David Oglesby was one of the best “communicators” ever and a driving force in the great advertising of the Sixties. Here, from one of my favorite sites, Brainpickings, is an excerpt from this 1986 book, The Unpublished David Ogilvy, now out of print.
Here are his 10 Tips on Writing, an internal memo to the staff at Ogilvy and Mather:
The better you write, the higher you go in Ogilvy & Mather. People who think well, write well.
Woolly minded people write woolly memos, woolly letters and woolly speeches.
Good writing is not a natural gift. You have to learn to write well. Here are 10 hints:
- Read the Roman-Raphaelson book on writing. Read it three times.
- Write the way you talk. Naturally.
- Use short words, short sentences and short paragraphs.
- Never use jargon words like reconceptualize,demassification, attitudinally, judgmentally. They are hallmarks of a pretentious ass.
- Never write more than two pages on any subject.
- Check your quotations.
- Never send a letter or a memo on the day you write it. Read it aloud the next morning — and then edit it.
- If it is something important, get a colleague to improve it.
- Before you send your letter or your memo, make sure it is crystal clear what you want the recipient to do.
- If you want ACTION, don’t write. Go and tell the guy what you want.
David
If your memos and e-mails don’t read that clearly, start working writing (and thinking) better now.
