The 10 “Dos” of Business Writing

As we all know, in business, you have to communicate and collaborate to gain success. The most efficient way to achieve this is to get your writing juices flowing! Even doctors, architects and salespeople who work behind a counter have to write. We all have to update our managers, our branch offices, and so on. Writing is essential. This is why it has never been more important than now to be “well-spoken” on the page.

In the course of your business career, you will be writing a diverse set of documents. Expect to write, among others: emails, letters to be hired, PowerPoint presentations, blogs, marketing materials and reports.

There are some “Dos” that carry over across all these different types of documents. That’s the good news. Writing well in business has a bit of one-size-fits-all quality about it. Once you learn the basics, you can apply them to every document you are required to complete. Let’s take a look at these “Dos”.

Should you have a voice?

Good writing compels and it compels by what is called a voice. The reader feels they are hearing you speak. So one of the first keys to your business writing is that you should not choke up and think you should sound like Einstein or a PHD in philology. You should sound like yourself.

Be direct

It is true that you are writing as who you are, but if you are a person who tends to think in circles, edit yourself to get right to the point. People are impatient and will dismiss any document that takes “work” to understand what it is trying to communicate. Here is an example of someone who got to the point:

Don’t be personal

Again, it is your “voice” that you are writing in but that does not mean you need to digress into why you are writing the document, what you are doing as you write the document, how you feel about the document, or any other personal thoughts. Just communicate what the document is intended to communicate.

Don’t use colloquialisms

Yes, you should not be stuffy but you also shouldn’t write from your inner teenager. Use proper English and don’t use slang. People interpret slang differently and you are setting yourself up to both be trivialized and misunderstood.

Don’t use the passive voice

“It was said at the meeting that John should send the documents to Mary.” Erase the word “was or were” from your lexicon. Be direct and active. “John will send the documents to Mary. “

Humour

Yes, a small nod to humour is good. But turning into Robin Williams is risky since one man’s humour is another man’s rudeness. That said, wit is intelligence and if a witticism is appropriate to the business and does not hurt anyone and is relevant to the business issue at hand, by all means, yes. This would stand more for emails and power point presentations. Also, humour could be the opening to a white paper, but would not be appropriate in a business report or performance review.

Be polite and appreciative

Thank you. Please. All the best. Regards. These pleasantries are the currency of business transactions. Give a compliment when it is appropriate. Recognize that people are people. Pleasantries are part of social convention and social convention is to facilitate growth. People like to deal with polite people.

Use fresh language

Cliches are lazy. It is true you are not writing literature but if you use language that is lively, with active verbs, people will experience your document more viscerally. Words not to use: “Great”, “nice,” “fabulous” “cool” – these words tell nothing. Talk about benefits. “Saves time,” “aesthetically designed,” “visual interface” and so on.

Be concise

There is nothing worse than opening your email or mail and seeing a 3 page long document that is not a legal brief or contract. No one has time to read long documents unnecessarily. So always get to your point and keep it simple!

Edit

Most of us no longer do this on emails and probably for emails with simple messaging, it is not necessary. But naturally, for presentations, proposals, anything that represents the company at large, you need to edit. And edit. And edit. Every time you come to your document, you will see something new to improve. It’s amazing what we miss in a document even after going over it ten times. So when timing yourself, factor in time for editing.