Today’s business world runs on a constant stream of information. A large part of our jobs revolves around communicating with the masses, usually in written form.
You will see how businesses worldwide rely heavily on presentations, business proposals, memos, promotional copies, training materials, business requirements, grant proposals, and others. With the lengthy writing processes, it is important to know tips that help professionals craft qualitative content.
Let’s look at some top tips below:
No one appreciates the kind of business writing where jargons are a highlight. Instead of composing content that sounds ridiculous, it is better to use meaningful vocabulary and sentences. For instance, “brainstorming” sounds a whole lot better than “strategic synergies.”
Remember, no matter how highly qualified and well-read your business associates are, they’re humans, after all. It is human nature to find sensible and uncomplicated things more appealing than jargon. Hence, plainer language is the key here.
Despite the importance of writing in the business world, people are less willing to read. You can note how the magazine houses, which once thrived with features running a 2000-wordcount, are now down to 500.
The fact is that life has become so hectic and fast-paced that we don’t have the luxury to invest too much time in a particular writing piece. Concision dominates our fast and competitive world, so it is best to avoid meandering, lengthy sentences, and use words sparingly.
Proofreading is compulsory. You should proofread your document, if not immediately after writing, then at least a few hours later. Nothing devalues a fine piece of writing other than careless typos and your credibility in the eyes of readers too.
Rereading is equally important. It is a great practice to read your document a couple of hours or even a day or two later. It helps you catch errors, identify inappropriate tone, and also gives you time to polish a piece that you may otherwise have written in a hurry.
More embarrassing than typos are names you misspell and genders you misaddress in business writing. While composing a document, you may be unsure about the names and genders of the persons you are addressing. However, there cannot be anything worse than continuing through misaddress throughout the document.
To avoid this, it is best to confirm the names and the genders specifically before you start writing. In case you cannot get the correct information, it is wise to stick to gender-neutral language instead. The singular nouns “they” and “their” are now widely acceptable for gender-neutrality.
Most writers live under the illusion that all business communications must be formal. Truthfully, that is quite unproductive and even unnecessary. Yes, for job applications and legal documents, formal language is compulsory, but it also usually obscures your writing meaning.
Instead of being overly formal in your writing, try to be professional but more personal. Such a tone will not include personal comments or snarky gossip but will make the readers feel connected with you and relate to your information.
As a business writer, you will surely know what most of your writing revolves around. Hence, if you have written an especially good letter, memo, email, or similar document, you’d be wise to save the template.
In the future, when you have to write a similar document but find yourself short of time, you know how you can smartly use your saved template.
Business writing does not require us to be great writers. It does ask us to be effective writers, though, and that is a learnable skill. As a beginner, you may not have all it takes to produce a flawless written document, but you will soon become a pro at it with our tips.