Business Writing for Success
Communication is the nervous system of any organization. A healthy connection keeps all parts functioning properly. In a business age that demands regular, precise discourse, good writing habits are a must. The key functions of fluent business rhetoric are precision, clarity, and grammar. Mastery of these will ensure the desired effect and purpose of your message.
Precision
Make it apparent what your message is right off the bat. Write a killer lead. In fact, if there’s any part of your writing that should be re-written over and over, it’s the lead. Many great messages get lost or are avoided because the main idea is not placed up front. As you well know, time is a precious commodity for the business man or woman. Relevance is critical to any audience. Readers do not want to paddle through un-interesting or irrelevant comments before getting to the good stuff.
Choose one, distinct message. Avoid hordes of details unless they are absolutely necessary. Though War & Peace is a masterpiece that deserves one’s attention at some point, recall that accountants and business leaders have mission critical ventures grabbing for their attention.
And don’t hesitate to cut! When composing your initial draft, whether it’s an e-mail, departmental review or business article, let the ideas pour forth. Once you have everything you think you want to say on paper, whittle it down. And then whittle it down some more. Keep whatever you cut in a separate file—you may want to re-use that material later. Meanwhile, shape your article and keep it brief. Your audience will thank you.
Clarity
A clear, targeted message will garner you acclaim as someone who knows how to communicate - and respect is sure to follow. Ask yourself repeatedly why your readers may need or want to know what you’re saying. Make certain every point is relevant.
A key to good organization is an outline. Though unpleasant memories of this process from English class may linger, do not let that deter you from giving structure to your thoughts. An outline offers the most efficient way to begin the writing process. In fact, this article was outlined before the writer went to action.
Be friendly in tone, but don’t patronize. Personal references or stories are good, as long as you keep them brief—and there’s a clear relationship between them and your point. Leave poetry to the poets. Business anecdotes are most appropriate— even if they come from a field outside of accounting. These work best when they relate the triumph over a specific challenge. People like to be inspired.
Business compositions are not the place to insert your political views or other unrelated topics. Even a subtle insertion of bias can ruin the intended effect of your message. Staying on task with words is as important as it is with numbers. Keep your thoughts together.
If possible, add referential comments from experts on whatever topic you’re discussing. These add weight and relevancy to your ideas and show that you cared enough to do a little research before sitting down to write. Brenda Ueland expressed it well: “... writing is the action of thinking, just as drawing is the action of seeing and composing music is the action of hearing.”
Grammar
Though we live in an informal age, grammar still counts. Educated, forward-thinking professionals will not take your message seriously if it appears childish—and bad grammar can make it appear that way. Muster a sense of disgust for run-on sentences and comma splices. Though most of us are not ready to enroll in a remedial English course, we can easily learn a lot from the many references available at our fingertips online. Bookmark these and review them frequently whenever in doubt:
Bartleby.com includes over thirty reference works. Among these are popular dictionaries, thesauri, quotation guides and the World Fact Book.
Answers.com offers a thorough reference work that is built into Google’s search. It includes usage notes, idioms, audio pronunciation guides and much more. This is a must for any serious writer.
Finally, don’t hesitate to ask someone to review your work. In fact, find a good proofreader—someone who understands the basics of good writing and likes details (at least when it comes to words). An ounce of humility can save heaps of embarrassment. It’s better for one or two associates to know about your bad writing habits than the entire firm (or its clients). For the sake of clarity, read your writing aloud. Does it flow? How does it strike the ear? If it sounds clunky, chances are that it reads clunky.
Those who want to further their mastery of business writing and communication may want to consider online coursework. Schools that offer courses and programs include Central Michigan, Oregon State, Colorado State, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Washington State, UCLA, SUNY and the University of Houston. Visit Petersons to search for many more programs.