For many non-writers, business writing is a necessary but unpleasant task. Make it easier on yourself with these tried and tested tips.
For us copywriters, words are a way of life – but for many people in a business environment, they are a necessary evil requiring wrangling to do your bidding.
By devoting a little bit of time and thought to building up some basic business writing skills, you can make the writing process a lot easier.
By devoting a little bit of time and thought to building up some basic business writing skills, you can make the writing process a lot easier.
Step 1: Identify Your Goals
The first step to more effective business writing is identifying the purpose of your writing.
You’re probably aware of the overt goals of your writing – these are things like communicating an idea, outlining a project, and providing information. But we also have unconscious goals that can creep into our work – things like communicating authority, persuading clients, or communicating our worth and value.
Being aware of your goals before sitting down to write an email or a report will help you stay on target. You might find it useful to write down one key goal to focus on before you get started.
Step 2: Identify Your Challenges
Depending on the project, the challenges you face will differ.
Depending on the project, the challenges you face will differ.
For example, the main challenge for a presentation for an international audience might be using language that’s accessible and easily understood by everyone. For an email to a colleague, the challenge might be setting the right tone to communicate urgency without coming across as too demanding.
Identifying these challenges ahead of writing will make it easier for you to account for them from the start.
Step 3: Plan Your Writing
With your goals and challenges in mind, it’s time to plan your writing. The amount of time you spend on this step will vary depending on what you’re writing, with longer or more in-depth projects requiring more forethought and preparation. But no matter the length, going in with a plan will make the writing easier and more effective.
Consider the following:
Write an outline. Every piece of writing benefits from an outline because writing one forces us to think through what we actually want to say. And while it might seem like overkill to write an outline for an email, it’s a good habit that will save you time in the long run.
Use meaningful headlines and subheads. These draw the reader’s eye and break up long text to make it more easily digestible.
Consider using topic sentences. Often the first sentence of a paragraph, topic sentences are like mini thesis statements. They announce what’s to come in the paragraph, and they can be very useful – if you find yourself straying from the topic, it’s time to move on to a new paragraph.
Use meaningful headlines and subheads. These draw the reader’s eye and break up long text to make it more easily digestible.
Step 4: Write
Time to get writing!
A few things to keep in mind:
Stick to one topic per paragraph or bullet point. You want to avoid overcrowding your document.
Vary your sentence and paragraph length. This simple technique keeps your writing engaging and easy to read.
Use the active voice. If you’re not familiar with the active voice, it’s worth devoting some time to familiarising yourself with it. The active voice shows an action being done rather than being described. For example: “The ball was chased by the dog” is passive (describing what happened), while “The dog chased the ball” is active (showing the action as it happens). Active writing is engaging and direct and will bring your work to life.
Be concise. Consider the writer’s maxim, never use two words where one will do. We often think that longer and more complex writing makes us sound smarter – but all it really does is make our writing harder to understand.
Be concise. Consider the writer’s maxim, never use two words where one will do.
Avoid jargon and self-important sentence structures. You can tell when writing is becoming self-important because it’s more focused on the writer than on the reader. Do your audience a favour and keep them first in mind by using simple and accessible language.
With these tricks in your toolbox, your writing will be more effective and precise. Remember that we only get better at something through practice, so keep working at it – and check out the other posts in our ‘Notes from the Copywriter’s Desk’ series for more tips on how to improve.
Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash