On a beautiful morning
in 1982, David Ogilvy(who was widely called as "The Father of Advertising"
and the founder of the iconic agency Ogilvy & Mather) sent an internal memo
to all employees at Ogilvy &
Mather. That memo’s Sparsely titled was “How to Write”
and consisted of the 10 ageless advice”.
These
points on this list have only grown more advisable with time.
1. Read the “Roman-Raphaelson”
book on writing. Read it three times.
2. Write the way you
talk. Naturally.
3. Use short words,
short sentences and short paragraphs.
4. Never use jargon
words like reconceptualize, demassification, attitudinally, judgmentally. They
are hallmarks of a pretentious ass.
5. Never write more
than two pages on any subject.
6. Check your
quotations.
7. Never send a letter
or a memo on the day you write it. Read it aloud the next morning—and then edit
it.
8. If it is something
important, get a colleague to improve it.
9. Before you send
your letter or your memo, make sure it is crystal clear what you want the
recipient to do.
10. If you want
ACTION, don’t write. Go and tell the guy what you want.
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