Think you don’t need a style guide because all the writing you do is centered around business duties? Think again. Style is more than a fancy way of writing, after all. In fact, employing one consciously for all business writing should help you communicate your message clearly to your audience.
- Establish the objective early on. Tell the reader your goal for the piece early on. This is crucial for many types of company communication. Taking up to the middle of a five-paragraph email just might not be the easiest way to enlighten someone on a topic, especially when they’re pressed for time.
- Organize the subject into different topics. For larger documents, separate individual topics clearly, either by putting them in separate paragraphs or using headers between sections.
- Draft the body in a conversational, plain English style. Despite many people’s incorrect assumption that business writing needs to be strictly formal, you can always fashion business documents in a language that’s friendlier to readers. In fact, it’s not too far out to imagine that most of your recipients will probably be more willing to read through a document that’s written in a straightforward language than one mired in formal conventions. A writing correctness software can help you here.
- Be considerate in tone. Tact plays a serious part in business writing, especially when the documents you produce involve people. Make sure to sound diplomatic, while still being forthright.
- Close it definitely. At the end, repeat your primary objective and state any action you want the recipients to take. Be clear about it. Much as it might pain to admit, some people really do read just the start and end of documents – might as well make sure even they can understand your message.
