A strong business writing skill is a must-have for everybody—especially young entrepreneurs who need funding for their projects or supervisors whose lives revolve around writing elaborate emails.
It’s easily understood that professional business writing isn’t everybody’s most favorite task. Every day, people are struggling to write important matters in brief and concise words.
Not many folks know that the only effective method for improving formal writing is quite simple. Are you ready to find out what it is? Well, the technique for improving your writing is identifying your audience and speaking in their language.
Put yourself in the shoes of the audience
A lot of us have experienced writing during college, and not just random material, we’re talking about the next level, professional kind. At the time, all those written outputs were mostly about showing off skills and how well aware we are of the topics given. Now, the best way you can polish your writing is to share what’s essential for you first.
Also, use words in such a way that they embody the true meaning behind what you want to say. Since professionals are busy people, no one will find the time to read what you write if it isn’t well-structured or catchy. This is just how people communicate in the business world.
Be brief and concise
Improving your business writing also entails that you write sentences in a concise manner. If the sentences you create are 4-line-long statements, reducing their length would be beneficial. To do this, try writing in the active voice.
Most of the time, passive voice only looks good when you’re doing academic writing. Know your weakness by evaluating the use of “being” and “has been” in your sentences. Once you assess those errors, try correcting them by rewriting in concise and straightforward sentences.
Write from an inclusive point of view
Your target audience should have a basic know-how of the topic in your writing since miscommunication can lead to trouble. Maybe your boss understands what you’re trying to say, but his superior doesn’t. What if he forwards the same file to that superior or the HR, and they end up hiring the wrong person because of that document? Then what?
Audience-centric writing requires time, and it takes great effort to reach pro status. You may need to do a lot of revisions. But at the end of the day, just make sure you write short but emphatic sentences. Practice hard because, as the saying goes, practice makes perfect.