The essentials of good business writing

Good business writing is at the heart of successful marketing. Without it you will be at best, misunderstood, at worst, totally ignored. Follow these simple guidelines to ensure your business writing hits the spot.

Write readable sentences by writing the way you talk

There is a misconception that good business writing is complex and flowery. It is simply not true. The only people who can ignore this advice are lawyers by virtue of the fact that it is their intention to make everything more complex than it need be, especially as they are paid by the hour to explain to you what they have written!

Use ordinary words

Don’t try to be too clever; don’t use a long word where a short one will do.

Variety

Vary your punctuation and sentence length to add life and movement to your writing.

Use the personal pronoun

Use "I" or "we" wherever you can.

Make your point

Make your main point early and make it easy to find. Don't introduce new ideas until you have thoroughly explained the first.

Intention

Make your purpose for writing clear. Say what you have found, address the issue or problem and make a recommendation or provide a solution. Tell the reader very clearly what you want them to do. Never make the assumption that the reader will make the mental leap between the information and what you want them to do about it.

Structure

Help your reader get to the point by revealing the structure of the document. Allow them to have control over what they discover and when.

White space

Leave plenty of white space. This can be created by using headings, lists, bullet points and short paragraphs.

Use font types wisely

If in doubt stick to the classic fonts. Don't litter your writing with bold, italics CAPITALS or underline; it makes the text harder to read.

Wherever possible, remember:

Use the active voice

Use ordinary words

Construct clear, simple sentences

Concrete not abstract – use examples, metaphors and details

Personal

Informal, conversational style

Make every word count or get rid of it

Use just enough punctuation to assist the reader

Watch your grammar – don’t switch tense.

Say what you mean and mean what you say

Don't use jargon - if you have to, explain it the first time you use it

Strive to express yourself clearly

Get to the point fast, or at least allow the reader the option to if they choose to

But most of all have fun with it. Never be afraid to reflect your own personality in your writing and it's okay to break a few rules now and again!

Karen McCreadie is a freelance writer – capable of writing anything from a marketing brochure to a website to ghost writing your next book! Ghost writing is her specialism.

11 comments | Add your own 1 2 | Next» View all»

I loved your article Karen! Some great points for both the beginner and more experienced writer. I've printed it out and put a copy above my desk ;-) Ellen Jackson from Melbourne, Australia | Read my articles
Yep - new raving fan, here ! Grant Hyman from Sydney | Read my articles
Good and helpful article but most lawyers do strive to write in plain English. What is written to clients, other lawyers and for articles will of course be in differnt styles, and, as with all professions the use of technical terms may be unavoidable where they have a recognised and established meaning. Jill Robertson from Sydney
All true with one exception.
If you speak quickly and ramble, DON'T write the way you talk!
Evan Evan from Sans Souci, Sydney
I agree about personal pronouns, but would add that the most magical one is "you." When you use "you' in your writing, your reader feels you are talking directly to him or her. This kind of intimate conversation makes a big difference.
I have just one technical suggestion for improving your otherwise great article, Karen. All the items in your bulleted list start with a verb, except two: "Personal" and "Informal, conversational style." For consistency, I'd recommend starting these with verbs, too.
Kathy Poole from Sandord, Florida
Good article, Karen. To the list, I would have added "check your spelling carefully", with the warning that relying on a spell-check is sometimes not enough as incorrectly used words that are not misspellings can "pass". Darilyn Ryan from Sydney

11 comments | Add your own 1 2 | Next» View all»

Add Your comments

Preview comment

Name

Website *

Town / city and country

Email (never sold, displayed or given away)

* This will link your name to your site. So please avoid self promotion elsewhere! We delete spam, disrespectful or off-topic comments.