Guy Kawasaki had a great post today about writing an executive summary for a business plan. My favourite piece of advice is this:
Avoid “purple farts”—adjectives that sound impressive but carry no substance. “Next generation” and “dynamic” probably don’t mean anything to your readers (unless you are talking about DRAM). Everybody thinks their software is “intelligent” and “easy-to- use,” and everyone thinks their financial projections are “conservative.” Explain your company the way you would to a friend at a cocktail party (after one drink, not five).
This is very sound advice. I’ve posted before on the magic of short words (they make you sound more intelligent and credible) and on buzzwords from hell (which make you sound like a Dilbert cartoon).
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