6 Ways to Improve Your Business Writing Skills

It’s amazing how many people experienced in the business world don’t put any effort into their writing. Just because you’ve finished university and are working, it doesn’t mean your writing skills can go out the window. Proper communication is key in the business world, and good writing skills are a big part of that. Here are six ways to improve your business writing skills.

Use subject lines correctly

An email subject is a valuable tool, it lets the reader know what your main point is, and gets them to read on. They only work if they are written to be short, specific, and direct. Vague email subjects are not helpful, they are confusing and annoying to the recipient. Don’t send out an email with a subject that reads like this: ‘Thursday Meeting.’ There’s a good chance your reader is wondering things like, “Which meeting? Does he mean the morning safety meeting? What meeting is he talking about?” The more specific you are, the more likely people are to open your email promptly, and act on the information it contains.

Have an objective

Know your objective before you start writing anything. Your document will suffer if you only “kind of know” what your goal is. “Try writing down what you feel your objective is, and then write down what your reader already knows. Does this document need to be written? Perhaps its scope will change now that you’re looking at what your reader already knows,” recommends Joshua Gage, copywriter at EliteAssignmentHelp. Sometimes you can actually ask your intended audience what it is they need, but obviously not always. You might find yourself putting together a document that is made up of contributions from several people. In these cases it is especially important that everyone has the same clear objective in mind, or good luck assembling it.

Remember your audience

You’re not writing the email or document simply to regurgitate all your impressive knowledge, your writing exists to serve the people it’s intended for. The information they need should help guide your writing. How much does your reader care about what you’re writing about? Sometimes you’ll be writing documents that, while important, nobody really wants to read. In these cases it is especially important that you write in a way that gets their attention and gets your important point across quickly, before they completely lose interest. Think about how much your reader knows and remembers of your subject material. Remember that a good piece of business writing delivers on what the recipient wants and expects from it.

Use a writing process

Writing processes are helpful when you’re doing business writing. Having one can really make the task seem more approachable if you are not a natural writer. We already talked about the first step, which is having an objective. Next you need to do a bit of research, make sure you have the proper information. Write a quick outline with your main points sketched out. Get everything down in a rough draft. Edit it so that it reads well and flows logically from one point to the next. Finally, proofread the document to make sure there are no typos, or spelling and grammar errors.

Proper formatting

Don’t forget to format your document properly, even if it’s just an email. Make sure you know how to properly use headings, bullet points, and number lists. Use indenting to show that something is a sub-element of the previous information. Leave lots of white space and use short paragraphs to made it easily readable. Readers should be able to scan your writing for the information they are looking for. Know when to use bold and italics to emphasize.

Check out these online tools for extra help

Writing isn’t easy for everyone, and business writing can be especially tricky. Don’t be afraid to get some help from the experts. Here are some good resources to get you started:

1) StateofWriting and Let’s Go And Learn: These are grammar resources you can use to check over your writing for grammatical mistakes. Professionalism is part of being a good business writer, so don’t risk leaving mistakes in your writing.

2) BigAssignments and Essayroo: These are online proofreading tools, suggested by Essayroo review, you can use to make sure your writing is polished and free of errors.

3) ViaWriting and Studydemic: Check out these writing blogs for tips and ideas on how to improve your business writing. You will find plenty of posts specifically about working on business writing.

4) Write My Paper and UKWritings: These are editing tools, recommended by UKTopWriters, you can use to go over your writing for typos and other errors.

5) My Writing Way and Writing Populist: Check out these writing guides for tips and suggestions on how to improve your business writing. There are a lot of good writers who can still benefit from extra help with their business writing.

Conclusion

Business professionals spend a significant chunk of their day writing emails and other documents. You probably know a few people in your industry who are notorious for their confusing, rambling, and typo-riddled emails. Nobody wants that reputation. Follow these six ways to improving your business writing skills.