Many writers plunge into their work without a clear destination. They don’t stop to think about their goals, but hope their reader will manage to decode the message about which they themselves are unclear. But this approach wastes time and is unlikely to achieve results. Successful writers think about their desired outcome before they even touch the keyboard.

Start by asking: What should readers think, feel, or do after reading this piece? Your answer shapes everything that follows.

• Writing an email to set up a meeting? Don’t vaguely request “Let me know your availability.” Instead, write “Can we meet Thursday at 3 p.m. to discuss project updates?” This specific request drives action.
• Writing a memo about new fire safety protocols? Your goal isn’t to have readers stash the information away with other non-relevant emails. “Please read the following carefully and confirm receipt of this email after you’ve read it” will alert readers that the email is relevant. Then format the content to make it easy to follow and understand.
• Writing a persuasive proposal? Imagine the decision you want readers to make. Then build your argument to lead them there. Address their concerns early. Present your solution clearly. Support it with evidence. Create a path that guides them toward agreement.

Once you clarify your goal, organize your message to achieve it. Map out main points, anticipate objections, and craft a compelling call to action.

For example, you could break down a proposal for a new marketing initiative into the following sections: an introduction to the need for the initiative, the proposed solution, supporting data, and a closing call to action that encourages the decision-maker to approve the plan. By clearly mapping out these sections ahead of time, you ensure that the document remains focused and persuasive from start to finish.

When you start with clarity about what you want to achieve, you create a document that resonates with readers and leads them to the action you desire.

In the end, writing isn’t just about stringing words together; it’s about shaping an experience for your readers, guiding them through your ideas and encouraging a specific result. Whether you’re seeking to inform, persuade, or request, your message will always be stronger when you begin with the end in mind.

So, the next time you sit down to write, ask yourself: What do I want the reader to think, feel, or do after reading this? As you continue in your writing life, remember to think about the end result you are striving for. Focus on that as you organize, plan, and write your document. You will be amazed at the outcome.

copyright 2025 Elizabeth Danziger

​
​Call Worktalk When:

• Companies lose customers due to poor messaging from sales and customer service teams;
• Clients complain about communication from professional service firms’ staff members;
• Employees need to humanize the output of AI-assisted writing programs so it doesn’t sound fake;
• Employees need help developing the right prompts for AI-assisted writing programs to generate more effective outputs;
• Employees waste time repeatedly emailing one another because their messages are unclear.

Contact me at lizd@worktalk.com or 310.396.8303.

Did someone forward this Writamin to you? Sign up here.

The post Begin With the End in Mind: The Key to Purposeful Writing appeared first on Worktalk.

— E.B. White

It can be tempting to use hedge words like just, very, seemingly, and their ilk. Sometimes, we use these words because we fear being too bold or appearing too certain; we want to acknowledge the room for disagreement or more information on a topic. In other cases, we are unsure whether our message is valuable, so we offer it noncommittally in case others shoot it down.

In both cases, avoiding hedge words will add strength to your message.

If you are afraid of making a point too boldly, remember that there is always a chance that people will disagree with you; however, if you make your point using fuzzy language, your readers might not understand you well enough to know if they agree or disagree.

If you have something valuable to say, say it. If it is not valuable, why say it? But don’t hedge your words with language that makes you seem unsure of your message.

Resist the urge to fatten up your work by hedging your points with namby-pamby modifiers. If your goal is to make your point clearly, why clutter it up with words like very and seemingly?

Notice as you read whether these words add anything to your comprehension other than an uncomfortable sense that the writers don’t stand behind their words.

· just

· by and large

· rather

· seemingly

· somewhat

· kind of

· mostly

· really

· very

· pretty

· little

· sort of

· it would seem

· in some respects

· for the most part

· for all intents and purposes

What is wrong with hedges and modifiers? They block your points. They betray uncertainty. They consume the reader’s time and energy with words that add nothing to your message.

So, for the most part, just be very careful to be pretty clear when you write, because it would seem that when you add hedges to most of your statements, you seem sort of a little unclear about what you are trying say.

​

Call Worktalk When:

• Companies lose customers due to poor messaging from sales and customer service teams;
• Clients complain about communication from professional service firms’ staff members;
• Employees need to humanize the output of AI-assisted writing programs so it doesn’t sound fake;
• Employees need help developing the right prompts for AI-assisted writing programs to generate more effective outputs;
• Employees waste time repeatedly emailing one another because their messages are unclear.

Contact me at lizd@worktalk.com or 310.396.8303.

Did someone forward this Writamin to you? Sign up here.

If you missed the last Writamin on being gruntled that irregardless is a word, find it here.

The post Don’t Hedge appeared first on Worktalk.

Inevitable/evitable

Inevitable means unavoidable. Did you know that the word evitable is a real word, meaning that something could be avoided? Why do we say inevitable but never evitable?

He wanted to pretend the breakup was inevitable, but if he had behaved properly, it was entirely evitable.

Disgruntled/Gruntled

Disgruntled means dissatisfied or unhappy. Its parallel word is gruntled, which means satisfied or contented. So, the next time you run into an old friend, you can exclaim, “I’m so gruntled to see you!”

A friendly smile can make the difference between disgruntled and gruntled.

Inorganic/Organic

The word “organic” has been hijacked by health-food enthusiasts who want it to mean natural, specifically, grown without using artificial pesticides. But technically, organic means derived from a living organism. In chemistry, the word refers to something that contains the element carbon. In this context, most of our food is organic except salt, which is composed of sodium and chloride.

In contrast, inorganic means not growing from a living organism or not containing carbon compounds. So your polyester shirt is inorganic, but your cotton blouse is organic. Still, we rarely see the word inorganic, while organic, – which is in a sense inaccurate – is used to describe food that has been grown a certain way.

In a business context, organic growth comes from sales of a company’s products or services. Inorganic growth comes from revenue of an M&A transaction, from the acquired company. The company grew organically at the rate of 15%; investors may be fooled by the rapid increase due to inorganic growth after the acquisition.

Most fast food is organic but not organic. The salt on the French fries is inorganic.

Inflammable/Flammable

Although these words are widely considered to by synonyms, they have subtly different meanings.

Flammable means easily ignited and capable of burning rapidly. Something flammable is capable of burning, especially a liquid.

Inflammable means capable of being easily set fire; easily enkindled; combustible. It also refers to a person who is easily upset.

While you can use them interchangeably, it’s best to honor these slightly different connotations.

Invaluable/Valuable

These words, which, according to all English usage, should be opposites, actually mean the same thing. In fact, something invaluable is even more valuable than something merely valuable. You have to love the English language for throwing out these conundrums!

Irregardless/Regardless

For decades, as a true curmudgeon and card-carrying member of the Grammar Police, I objected to the word irregardless. It is redundant and has the same meaning as regardless.

However, to my dismay, the Merriam-Webster dictionary recently took the position that irregardless is a word, as it has been used, albeit in a nonstandard manner, for over 200 years. Nevertheless, and irregardless of the dictionary, business writers should use regardless instead.

Disinterested/Uninterested

Although these words are often used synonymously, they have very different meanings.

Disinterested means objective, not having a stake in the dispute. An arbitrator or mediator needs to be a disinterested party so that they can treat both parties in a fair and impartial manner.

Uninterested means lacking in interest. A person who is uninterested does not care. If you are involved in litigation, you want the judge to be disinterested but not uninterested.

As you see, it pays to be precise when we choose our words. After all, words become sentences, and sentences become thoughts. Thoughts have wings – carrying our ideas into the minds of our readers. Let’s make sure we fly right.

The post Are You Gruntled that Irregardless is a Word? appeared first on Worktalk.

A colleague recently bemoaned the tendency among some business writers to send emails without punctuating them. She had received an email that said, “order misdelivered sent to wrong branch but we fixed it” How hard would it have been, she mused, for the writer to pen, “The order was delivered to the wrong office. We corrected the mistake.”? A few seconds of typing yields a far more understandable message.

What’s wrong with omitting punctuation marks?

Punctuation marks tell the reader’s eye which sets of words belong together, separate grammatical components of sentences, and assist with reading silently and reading aloud. They can vastly change the meaning of a sentence, as in the classic “woman without her man is nothing.” This can mean that men are important: “Woman, without her man, is nothing,” or that women are important: “Woman: Without her, man is nothing.” Lack of punctuation muddies the reader’s ability to comprehend your words.

History of Punctuation

First, let’s look at the ​history​ of punctuation. Early languages such as Sanskrit had no spaces between words and sentences. Look at an ancient Hindu, Chinese, Greek, or Latin text, and you’ll see a steady stream of squiggles. It was so difficult to parse the language that only an elite group of scribes was literate. Because of limited literacy, political power rested with the chosen few.

Most ancient cultures transmitted their traditions orally, so early punctuation was designed to make it easier for readers to read texts aloud. The earliest ​paragraph​ markings appeared around 500 BC. Around 200 BC, the librarian of the famous library of Alexandria, Aristophanes of Byzantium, got so tired of unscrambling unbroken lines of text that he developed a simple system of punctuation marks. Punctuation developed gradually through the Greek and Roman period until Medieval times, when monastic scribes began putting separations between words and sentences.

The spread of Christianity coincided with improvements in written language, as Charlemagne strove to spread the word of God throughout his empire. Unlike ancient religions, Christianity strove to spread the word of God through the written Bible. Punctuation marks in biblical texts showed readers how to read the text aloud.

When the printing press was invented in the 15th century, punctuation marks became more standardized until they reached their current form in the 19th century. Modern punctuation is more attuned to showing grammatical information than to reading aloud. Today, emojis are the new punctuation language; people use them to convey emotional nuance.

In sum, we’ve spent 2,200 years trying to get punctuation marks into our written language — so why are people using text and email today so eager to get rid of them?

Why Do People Omit Punctuation Marks?

Do you know people who send stream-of-consciousness emails and texts without regard for punctuation? I do. And I cringe when I get their messages because reading them feels like careening down the highway at 70 miles per hour. My eyes race from word to word without pause, not knowing which words belong together until I’ve read the whole thing and go back to insert all the missing periods and commas mentally. This process is frustrating and time-consuming — and it’s only necessary because the writer couldn’t be bothered to do the work himself.

Here are the three reasons why I think modern writers eschew punctuation:

· They’re rushing.

As they race to dispatch their next email, these writers feel they don’t have time to insert dots and dashes. Just think: Nanoseconds might be wasted on the effort to put a period at the end of a sentence!

· They’re ignorant.

These people are not sure how to punctuate correctly. Rather than learn, they simply skip it. If they were absent on the day, the teacher explained about commas and colons, they figure they will never get the lesson. HINT: It’s possible to learn this information as an adult.

· They don’t care.

A manager once bemoaned the terrible writing of his staff members, many of whom were graduates of prestigious universities. When he asked them to use proper punctuation, they scoffed and said, “We’re subject matter experts — our grammar and punctuation don’t matter. People will figure out what we mean.” The disdainful attitude implied by this remark betrays a profound disrespect for their readers.

As Samuel Johnson wrote, “Easy reading is hard writing.” The writers who rush, don’t know, or don’t care about telling readers how to group their words risk ruining their chances to fulfill the fundamental purpose of writing: To convey a message into another person’s mind.

Fight the Good Fight

The next time you are racing to revise a report or email, notice the urge to forge ahead without punctuating your sentences. Then resist it. Remember that the only reason you are writing is to engage your reader’s attention and get them to understand what you want to say. By skipping punctuation marks, you sabotage your message and diminish your credibility (and promotability) in the eyes of people who care about correctness.

I leave you with an example from a grammar book published in 1885:

Charles the First walked and talked an hour after his head was cut off.

Properly punctuated, this would read:

Charles the First walked and talked. An hour after, his head was cut off.

So keep your head and don’t skip the punctuation marks!

Call Worktalk When:

• Companies lose customers due to poor messaging from sales and customer service teams;
• Clients complain about communication from professional service firms’ staff members;
• Employees need to humanize the output of AI-assisted writing programs so it doesn’t sound fake;
• Employees need help developing the right prompts for AI-assisted writing programs to generate more effective outputs;
• Employees waste time repeatedly emailing one another because their messages are unclear.

