Effective written communications can
enhance your business relationships, present you as the kind of person other people want
to do business with, and showcase your talents in other areas. Your written communication
skills are a key component in how fast and how far you will travel up the ladder of
success in whatever area you choose.
There are seven skills you can develop to enhance your business writing. Mastering these
skills will improve the effectiveness of all your business communications.
1. Understanding Business
writing serves a purpose: to communicate a message to a target audience. It could be a
memorandum to company employees, a letter to a prospective client, or one of dozens of
other business communications. In every case, you are writing to communicate something. To
effectively communicate your message, you must understand both the message youre trying
to get across and who your target audience is.
2. Good English and grammar Have you ever received a letter with a typo? It can
be pretty distracting, and it detracts from the message the writer was trying to
communicate. Poor English or grammar is 10 times as distracting. To the reader, these
kinds of glaring errors can suggest the writer is careless, sloppy, or simply doesnt
know any better. In any event, it leaves a negative impression, and thats not the kind
of impression you want to leave. Take some time to brush up on your English and grammar
skills, and consult a reference book when in doubt.
3. Good spelling Just like poor English and grammar, misspelled words leave a
negative impression with your reader. Most word processing programs have a spell checker
feature. Use it. But dont let that be a substitute for careful proofreading. Using the
wrong form of a word (their, theyre, there) wont show up on your spell checker. If
in doubt, look it up in the dictionary. It will be time well spent to maintain your
professional image.
4. Clarity Effective business communications shouldnt read like a
complicated legal contract. The goal here is to communicate, not confuse. State the facts
as clearly and simply as possible, using language your reader can easily understand. Use
examples when necessary to make a point. Answer any questions your communication may
suggest.
5. Empathy Put yourself in your readers shoes. Empathize with your reader.
Write with your reader in mind. Anticipate how your reader will feel about the message
youre communicating and try to make the message easy to receive. Make your
communication as easy to understand as possible. Answer any questions you anticipate the
reader will have. Include contact information so the reader can follow-up with you if
there are additional questions.
6. Goodwill Whenever possible, you want to maintain goodwill with your reader.
Even if the message you are communicating is negative, you can still phrase your
communication as positively as possible. Dont compose a business communication when
youre angry or upset. Always keep your long-term business goals in mind and try not to
burn any bridges.
7. Creativity You can get more creative with some business communications than
others. For instance, an advertising message lends itself to creative writing more than an
annual report. With all the communications that cross a readers desk each day, a little
creativity can make your message stand out from the stacks.
Tina L. Miller is a freelance writer
whos been published in Corporate & Incentive Travel and the Milwaukee
Business Journal. Learn how to avoid common grammar and punctuation mistakes in your
writing with her one-on-one refresher course. Stop by http://www.tinalmiller.com
today.
Copyright © 2000 by Tina L. Miller. All rights reserved. |
