Writing Preferences and Practices of Top-Level Executives

An analysis of documents written by 24 upper-level managers in a multinational company identified the executivesʹ writing practices. Their writing generally reflected the standards taught in communication courses. Weaknesses of their writing related to document tone, conciseness, application of punctuation rules, and outdated expressions. Through interviews, executives identified their personal writing goals, their procedures to ensure accuracy, their most difficult documents to write, and the impact of writing on their current positions. Executives stress the importance of writing on career success and the significance of meeting deadlines.