Business writing can be successful if the employee establishes a personal connection with the reader. However, whether it’s a report for management or an email to a customer, writing better business documents gets the job done swiftly and efficiently. You don’t have to sound stuffy; go for a tone that’s as conversational as possible without being unprofessional.

Above all, offer your facts rationally and usefully so that readers are clear on your point and avoid plagiarism at all costs. Run your work through a reliable plagiarism checker to ensure it does not include plagiarised material. Besides assuring uniqueness, here are six more ways to better your business writing.

Recognize the Intended Goal of Your Document

Before you start writing, you should know why you’re writing and what you hope to achieve. Keep your main goal in mind while you write (you can even write it down at the top of your page and return to it as required; remember to erase it after you finish the first draft).

However, if you find that your concentration shifts while you write, that’s okay, too. However, if you want to keep your work organized and easy to read, you must change your writing to reflect your new goal.

Consider Who You’re Writing for

What you write and how you say it depends significantly on the intended audience. If you aren’t sure who you’re writing to, consider who the paper is intended for or who would gain the most from reading it. If you are writing to persuade someone to buy something or join a cause, you might want to consider:

  • How old are my target readers?
  • What is their history?
  • Where do they live?
  • Where do their passions lie?
  • Who are they, and what do they value?

You may tailor your writing to your intended readers by asking yourself these and related questions.

Make Use of Headers to Help Your Viewers Navigate Your Ideas

It would help if you made it a priority to write in a simple way to comprehend. For this reason, it is crucial to provide brief explanations of the contents of each section.

Headings that are informative and brief make the content easier to read and retain the reader’s attention. Well-organized headers benefit long documents, not just reports. Multiple headers are possible even on a single page.

Do Not Use Excessive Technical Language or Slang

Professional or technical jargon will likely be used in your line of work. However, it would be best if you didn’t assume that others from other backgrounds would automatically grasp them. If you’re writing to someone outside your profession, skip the technical words. Those people would consider such phrases as ‘jargon’ and like another language that they find it difficult to convert back into their native language. Only use technical phrases if you are convinced that the audience you are writing for understands them as well as you do.

Don’t Be Vague

The reader is more likely to find value in and be engaged by a tangible and specific message than one that is more theoretical or abstract. Any broad assertion has to be bolstered by specifics or complex data.

For example, “Competition in our industry has risen substantially” requires clarification since “significantly” is broad and unspecific. Offer a number or give some instances of what your rivals do to boost their sales.

Another pitfall of business writing is the overuse of abstract nouns, especially verb-based abstract nouns. So instead of saying “special attention must be paid to the concerns of minority groups,” we can use “we, they, or whoever is doing the contemplating” to make it clear that everyone’s opinions and ideas will be taken into account.

Perform a Thorough Review of Your Work

Mistakes in spelling and grammar are significant red flags. You may prevent them by carefully rereading your writing, ideally more than once. Errors are more apparent when printed out than when compared to the digital versions of the document.

If you’re using a text editor that has a spellcheck function, you may want to consider using it. However, remember that spellcheckers are imperfect and will miss inevitable mistakes. To provide just one example, people can forget that you skipped a word or two.

If possible, have a friend, partner, or coworker go through your writing. They may notice something you have overlooked.

Final Words

Having strong writing skills is crucial in the commercial sector. Your writing must be concise, logical, and specific to reach your readership. Careless, sloppy, unprofessional, or insufficient communication may damage your reputation, lose your sales or investment money, hinder you from getting recruited or promoted, and even leave you open to legal liability. Because of these and other reasons, you should put in the time and effort necessary to ensure the quality of your written communication.