16 Business Writing: Writing in Your Job

Expressions

Perhaps that’s why bureaucratic prose becomes so turgid, whatever the bureaucracy.

turgid  这里是第三个意思，混乱的,紊乱的

1. <液体>混浊的,溷浊的

2. <烟、云等> 弥漫的,浓密的 (heavy)

3. <思想、文体等> 混乱的,紊乱的

The engineers spoke in an arcane language studded with acronyms.

stud的形容词，1.decorated with small raised pieces of metal用饰钉装饰的:

»a studded leather belt饰钉装饰的皮带

这里意思2. ~ with sth having a lot of sth on or in it 布满(或有很多)…的

»The sky was clear and studded with stars.天空晴朗,繁星点点。

»an essay studded with quotations旁征博引的文章

Prominent in every issue was a message of exhortation from the division vice-president

exhortation exhort的名词，规劝；敦促；告诫

When you were little, heading out the door on a freezing cold day, your mom probably made an exhortation to put on your hat and zip your coat up all the way. 

An exhortation is a loud or enthusiastic urging.

Thoughts

Just as in science writing, anxiety is a big part of the problem and humanity and clear thinking are a big part of the solution.

Institutions can be warmed up. Administrators can be turned into human beings. Information can be imparted clearly and without pomposity. 

You only have to remember that readers identify with people.

这一章讲的是商务写作——与工作有关的大大小小的写作。小到备忘录，大到邮件文书，都应该记住表达清晰，写给人看才是最重要的，而不是为了权威虚荣或面子而故作复杂难懂，充满冷冰冰的行话术语。正如作者说的四个原则clarity, simplicity, brevity and humanity。

作者举了一个两段的校长致辞例子，第一段中从不用“我” ,甚至连“我”的含义都不带。虽然他的致辞充满自己的专业术语，他有了安全感，但却没有注意到他实际上并没有告诉家长任何事。第二段代入了“我”，展现的才是是一位温暖有人情味的人，而第一段则迂腐、含糊。

所以说，The way to warm up any institution is to locate the missing “I.” Remember: “I” is the most interesting element in any story.代入“我”，顺其自然，如何写与如何说都将展示出白己的个性。

 建议：运用主动动词和避免“抽象概念名词。using active verbs and avoiding “concept nouns.” 

最后，能不用术语就别用吧，毕竟，几乎所有科目都能用通俗易懂的语言表达。

如果要结构逻辑清晰的话，作者前面章节其实有零散的提及。要系统学习，可以看看《金字塔原理》，尤其是做汇报沟通，以结果为导向的清晰论述过程。