Critical Skills: Business Writing

In the professional world, business writing refers to the style of writing that is used to communicate with colleagues either internally or externally of an organization. Different types of documents may be classified as business writing, such as emails, memos, formal letters, reports, marketing campaigns, resumes and cover letters, and proposals. Employers and educators agree that business writing skills are integral for anyone who hopes to succeed in a professional capacity, and that poor business writing skills can be detrimental to one's professional career and the manner in which one is perceived by colleagues. Many colleges and universities now offer courses in business writing at the undergraduate level to ensure students are prepared when they enter the professional world. In many cases when applying for a job, the applicant's business writing skills constitute the first impression a potential employer receives.

The overall goal of business writing is to communicate in a clear, precise, and concise manner that is easily understood. Business communications that are too obtuse—too lengthy, or use too much technical jargon or extensive vocabulary when it is not called for—can be just as difficult for others to understand as a piece of communication with misspellings, poor grammar, or inappropriate language. These guidelines represent the other key component of business writing—to always sound professional, and in general to avoid using slang, emoticons, or offensive language in business communication. The ability to write and communicate ideas effectively, whether in business or in any other aspect of one's life, is a skill that can be cultivated and developed over time with practice.

Core Skills & Competencies

Effective business writing often begins with some advanced planning. For example, identifying the most important takeaway message—or messages—is the first step to ensuring that the business communication is not overloaded with unnecessary details that may obscure the key information that the reader needs. Concurrently with this planning, one must also identify the purpose of the communication. Is it simply to inform, or is it to persuade, to make a request, to reject someone else's request, to invite, or even to argue? This determination, as well as the audience or recipient, will set the tone for the communication. For external communications, many companies have developed style guides to ensure that any written pieces that may be viewed by the public or by its competitors are appropriate. All employees—particularly those developing public-facing communications—are expected to follow the style guide at all times.

Once the key message, purpose, and audience have been determined, the best practice is to simply get right to the point. This may mean simply identifying the message, asking a question or making a request, or providing instruction. Most people in the professional world do not want to spend a great deal of time reading long memos, emails, or reports, trying to decipher the point of the communication. Professionals appreciate receiving written communication that respects their limited time. If a piece of writing, such as a proposal or a report with data, requires more lengthy explanations, experts recommend summarizing the message and key findings up front in a few hundred words, and then delving into greater detail later on—rather than making the reader get through the entire piece of writing before getting to the point. Often, writers will use additional tools in business writing to convey their points more clearly, such as headings, subheadings, and bullets; tables; maps or diagrams; and bold face and italics, to call attention to or emphasize specific key points.

The next step in effective business writing is editing. Before pressing send on that email or memo, it is important to go back and read through it—not just for misspellings or grammatical errors, but also for language that may be confusing or long-winded. A general rule of effective professional communication is not to use multiple words when one word will do. In fact, research has shown that readers tend to tune out when they sense a piece of writing is overly verbose—and extraneous words and unnecessary sentences tend to convey exactly that. Some writers also believe that using "big" words makes them sound more intelligent, but in many cases, it does not—it simply makes them sound like they are trying to appear intelligent. Simple words communicated clearly indicate that the writer understands the subject on which he or she is writing; large words and an abundance of unnecessary jargon or corporate lingo often indicate the opposite.

In addition, active voice is more engaging for readers than passive voice—for example, a sentence in active voice would begin, "We found," whereas a passive voice sentence might begin, "Our findings were." Although the difference is subtle, active voice draws the reader in more quickly and tends to be more interesting and perceived as more assertive. To be taken seriously as a professional, experts also recommend avoiding the use of exclamation points in any type of business communication. Informal email signatures should also be avoided. In general, using "Best," "Regards," or simply "Thank you" is the most effective option to end an email.

Finally, it is a good idea to read over the communication one last time before sending or submitting it to ensure that the piece makes sense as a whole. For an important document, asking a colleague to read it over might be helpful as well, as fresh eyes are more likely to capture an error or spot a confusing sentence. It is also important to remember that good business writing takes practice—and like any other skill, it can take time to develop. Practicing writing every day and reading communications from others with a curious eye focused on developing one's own skills are the best ways to continue to learn and grow.

Research & Theory

When written communications are conveyed effectively, organizations are more efficient, customers or clients experience greater satisfaction, and the public perception of the business is often improved. In addition, written communications provide a permanent record of the history of a discussion and are required in many sectors. However, just as effective business writing is a benefit to corporations or nonprofit organizations, poor communications can be actively detrimental to the business. Communications to a potential client or customer that are unclear, for example, may result in loss of business and loss of potential or existing income if the customer does not understand the material and chooses to go elsewhere. In addition, research shows that when people clearly pay attention to detail in written communication, whether as potential or existing employees, employers tend to perceive them as being more detail-oriented overall—and therefore less likely to make costly mistakes.

Research shows that although employers and educators consider writing skills to be some of the most important qualifications for a potential employee, deficiencies in writing abilities continue to grow—and cost businesses significant lost income. Researchers theorize that to address these issues, instructors must be more assertive in marking errors in colleges and universities and in identifying real-life applications for student assignments.

In addition, research shows that employees are more productive when they work for a manager who is also a good written communicator. The employees know what is expected of them and what they need to do, and they experience less stress in the workplace.

As the use of technology increases around the world, more and more people have the option to work remotely or with colleagues in offices in other states or countries. It is becoming increasingly likely that people will work with others they might never physically meet face-to-face, or even speak to verbally. As a result, written communication is only increasing in its importance; for some people, it might be their entire persona in the workplace. If their writing skills are poor, their perception as an employee will be poor—and this could affect professional development opportunities, options for growth, and even salary. According to Susan L. Luck in Zen and the Art of Business Communication, approximately 40 percent of all American workers spend more than half of their workdays on a computer. Much of that time is spent conducting written communication, which may be the reader's only perception of the writer.

As a result, the ability to write clearly, effectively, and efficiently in business will likely only continue to increase in importance with a growing global economy. Business writing as a skill is often taught to English learners for this purpose as well. Potential employees will be expected to have solid writing and communication skills when applying for a job, and experts highly recommend that college students seek opportunities to study and improve their business writing skills.

Bibliography

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"Effective Business Writing: Top Principles and Techniques." EnglishGrammar.org, 5 Mar. 2014, www.englishgrammar.org/effective-business-writing/. Accessed 15 Dec. 2017.

Luck, Susan L. Zen and the Art of Business Communication: A Step-by-Step Guide to Improving Your Business Writing Skills. Business Expert Press, 2016.

O'Hara, Carolyn. "How to Improve Your Business Writing." Harvard Business Review, 20 Nov. 2014, hbr.org/2014/11/how-to-improve-your-business-writing. Accessed 15 Dec. 2017.

Quible, Zane K., and Frances Griffin. "Are Writing Deficiencies Creating a Lost Generation of Business Writers?" Journal of Education for Business, vol. 83, no. 1, 2007.

Wu, Haihong. "The Application of Pragmatic Principles in Competitive Business Writing." SHS Web of Conferences, vol. 25, 2016, www.shs-conferences.org/articles/shsconf/pdf/2016/03/shsconf‗icitce2016‗01019.pdf. Accessed 15 Dec. 2017.