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JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2015 BizEd 53 a computer, why should you continue reading? Grading with this approach re- quires no specialized training. It's easy to tell the difference between writing that's rooted in speech and writing that merely jumps from the fingers to the screen. 2. WORDS, PARAGRAPHS, AND SENTENCES SERVE DIFFERENT PURPOSES. In elementary school, we were taught that words, sentences, and paragraphs are extensions of one another—grammat- ical structures of increasing length and complexity. Mature writing, however, demands a different understanding. Words are the measure of a writer's knowledge. When words are used cor- rectly and precisely, readers assume that writers know what they're talking about. The converse is also true. Paragraphs are the measure of a writer's reasoning. Paragraphs put on display how a writer thinks—how he or she moves from Point A to Point B or connects individual dots to make a cohesive whole. Sentences are the measure of a writer's voice. Even when two writers set out to express the same idea, their sentences will include subtle differences that distinguish one from the other. The expressiveness of sentences projects the kind of person who wrote the document. To summarize: words say what a writer knows. Paragraphs say how a writer thinks. And sentences say who a writer is. As a business professor, how can you apply this lesson? When assessing every instance of student writing, look for the implied writer, an idea borrowed from Wayne Booth's The Rhetoric of Fiction. Block out everything you already know about an individual student and deduce his or her profile solely from the writ- ing. How much does this implied writer know? How well does he or she reason? What kind of person must have written this? In most professional settings, a reader can use only the writing itself to draw conclusions about the author. By profiling an implied writer, you draw attention to a process that goes on intui- tively in every reading experience. 3. WRITING SHOULD BE BOTH CLEAR AND MEMORABLE. Good writing, regardless of context, must meet a single standard of correctness. The writer must employ proper gram- mar, punctuation, and spelling. He or she must know when to capitalize and when to italicize—when to quote, when to paraphrase, and when to lay claim to intellectual property—and, yes when to lie and when to lay. Correct writing aims at clarity, ensuring shared meaning be- tween writer and reader. Anyone can ac- quire the necessary skills to achieve this standard. But greater compensation lies just beyond. The big payoff goes to those who can write memorably. Leaders know this. Warren Buffet isn't called the "Oracle of Omaha" for nothing. Audiences don't "lean in" to Sheryl Sandberg for no rea- son. Clear writing measures the half-life of words. Memorable writing increases the shelf-life of ideas. Writing correctly is a required skill for business success. Writing memorably is powerful leverage for business leadership. At the same time that we teach stu- dents the value of good writing, we need to teach them the high cost of avoidance. I put it to my students like this: "Do not outsource your writing. Do not turn it over to an administrative assistant. If you do so, you will have silenced your own voice, given away your own power, and sacri- ficed opportunities for leadership." This lesson can be applied in a way that benefits students and alums alike. Create a website dedicated to business communication, then invite one and all to post examples of memorable writing. (To get started, see "Writing Resources" below.) Request verbatim quotations, including author and context. There's no need to explain or theorize about the quotations you've posted. Simply invite students and alums to read and emulate their examples of memorable writing. NO BOUNDARIES Business and liberal arts are natural allies, not intellectual adversaries, and both profit from a strong partnership. This is especially true today as we learn and cope with so many communication innova- tions. What opportunities and limitations are embedded in social media? How might a group learn to write together? By work- ing together, students in business and liberal arts can address these and other challenges to contemporary writing. James VanOosting is writer-in-residence at the Gabelli School of Business at Ford- ham University in New York City. WRITING RESOURCES To launch a website devoted to strong business communication skills, you might start with an educational site maintained by TED Talks, specifically its "playing with language" videos. A few to consider: n The overview page: ed.ted.com/series/?series=playing-with-language n Using plurals: ed.ted.com/lessons/a-brief-history-of-plural-word-s-john-mcwhorter n Using metaphors: ed.ted.com/lessons/jane-hirshfield-the-art-of-the-metaphor Other lively and unusual sites: n A collaborative annotation platform: genius.com/static/education n An examination of the subjunctive mood: www.npr.org/2013/12/13/248195238/ does-the-subjunctive-have-a-dark-side