5 Business Writing Tips
A few months ago, I attended a “majors fair” at my alma matter where I spoke with students who were looking for majors and minors to declare. When I asked students if they’d considered a writing major, most would give a little smile and say, “No, I’m not good at writing.” ... ALL THE MORE REASON TO STUDY IT, MY DEAR!
There’s no escaping it; everyone has to write, especially in the business world. Strong writing skills can boost your credibility and even your career! Here are five quick tips to improve your business writing.
1. Keep it short!
Most people don’t read business communication because they want to. Focus your message on what truly matters, and help your readers get on with their day.
2. Plan it out.
If you’ve got a big message that’s critical or will be sent to a large audience, give it some thought! To plan your message, step through the rhetorical situation (in other words, the components involved in the communication) and ask yourself questions like these:
Writer: Who am I to the audience? Do I need to establish credibility or explain who I am?
Purpose: Why am I writing this? What am I trying to accomplish here?
Audience: Who will be reading this message? What do they know or not know already?
Topic: What am I writing about? What's the main message, and what is just supporting detail?
Context: In what circumstances will the audience read the message, and what aspects of the situation might affect the way they receive it?
3. Organize your ideas.
The most important part of the message should go first. This is typically your main topic - the “what” or “why.”
Then, go into the details that support your message. If there are details you aren’t sure whether to include, consider putting them in an attachment or providing a link where people can learn more.
Chunk the message into sections that cover sub-topics. Chunking can help prevent your message from going back and forth between sub-topics.
4. Picture it.
Use a graphic or photo to liven things up. An image can serve as a visual “hook” for readers and can help illustrate your point. Icons are OK, but do your best to stay away from stock images and clip art for your everyday messages.
Enjoy this colorful graphic of the rhetorical situation.
5. Polish it up!
This seems like a no-brainer tip that everyone knows and no one has time for, but it is ALWAYS worth the time. Here are a few ways to tighten up your message.
- Eliminate wordiness by avoiding unnecessary adjectives and passive verbs (is, be, am, was, etc.).
- Define jargon and important terms. Lots of advice says to avoid jargon entirely, but I think quickly defining an acronym or key term can help get everyone on the same level!
- Use formatting to your advantage – but be strategic! Use headings to make your message more scannable, and use bold-face or highlighting to call attention to something important. Just make sure each formatting decision has purpose.
- Read through it once, really slowly before hitting “send.” Or, send it to a friend to preview! A second read-through, whether by you or someone else, can catch mistakes that spellcheck can’t.
Looking for more help in this area? Contact Gordeaux today for group training on business writing and more!