Contact me at lizd@worktalk.com or 310.396.8303.

The post Become a Punctuation Powerhouse appeared first on Worktalk.

Words matter; using the wrong word in a business document is a quick credibility crasher. I recall a meeting attended by a friend who was a highly paid business consultant, a prospective client, and me. We were discussing the client’s project when my friend leaned forward and said expansively, “Let me share a little antidote with you.” I was stunned. Had the prospect just been bitten by a snake? Using “antidote” instead of “anecdote” gave the lie to my friend’s façade of expertise. We didn’t get the job.

Here is a list of five of today’s most commonly confused word pairs in business writing.

1. They’re/their/there

Often, this error is more a matter of fat fingers than ignorance. We all know that they’re is a contraction of they are. Their is a possessive pronoun meaning “belonging to them”. And there indicates a place or location. We just get caught up in typing; before we know it, we’ve used the wrong form. Here’s a sentence using all three:

They’re on their way to the house over there.

2. Accept/except

Accept is a verb. It means to receive or agree to something.

Except is a preposition. It means excluding or with the exclusion of.

I think writers often confuse these words because they sound so similar when spoken. Train yourself to make the “a” sound when saying “accept” and the short “e” sound when saying “except,” and you might find it easier to distinguish between the two.

I would like to accept your gift except that I am unable to receive gratuities.

3. Advice/advise

Advice is a noun. It means guidance or recommendation.

Advise is a verb. It describes the action of giving advice.

Often, this error is a result of typing too fast. Stop and think for a moment when using these words and you won’t go awry.

I advise you to accept his advice.

4. Affect/effect

Affect is a verb. It means “to influence.” In psychology, it can also be a noun refering to a person’s emotional state.

Effect is a noun. It is a result or outcome. An effect is the result of being affected.

Like “accept” and “except”, these words may sound similar on the tongue. Pronounce them carefully and see if the confusion disappears.

His entire life has been affected by his inability to acknowledge the effects of his decisions.

5. Principle/principal

A principle is a core idea or value.

Principal refers to the first or foremost thing, as in the head of staff at a school or company. I always remember the saying, “The principal is not your pal.” It also refers to financial capital.

In principle, withdrawing funds from your principal is a bad idea. The principal reason for this is that, on principle, we want to preserve our assets. I’ve spoken to the principal members of our staff about this idea.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

These word pairs are not new to you – you learned them in elementary school. But that was a long time ago, and today, the gas pedal is floored as you try to type your way through a daily slog of verbiage.

In the pressure of rushing, you may sometimes type the wrong word. And in the urge to “Send” and get the document out of your work queue and into someone else’s, you are tempted to put off proofreading. When we rush, we do not see errors that would be obvious if we slowed down.

For fun, I tried to use all the words in this Writamin in a couple of sentences. Here you go:

Except for their effect on children, the principal reason I advise people to refrain from spending too much time on social media sites is because, in principle, these sites are designed to affect our attention span. Meta has many talented engineers – they’re out there trying to rob you of your attention. Take my advice and steer clear of Facebook.

Next month’s Writamin will contain five more commonly misused word pairs, including your/you’re, stationery/stationary, and ensure/insure.

Please send me the word pairs that you see most commonly confused and I’ll add them to the list.

​

Take me to your leader! Communication woes drain the lifeblood from an organization. Connect me with your decision-makers and see how Worktalk can transform communication in your world. Contact me at lizd@worktalk.com or 310.396.8303.

Did someone forward this Writamin to you? Sign up here.

If you missed the last Writamin on “A Merry Christmas is Wished to You by Us,” you can see it here.

To read my recent Inc.com columns:

​3 Essential Writing Tasks that AI-Assisted Writing Programs Cannot Do For You​

​Use Reflective Writing to Distill the Lessons of the Past Year​

See my latest article in The Harvard Business Review on how to respond to an upsetting email!

The post Manage Misused Word Pairs appeared first on Worktalk.