The aim of business writing is to request information from others or to convey information to them. For business managers to be effective writers, they need to be accurate, concise, and complete. They should write in such a way that employees would be able to understand the information conveyed easily. Unfortunately, many business managers tend to write in a disorganized and sloppy manner, in words littered with incomplete sentences and jargon.
Sometimes, their writing content is either too short or too long, which contributes to ineffective and inefficient business writing. It is important for business managers to equip themselves with the essential writing skills they need to control operations efficiently. Students who want to learn about business writing can also find tons of information or buy dissertations from various authoritative online sources.
Business managers can easily improve their writing skills by following a few simple steps. 5 essential writing tips for business managers include:
1. They Need to Know their Audience
Often, business writing fails to produce the desired outcome because it is inappropriate. Some business managers tend to write complicated emails and letters that are difficult to understand. Essentially, they fail to understand the importance of making their content reader-friendly. Managers and supervisors need to know the purpose of their writing in order to gain a sense of direction.
For example, business reports have a specific format, while customer emails should be concise, clear, and courteous. Workplace emails, on the other hand, should be informal and short. Managers should use their audience as a compass. They should understand what their audience wants to learn in order to narrow down the possible paths their writing should take.
2. Focus on Style and Content
Business managers should focus on using simple language while writing, which means using the active voice, avoiding adjectives, and choosing shorter, uncomplicated words. As stated earlier, the primary aim of business writing is to communicate a particular point as quickly and effortlessly as possible. Managers should be mindful of pointless normalization, which means avoiding hidden verbs.
Instead of saying, “We would like to be of assistance,” simply say, “We would like to help you.” The latter is more friendly and effective because it is understandable, efficient, and direct. Business writing, in other words, is all about brevity and conciseness. The audience does not have the time or luxury to read multiple pages of content to get the information they require. Essentially, business managers should respect their audience while writing by doing the following;
- Choosing short words
- Sticking to the subject matter
- Avoiding unnecessary adverbs and adjectives
- Avoiding ambiguity
- Aiming for clarity
- Focusing on facts
3. Revise and Proofread
The first draft of a piece of writing should never be the final product, especially when it comes to business reports and proposals. It is important to proofread and edit text multiple times to come up with a respectable and effective version. This involves checking for typographical, grammatical, and syntactical errors.
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4. Format Wisely
Every piece of business communication or writing should have the proper format to improve efficiency. Therefore, business managers should use headlines, numbering, bullet points, and other formatting features to help their audience scan and skim through the content easily. However, they should avoid overdoing it because too many visual effects can distract readers and take the focus off the actual message.
5. Be Conscious of Perspective and Attitude
Perspective and attitude are rarely emphasized aspects of any type of writing, including business writing. In addition to knowing and understanding their audience, business managers should also recognize the various layers of meaning their content conveys. Expressions, word choice, viewpoints, and sentence structure all reveal more than they think about their perspective and attitude.
Good business writing skills can help business managers resolve workplace conflicts, win huge contracts, and/or generate new business leads. On the other hand, poor writing skills can lead to terrible consequences, such as lost business or lost jobs. Most people think business writing is concise and understandable at all times. The truth, however, is that it often has many grammatical mistakes, errors, misspellings, and misused words. It is, therefore, important to consider and follow the 5 essential writing tips for business managers discussed above.