Features and Tips for Business Writing

No matter you are writing an application letter, a marketing plan, a sales report or just a short e-mail, etc., in a business context, you are expected to convey your information efficiently and accurately, as well as consider the tone you use; thus you are likely to achieve your purpose. Here are some general tips on format or style for business writing based on its features.

Conciseness

1.  Put your topic, theme, claim at the very first, making conclusion in the first paragraph or sentence. Don't save the crucial point for last.

2.  A long introduction is not usually necessary if you are providing a context for your audience.

3.  Use headings to group and organize your ideas. The cue can come from the project assignment or instructions.

4.  Break up a long paragraph into shorter ones. You can also use bullet points.

5.  Present a developed idea. You don’t need to narrate your research process.

6.  When writing a memo or an e-mail, use the “Subject” or “Re:” line strategically by condense your main point in it. Your audience may make the decision of whether further read it or not based on this.

7.  Eliminate unnecessary words and phrases such as “that” “very” “really” “It is important to note that,”. Substitute a single word for a wordy phrase such as “because” for “due to”.

Accuracy

1. Avoid being ambiguous and overly impersonal by minimizing your use of the passive voice (unless it is necessary, for example, you’d like to gloss over an unflattering point).

PASSIVE: The net benefits of subsidiary divestiture were grossly overestimated.

{Who did the overestimating?}

ACTIVE: The Global Finance Team grossly exaggerated the net benefits of subsidiary divestiture.

1. Proofread carefully. Misspelled words and simple grammar mistakes will damage your credibility in the eyes of your reader.

Tone

       Although business writing should be concise and clear, it doesn’t mean your task is accomplished by just conveying the message without the need to consider your tone. Different ways to express can cause greatly different reactions. Consider the example below:

After carefully reviewing this proposal, we have decided to prioritize other projects this quarter.

Nobody liked your project idea, so we are not going to give you any funding.

References:

https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/

https://miamioh.edu/hcwe/hwc/writing-resources/handouts/index.html

Written by Vivi