How to Improve Your Business Writing
I wish they had told us all, in high school and college, how important our communication skills were to our future. Want to stand out from the crowd at work or in business? Polish your writing skills and I can assure you, you will be ahead of the pack. Writing is important in customer relations, marketing, human resources and more. Let's look at some ways you can be sure your writing doesn't look sloppy and amateurish.
I wish they had told us all, in high school and college, how important our communication skills were to our future. Want to stand out from the crowd at work or in business? Polish your writing skills and I can assure you, you will be ahead of the pack. Writing is important in customer relations, marketing, human resources and more. Let's look at some ways you can be sure your writing doesn't look sloppy and amateurish.
One of the best things you can do to improve your writing is to read more frequently. Many people don't enjoy reading for pleasure. If this is the case, at least spend some time reading business books or magazines. Pay attention to sentence structure, punctuation, grammar and style to improve your own writing. While you are improving your writing, you are getting increased business knowledge as well.
Don't count on spell check to catch all of your errors. Yes, it helps! But grammar and punctuation are harder for spell/grammar check to identify. Once you use it, go over your writing and hand it off to your best proofreader to review.
Revise, revise, revise. It can take several revisions before you get an important letter, document or piece of marketing material written with polish, power and persuasion. Keep editing until you get it right (and this helps you practice and improve your writing in the long-term).
Some words are commonly misused. Words like loose vs. lose, it's vs. its and affect vs. effect are often used improperly. To see a list of these words so you can avoid misusing them, do a web search for commonly misused words and you will find several good references. Bookmark one or two of these sites to refer to routinely when writing.
Professional writers keep a style/grammar book on hand. Why shouldn't you? Keep this as a reference and use it frequently. It is impossible to do professionally prepared business writing without one. Many bookstores also sell laminated grammar cheat sheets that come in handy.
Be brief! Ernest Hemingway recommended using short sentences. Say what you need to say without filler. Edit your sentences and see just how short they can be while still being clear and effective. Don't tell people what you are going to tell them ("in this article, we'll discuss"). Just tell them. Watch out for filler phrases like "of course" and "however").
Different parts of the country make different mistakes with the English language. The Midwest struggles with "I seen that" versus the correct "I saw that" while the northern regions tend towards "Can I go with" versus the correct "Can I go with you?". Be aware of these common mistakes so that you can prevent making them while speaking and writing.
Writing communicates much more than the message you are intending to convey. Many people hate to write because they don't trust in their own abilities. Writing is a skill that deserves practice. If it is sloppy and weak, that is the impression people will have about you and your business. Take some time to improve this basic, but crucial, skill.
I wish they had told us all, in high school and college, how important our communication skills were to our future. Want to stand out from the crowd at work or in business? Polish your writing skills and I can assure you, you will be ahead of the pack. Writing is important in customer relations, marketing, human resources and more. Let's look at some ways you can be sure your writing doesn't look sloppy and amateurish.
One of the best things you can do to improve your writing is to read more frequently. Many people don't enjoy reading for pleasure. If this is the case, at least spend some time reading business books or magazines. Pay attention to sentence structure, punctuation, grammar and style to improve your own writing. While you are improving your writing, you are getting increased business knowledge as well.
Don't count on spell check to catch all of your errors. Yes, it helps! But grammar and punctuation are harder for spell/grammar check to identify. Once you use it, go over your writing and hand it off to your best proofreader to review.
Revise, revise, revise. It can take several revisions before you get an important letter, document or piece of marketing material written with polish, power and persuasion. Keep editing until you get it right (and this helps you practice and improve your writing in the long-term).
Some words are commonly misused. Words like loose vs. lose, it's vs. its and affect vs. effect are often used improperly. To see a list of these words so you can avoid misusing them, do a web search for commonly misused words and you will find several good references. Bookmark one or two of these sites to refer to routinely when writing.
Professional writers keep a style/grammar book on hand. Why shouldn't you? Keep this as a reference and use it frequently. It is impossible to do professionally prepared business writing without one. Many bookstores also sell laminated grammar cheat sheets that come in handy.
Be brief! Ernest Hemingway recommended using short sentences. Say what you need to say without filler. Edit your sentences and see just how short they can be while still being clear and effective. Don't tell people what you are going to tell them ("in this article, we'll discuss"). Just tell them. Watch out for filler phrases like "of course" and "however").
Different parts of the country make different mistakes with the English language. The Midwest struggles with "I seen that" versus the correct "I saw that" while the northern regions tend towards "Can I go with" versus the correct "Can I go with you?". Be aware of these common mistakes so that you can prevent making them while speaking and writing.
Writing communicates much more than the message you are intending to convey. Many people hate to write because they don't trust in their own abilities. Writing is a skill that deserves practice. If it is sloppy and weak, that is the impression people will have about you and your business. Take some time to improve this basic, but crucial, skill.
About the Author:
With 30 years of consulting experience, Steven Schlagel offers training and coaching for startups, entrepreneurs and small business owners. Check his site for more articles to increase your success!