In a college business writing class, we got an assignment from the professor to put a letter together and write it without the pronoun “I.” It could have been a proposal or a letter to a prospective boss seeking employment. It’s tough to remember the exact communication piece. What lodges in the memory bank was the goal to eliminate “I” and how hard it was to do, and once finished, how much better it made the final product.
Try it on your own. Think about a customer letter, a piece of marketing, a report you pen to your boss. There are many opportunities to insert an “I.”
Take for example, this note: “Jerry: I’ve been working on this project for three months now and want to give you a quick update. Our team put together three options, and I want to explain them to you so you can do an in-depth analysis, and select the best choice. I look forward to hearing back from you and providing any additional information necessary.”
You can make that a longer example, adding more “I’s” and then find ways to change the language so it is not self-referential. This one could be revised as follows: “Jerry: Our three-month project report is now ready for your review. We developed three options for your analysis and decision. Please let us know if you need additional information.”
There are several things accomplished by eliminating “I.” 1) In general, you get to the point more directly. 2) The communication is not about you (it never should be). 3) You are forced to look at things from a team perspective, which is the way most projects are accomplished. And, 4) removing the “I” forces you out of your language comfort zone, looking at more creative ways to deliver your message.
Set up some exercises for yourself. Go through examples of your business writing and edit several pieces to rid the “I’s.” Read it out loud to yourself to see how it sounds. You should find the readability and flow improve. It’s a good practice to improve your writing skills.
Try it on your own. Think about a customer letter, a piece of marketing, a report you pen to your boss. There are many opportunities to insert an “I.”
Take for example, this note: “Jerry: I’ve been working on this project for three months now and want to give you a quick update. Our team put together three options, and I want to explain them to you so you can do an in-depth analysis, and select the best choice. I look forward to hearing back from you and providing any additional information necessary.”
You can make that a longer example, adding more “I’s” and then find ways to change the language so it is not self-referential. This one could be revised as follows: “Jerry: Our three-month project report is now ready for your review. We developed three options for your analysis and decision. Please let us know if you need additional information.”
There are several things accomplished by eliminating “I.” 1) In general, you get to the point more directly. 2) The communication is not about you (it never should be). 3) You are forced to look at things from a team perspective, which is the way most projects are accomplished. And, 4) removing the “I” forces you out of your language comfort zone, looking at more creative ways to deliver your message.
Set up some exercises for yourself. Go through examples of your business writing and edit several pieces to rid the “I’s.” Read it out loud to yourself to see how it sounds. You should find the readability and flow improve. It’s a good practice to improve your writing skills.