Running a business or working in the corporate sector is very reliant on communicating effectively with your customers, investors, suppliers, staff, etc.
By Susan Saurel
You need good business writing skills to successfully run a business of any size because the application of business writing is required almost every day.
You have to write emails, respond to those sent to you and on certain occasions, you may need to compile a report. You may even need to write a business plan that will be pitched to potential investors. These documents need to be drafted in a professional manner that will appease their targeted audience.
This is the reason why you need to better your business writing skills. Here are the top 9 tips and tools on how to do this:
Be clear
When you write to a business associate or colleague and even your boss, don’t use abbreviations unnecessarily. Instead, use clear terms that will be understood by your targeted audience easily and effortlessly.
Don’t use long sentences to explain a simple point, but a straightforward, clear sentence will get the point across much more effectively. When you proofread your document, ensure to see if you need all the words written. If not, cut off on the ones you don’t need.
Being concise will make your text easily readable and easy to scan through when your target audience is busy. So, you will get a response much faster when you are clear and concise.
While you are practicing to write better, you can use online expert writing services. A professional writing service will ensure that your presentations, business reports, white papers, etc. are all in order.
If you are pursuing education, the writing services can help you with a thesis, dissertation, college essays, and term papers as well. You can get a resume, LinkedIn profile and cover letter done from resumewriters.
Use simple language
Speak plain English without adding any unnecessary jargon or long words. You might feel the urge to impress with the big word you heard the guys in the fancy suits say in your last board meeting.
Some institutions show a liking to Latin phrases or other foreign phrases and you may want to fall in line with that trend. However, you should avoid doing this by all means.
Consider that some of your target audience may not understand the term Modus Operandi but may understand the term Method of Operation easier. If you use simple plain English, you will express yourself better and you will be easily understood.
Be descriptive
Instead of using ambiguous words, use words that will make the reader understand and remember much faster. So, instead of using sentences like “The concerning matter in our company,” use descriptive sentences like “The matter of the changes in company policy.”
If you are specific and descriptive, your reader won’t spend much time trying to remember “the concerning matter” in your company. So, more time will be spent reading on the email and that increases workplace efficacy.
Use writing tools
There are several online writing tools available as apps and as a desktop version that you can use to perfect your email writing skills. These tools help you correct your writing by spotting the errors, suggesting points of improvement, make notes, organize the schedule and even provide cools font styles.
Evernote, Hemingway Editor, Grammarly are some of the famous tools you can use. There are many others that you can explore online as per your requirement.
Use professional signatures and punctuation
When writing to your friends, you probably have no punctuation limits and you don’t need to sign off professionally. This doesn’t go well in the workplace so you have to be professional at all times.
It doesn’t matter how much you are familiar with the person you are addressing it to. To implement this, cut down on using endless exclamation marks and emoticons.
Also, when signing off an email, avoid using casual sign-offs like “xoxo,” instead you can use signoffs such as Regards, Best, Yours Truly, etc. Also, be careful of the tone you use in the email by maintaining it professional.
Use active voice
Active voice should be used more frequently and passive voice should be minimized. This adds energy to your text and makes it feel alive at that moment and time. The syntax for a proper active voice sentence is “subject, verb, and object. This sentence is easily readable and quicker to understand.
So, instead of saying “John was playing soccer,” you can use a sentence such as, “John played soccer.” This also makes your sentences to be short and straightforward, because of that, it can be easily read and understood.
Minimize passive voice to make your sentences easier to read and understand. These tips will help you improve your business writing skills and will also help you improve your general communication skills.
Conclusion
These tips will help you improve your business writing skills and let you perfect your general communication skills. As an additional tip, use descriptive and short sentences that are straightforward to write emails and other business documents. Also, don’t be too friendly but cut back on exclamation marks and emoticons. Improved business writing means better performance, which leads to career growth.
Susan Saurel is a full-time digital marketer and a part-time blog writer at online assignment help and writing services reviews. Susan lives in Houston, Texas, but she spends most of her spare time traveling around the globe and meeting new people and cultures. As a passionate marketer, Susan is eager to share the professional experience with her readers. Meet Susan on Twitter.
Business writing stock photo by F8 studio/Shutterstock
