7. Time pressures and influence of internet have made us into a world of browsers, even when we’re reading brochures and other print. Unless it’s very short organise your offline text so readers who are browsing get key points very easily. Always separate technical detail and other lengthy data from main text so readers aren’t obliged to plod through it unless they want to.

8. Never be tempted to transplant text written for print into an online environment. Online text is as different from offline text as a PC screen is from paper. Because reading from screens is so unfriendly, online text must be very short and crisp and must make it extremely easy for readers to absorb key points. Don’t let web designers talk you into flamboyant graphics that could inadvertently swamp your message.

9. When you give a speech, make sure you write it for yourself and your natural way of speaking – not your (or someone else’s) idea of how an important business person should speak in public. Use a tape recorder to get an objective view of your voice, style, weaknesses and strengths. Keep sentences short with only one idea in each. Avoid telling jokes unless you’re naturally funny. And rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.

10. If you think you may be out of your depth with a business writing project (e.g. a TV commercial, major direct marketing campaign, complex video or business theatre script) you’re probably right – so call in a professional writer. Don’t risk embarrassing yourself or your organisation with an attempt that’s amateurish – there’s no shame in admitting you can't be an expert at everything!

5. Layout of emails is something few people pay attention to, especially if (like me) their system uses text only. However even with simple text a sensible layout can make whole thing more readable. Above all, you should avoid writing emails that sprawl all way across screen. Those are very hard to read and to be able to see everything properly as text, your reader may have to fiddle about changing fonts. The safest format to use consists of lines no more than 65 characters long. That fits, works everywhere and makes email much easier on eye.

6. Your subject line should focus on what's in it for reader so it grabs their attention. You'll find that best way to do that is to include some sort of benefit. For example, if you're writing an email about a downwardly-revised project budget, instead of saying "Project X - revised costs" say "Project X - costs reduced by XX%"). If there isn't a genuine benefit to use, try to make it interesting and intriguing anyway. Also, avoid words most hated by spam filters like "free," "subscribe," etc. 7. Online writing has to be kept concise and clear, largely because screen is a particularly unfriendly reading medium for most people's eyes. If only for that reason KISS principle (Keep It Short & Simple) is useful. With emails you need to get straight to point and keep to it. Someone who receives dozens of emails per day doesn't have time to wade through a lot of preamble. By making your point concisely you'll stand greatest possible chance of avoiding undignified fate of being deleted.

8. As far as writing style is concerned, here more than with any other medium it's very, very helpful to write as people speak. In addition, it will make your email clearer and more concise if you leave out all but essential adjectives and adverbs. Keep your sentences short, and only ever include one main idea or thought per sentence. Paragraphs shouldn't consist of more than 6 sentences max - fewer if possible. And if you list more than a couple of items, use bullet points.

9. If you write emails for business, make good use of signature facility that goes after your name. It's surprising just how many people fail to use that facility properly - yet it's an excellent opportunity for you to put across a few words of promotion. Because email signature appears at end, your recipients are not likely to be irritated by it. In fact provided that it contains useful contact information it will be seen as a helpful addition to your message. And even if your email is text only you can still make it look reasonably smart.