resolve the problem. The letter was
appallingly written, which means I will be equally clueless about
what to do should the problem occur again. More future work for the
technical services department in question, then.
Technical jargon and unfathomable abbreviations were the biggest
culprits in my particular letter. Then there were the never-ending
sentences that I had to keep rereading, intertwined with the odd
burst of "text speak".
But let's be fair here. IT professionals are on the receiving
end of poor written communication too. Some 80% of employees in the
global IS department at one blue chip company claimed that
over-long documents and unnecessary jargon reduced their ability to
work effectively.
There is no reason why IT expertise should go hand in hand with
an instinctive ability to write. And few people go into the field
because they love writing. But good writing is a core skill. It
reduces complaints and wasted time and it can win new contracts and
improve internal processes.
There is no miracle path to crisp and concise writing. But there
are a few tried-and-tested techniques that can help to improve your
writing skills.
Who are you writing for?
OK, you are an IT expert, but is your reader? The biggest fault
with IT professionals is their inability to communicate in clear,
"non-techie" English. Avoid technical jargon and gobbledygook when
writing for a lay audience. Instead, use plain and simple language
and don't overwhelm readers with technical information that they
neither want nor understand.
This is easier said than done when you're immersed in technical
terms and use them all the time when communicating with your
colleagues. So you need to stop and consider your reader's level of
knowledge and interest, and tailor your language and the level of
detail appropriately. At first, this might take a lot more time,
but it will get easier with practice.
What do you want to say?
Think about your main points. What is it crucial for the reader
to understand? For technical support response, it might be the
long-term solution to the problem. For a proposal, it might be the
two or three issues the client is most concerned with (the "win
themes").
Make sure these points are immediately clear to the reader and
not hidden under layers of analysis and background detail. You can
always go on to give supporting arguments and information later in
the document.
E-mails should highlight the main points in the first two
paragraphs. If you delay those key issues any longer, the reader
will lose interest. Reports and proposals should have a one- or
two-page executive summary highlighting the main points, for the
same reason.
Clarify your thoughts
Consider the main subject areas and issues you need to cover
before you start to write. Use each heading to brainstorm all the
points related to that subject.
Next, think about the structure and decide what goes where and
in what format.
Make sure you outline the situation, problem and solution
logically when replying to customer queries or complaints.
Avoid clichés and pompous hype
Clichés and hype do not promote quality customer service. I
recently received an e-mail from a technical helpdesk that began,
"Thank you for contacting XYZ. We are committed to creating the
best customer experience possible. One of the key ways we can
demonstrate our commitment to this goal is by quickly and
efficiently handling your recent request." The e-mail continued in
a similar vein. Unfortunately, in the rush to reply"quickly and
efficiently with the help of standard text, the writer also forgot
to respond to my original question.
Be direct
If you want someone to do something, ask or tell them directly.
So don't write, "It is essential that customers include the serial
number of their device." Instead, write, "Please be sure to tell us
the serial number of your device." (And tell them where to find
it.)
Punctuation, grammar and spelling
Poor punctuation, grammar and spelling are more common in IT
than any other industry or profession. Pay attention to punctuation
and sentence structure and always use spellcheck. Sloppiness
suggests lack of care and interest.
Short, active sentences in plain English work
best
Keep sentences short and stick to one idea only. Don't try to
link together lots of ideas in one sentence and hope that a
sprinkling of commas will give clarity. They won't.
Conversely, don't use "text speak" for e-mails and reports. It
is unprofessional and a real bugbear for many people.
Use active verb constructions as much as possible. "The helpdesk
has solved the problem" is a lot better than "The problem has been
solved by the helpdesk" because it is shorter and easier to
read.
And use plain English. The use of long and redundant words will
not make you appear more professional.
Start sentences with the main point
Don't leave the main point of your sentence till the end:
"Owing to staff training and vital maintenance work, the system
will be down for two hours this afternoon from 4pm to 6pm."
Give readers the most relevant part of the sentence (the "what")
before the supporting information (the "why"):
"The system will be down from 4pm to 6pm this afternoon, owing
to staff training and vital maintenance work."
Putting it into practice
"In consideration of the current situation illustrated above and
concerns regarding the PRISM system it is proposed that in the
first instance PRISM is upgraded to v7.2 with a further review to
follow within 2008/2009."
becomes:
"This and concerns about the Prism system mean it would be best
to upgrade to the latest version of the software first. We will
then review its performance within the next two years."
Robert Ashton is chief executive of business-writing company
Emphasis