It is not necessary for business writing to be tedious. It can be an excellent way to see your writing talents and how well you can communicate your thoughts. Here are the top ten skills you should work on as you improve your business writing skill:.
Know who you’re talking to.
You first must understand your customer to communicate effectively. Is your audience aware of your topic? Would your message be well-received by the audience? Is the target customer young or old, urban or rural, well-educated or not?
Knowing who you’re talking to makes answering the most popular question, “What’s in it for me?” a simple.
Know what you’re saying.
Decide everything you want to achieve before typing a word.
Do you intend to pass on some information? Do you even have a challenging concept to explain? Do you want to encourage your readers to take action? What, above all, is your main message?
Get rid of cliches and buzzword.
There are just too many clichés and over-used buzzwords in today’s corporate writing. What kind of company isn’t “service-oriented”? What is a company’s focus if it isn’t “solutions-focused”? Are you causing issues? Clichés are expressions that appear out of nowhere and then become abundant to the point of being almost meaningless.
How often have you heard the phrase low-hanging fruit, win-win solutions, or pushing the boundaries? Do they make you want to yawn, or do they make you want to yawn? Yes, I believe so. When encountering a cliché, try to think of a new metaphor for the same concept. How about “breaking away from the herd” instead of “thinking outside the box”? But don’t put too much effort into being clever. Often, simply stating what you mean—”thinking in new ways”—is the most effective approach.
Get rid of the jargon.
Each area has its collection of acronyms and specific terms. When every reader understands the terminology, they’re a valuable shortcut.
Get rid of the inside jargon if you’re writing for individuals who aren’t in your field—which will frequently include your customers.
Hold a consistent touch.
Short sentences, paragraphs, and papers have a better possibility of catching the reader’s attention. It is especially true with emails and other electronic documents because we read faster on a screen than we do on paper.
To keep your readers, get rid of the filler. Here are some recommendations.
Remove any redundant adjectives. All friends are unique; all breakthroughs are groundbreaking, and all misfortunes are serious.
If you want to hide your verbs, don’t utilize verb/noun combinations. “Decide” or “improve,” neither “make a decision” nor “carry out an improvement.”
Remove long, twisty phrases. Why say “We are upgrading our IT systems in the process” when you can say “We are upgrading our IT systems.”
Make it clear and straightforward.
People frequently skim documents for important information before determining whether or not to read the entire document. Make things simple for them. Create a clear subject line for your email (“Read this immediately”) or a clear headline for your post.
Make deadlines and other critical information stand out. Use descriptive subheads to break up long texts. Make bulleted lists, like this one. Make sure the most crucial information is at the top of the page.
Keep symbols and abbreviations on your phone.
Use “&” “etc.” “e.g.” and other abbreviations when messaging your kids.
Use full terms instead if you’re writing to impress clients, employees, or investors. It’s simply more professional.
Become more active.
What makes these two sentences different?
Will be provided rebates on all new purchases.
XYZ Corp. will provide refunds on all new purchases.
We have no idea who is offering the rebate in the first situation. The subject of the second sentence is the corporation.
The first sentence uses the passive voice, whereas the second uses the written in the active voice.
Proofread.
Spell checkers are helpful tools, but they’re still not perfect. Proofread your documents before printing or distributing them. They rarely tell you when you’ve used an actual word in the inappropriate context— ask anyone who has ever requested clients to contact the “sales manager.”
Consider yourself a reporter.
It’s easy to ignore the obvious when you invest in a subject.
For example, it’s incredible how many hotel and restaurant websites omit one crucial piece of information: the address. Make sure to include the Five W’s and an H in your document: who, what, where, when, why, and how.
