Sometimes it's hard to be simple. Yes, you heard me right! Callit an oxymoron like those gems from baseball legend YogiBerra–famous for saying that “90 percent of this game is halfmental.” Simplicity and clarity are especially hard to come by inthe digital age.

Check out this error message I recently got on my computer: “Theexception unknown software (OXc0000017) occurred in the applicationat location Ox7c964ed.” I always seem to have trouble with that“exception unknown software.” What are they talking about? Couldn'tthis have been said simpler?

Too many insurance professionals–from agents and brokers toclaims handlers and carrier executives–don't know how to writeclearly. Their documents are wordy, disorganized, dull andoffensive, and sometimes riddled with embarrassing grammar andusage mistakes.

To make matters worse, the insurance industry is filled withjargon (loss runs, captives and impaired risk pools) and acronyms(BOP, PIP and SIU), which often aren't explained to a lay audience,like your clients and prospects. The result is time wasted,productivity lost and–this one hurts–potentially lowerrevenues.

So let's look on the bright side. Good writing pays off, notonly with higher productivity, but with the power to motivateothers. For example, well-written internal memos can demonstrateyour leadership skills and justify your recommended action steps,and persuasive proposals can convince prospects that you candeliver what they need to achieve their goals.

Below are some of the most important skills for writing moreproductively.

o Be explicit and precise.

Never make the reader guess your meaning.

Unclear: “E&O claims for the second quarter were 20 percenthigher.” What were they 20 percent higher than? When using acomparative term like higher, say what you're comparing it to.

Clear: “E&O claims for the second quarter of 2008 were 20percent higher than for the second quarter of 2007.

o Drop unnecessary words and sentences.

About 200 years ago, Thomas Jefferson gave some profound–andsimple–advice: “Never use two words when one will do.” The samegoes for sentences.

Two sentences, too many words: At the July 25 seminar, I heardseveral intriguing presentations. Among the most interesting werethe talks on commercial liability, environmental pollution coverageand loss control.

One sentence, fewer words: At the July 25 seminar, I heardintriguing presentations on commercial liability, environmentalpollution coverage and loss control.

o Bring dull language to life.

Whenever possible, choose compelling words to enliven yourtext.

Dull: By developing innovative products, we could do better thanour competitors for the next five years.

Compelling: By developing innovative products, we could outshineour competitors for the next five years.

o Keep words flowing.

Even seemingly mundane documents like denial letters, claimsreports, requests for more information and others should have apleasing rhythm to be easily understood. Be sure your sentenceshave a logical flow from start to finish.

Flow interrupted: We keep ignoring critical problems that hurtperformance and drain our resources, such as inexperienced servicereps and outdated software.

Smooth flow: We keep ignoring critical problems likeinexperienced service reps and outdated software, which hurtperformance and drain our resources.

o Break on through with explicit subject lines.

Forty years ago, the legendary Jim Morrison and the Doors urgedlisteners to “break on through to the other side.” We know hewasn't talking about e-mails in the late 1960s, but you should heedhis advice today and write explicit subject lines that “break onthrough” to readers deluged by 100 or more e-mails a day,encouraging them to open your message right away.

Vague subject line: Second-quarter sales

Explicit subject line: Second-quarter sales up 18 percent/Hire 3new reps

o Soften the impact of your message.

Use words and phrases that lessen the impact of your messagewhen necessary.

Harsh: Your presentation was dull and left out many criticalstrategies.

Softer: Your presentation could have been a bit more engaging,discussing additional key strategies.

If your company is committed to helping employees improvewriting skills and believes that good writing promotesproductivity, consider a group writing workshop. Start byidentifying the individuals who most need help. Then select aninstructor who specializes in teaching corporate employees,preferably one with experience in the insurance field.

To help tailor the program to your firm's needs, assign someonein your organization to work with the instructor to identifyfactors such as the employees' toughest writing challenges andfrequently written documents. Also consider incorporatingone-on-one consults, in person or by phone, so each participant canaddress his or her personal writing issues–which many don't like toshare in a group setting.

If you're a business owner or other professional who wants toimprove your own writing, a business writing coach may be the idealsolution. Your coach would first discuss your challenges, goals,frequently written documents and other issues and then developexercises and an action plan tailored to your requirements.

Plan to work with the coach for at least three months, meetingin person or over the phone once or twice a week to review yourcompleted exercises and on-the-job documents. During this time, thecoach would e-mail you written critiques and continually monitoryour progress, pointing our areas in which you've improved andareas that you still need to work on.

It may be time for you to take a hard look at how bad writing ishurting your company. The good news is that business writing is alearned skill, so everyone can significantly improve their writingwith the right instruction. And that can mean higher productively,which can translate into more revenues. It's that simple.

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