How good is your writing at work? It’s rather important. Think about your bids, pitches, presentations, executive or board papers, investment cases and, of course, emails. Too often writing is dry, technocratic and overly complex. It makes it hard for the reader to understand in one go, or at all. It limits your ability to convince them of your thinking and tarnishes your brand.
In this podcast, Scott Keyser, ‘The Writing Guy’, shares his tips and lessons from working with companies over the last 30 years. He shows that it is a learnable skill for everyone, if we start with the right mindset.
You’ll hear about:
- How to write with clarity and conciseness.
- Achieving brevity without being brief.
- How to create space for flamboyance.
- Why writing well doesn’t mean dumbing down.
- The importance of preparation and planning.
- Mistakes to avoid.
- Who and what inspires him.
More about Scott
Scott Keyser is ‘The Writing Guy’. He is the author of two books, Winner Takes All: Seven And-A-Half Principles For Winning More Bids, Tenders And Proposals and Rhetorica, which set out his writing system. He works with clients from professional services firms to start-ups to corporates (such as The Economist) to improve the way they write — to engage a market, convince a boss, win over buyers, investors, staff or suppliers.
- Scott’s LinkedIn profile.
- Scott’s books: Winner Takes All and Rhetorica.
“Writing is a learnable skill. It’s not some ninja style black art and it’s not the preserve of an educated elite.”
Scott Keyser, The Writing Guy
VIEW RUNNING ORDER
03.04 | Features of great writing. |
05.19 | Dumbing down. |
07.09 | Brevity and style. |
10.27 | Mindset. |
12.51 | Causes. |
15.21 | First steps. |
19.49 | Best example. |
22.50 | Impact of hybrid. |
24.55 | Personal story. |
27.21 | Areas for improvement. |
29.22 | Inspiration. |
31.20 | Impact. |
32.13 | Best practices and habits. |

Camilla Kring: How to work better with our rhythms

Michael Watkins: How to win in the first 90 days and beyond

Kathleen Saxton: Recovering from a narcissistic parent

Caroline Stokes: Leading in a world of systemic shocks

Chris Fenning: How to master everyday communications

Sandra Matz: The truth about your digital footprint

Rohit Bhargava: How to develop your non-obvious thinking

Charlie Sull: Transforming culture using AI
