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10 Tips to Better HR Writing
Jan 12Want to be a better HR writer? Here’s how.
- Know what you’re talking about. It’s painfully obvious when HR writers are out of their league. Stick to what you know, that way you won’t look like a peewee.
- Speak with conviction. Don’t ask for forgiveness. Don’t tell people you’re not sure. If you’re not sure, don’t write it.
- Don’t call yourself an expert. Ever. Real experts don’t ever call themselves experts. Have other people call you an expert. As the Spanish say, “It’s not the same to talk of bulls as to be in the bullring.”
- Know the difference between a blog and an article. You don’t write a “blog” anymore than you write a “newspaper.” They’re articles. Or stories. Or pieces. Or posts. They’re not “blogs.”
- Write short paragraphs. Three sentences are plenty. Rivers of black type are unreadable.
- Stop with the inner dialog. That was cute in high school. This is the big leagues. Say what you mean and get out of there.
- Quit writing about HR’s place at the table. If you’re writing about that, you’ve never been to the table.
- Know your audience. Close your eyes and imagine someone reading what you wrote. Is that person someone who makes decisions in HR or in general management? If not, you’re writing an HR MySpace page.
- Read great writers. Read the five best writers in HR. Subscribe to the New York Times. And Copyblogger. Reading bad writers corrodes your mind.
- Study topics in depth. Know more than anyone you know about a particular topic. Synthesize information. Cite sources. Be credible.
About the Author
Frank Roche
Frank started IFRACTAL over 7 years ago with Sarah Chambers. Together, they've created HR communications and HR software for some of the world's leading companies. Frank is also studying Flamenco guitar and origami.
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I love this. Tips from a guy in HR communications. If HR bloggers don’t follow your advice, they are doing it wrong.
Thanks a lot, Laurie. I have a hunch if you and I put our heads together, we could come up with a list of 100.
Thanks for the tips. Made me think twice before posting on my blog.
Just curious on 1 thing though. What’s the different between a blog and an article from your point of view.
Hi Nieke,
The blog is the composite. All of KnowHR is a blog; 10 Tips to Better HR Writing is an article. Just like the New York Times is a newspaper; Bernanke Announces Recession Recovery Plan for 2010 is an article.
Keep writing. Good writers write, as Hemingway said.
Thanks so much for stopping by. I appreciate that.
11. Read KnowHR.com/blog every day.
Thanks for the tips! What 5 writers (HR or not) do you read daily?
Hi Nathaniel….hmmmm…I thought long an hard about telling which 5 I read all the time…but that just gets into people feeling left out. I don’t like to play around with lists that have the appearance of being scientific (telling who’s more influential or not, for example). My list is probably different than other peoples’. Suffice to say that I know the writers and have commented on all the sites I read regularly. And there are probably 10 or so that I really consider outstanding.
Outside HR…Seth Godin; Brian Clark of Copyblogger; the poet Robert Bruce of KnifeGunPen; Malcolm Gladwell; the haikuist Howard Hall of nonbreaking space; and Kate Sherrod of Suppertime Sonnets. (I like poets because they compress language into its essence.)
You can send me a note at frank.roche@ifractal.com if you want to know my HR list…hope this one helps.
Frank – Sorry I missed this a couple of days ago. I’m glad someone retweeted it today. Excellent list – not only for HR, but anyone doing business writing. Number 8 is my fave.
Thanks, Sharlyn…it’s funny, when I wrote it I was talking about HR, but it seems the principles are universal.
Found your site via another HR website where you were recommended and although i am not employed in HR,the 10 Tips as you have since said are universal and i just made a note of them for future reference. Off to visit your 5 recommended writers now.
Hello, David. Thanks so much for stopping by. Those recommended writers are some of my real favorites. Enjoy!
Cheers Frank i have been on a couple already which i was not aware of and been impressed.