Business Writing

What impression is your writing giving of you, or your entire organisation?

Do you think carefully before phrasing a message that has to be negative? Learn the 20% of techniques that are going to make 80% of a difference to the way you write. This course gives you the toolkit to communicate effectively in business. It includes practical exercises on how to plan and structure your writing, put the content across in an appropriate tone and use the correct style and punctuation. Your writing is permanent – make sure it is a positive impression you are leaving.

What will delegates get out of the course?

Skill to choose the most appropriate channels for different situations
Writing skills to make it easier for readers to understand you
A check-list to enhance your image in the eyes of your readers
Ability to structure different forms of writing
Knowledge of acceptable standards in business communication today
Confidence in your own writing ability!

Do you have difficulty communicating in the most professional way in written correspondence? Are you having a hard time communicating effectively to internal and external customers? Do you experience a lack of confidence when writing for your organisation?

Is your business writing effective in converting prospective customers into future clients because it gives a good impression? Does your correspondence reflect the values and standards of your organisation? Are you having difficulties in structuring your business letters, emails and other forms of communication?

This course gives you the toolkit to communicate professionally in business letters and emails. It includes practical exercises on how to plan and structure your writing, put the content across in an appropriate tone and use the correct style and punctuation. Your writing is permanent – make sure it is a positive impression you are leaving.

Importance of understanding business writing rules when writing emails.

Business correspondence has come a long way from pen and ink to typewriting to printing to emails and text messages. What used to takes weeks or months to send can now be transmitted in just a matter of seconds. Convenient though it may be, it is still the responsibility of both the sender and the receiver to implement correct etiquette and proper business writing principles. It is amazing to find that in this day and age, some companies have still not realised how important their email communication is. Many companies send email replies late or not at all, or send replies that do not actually answer the questions asked. By educating employees as to what can, and cannot be said in an email, you can protect your company from awkward liability issues. In her book, “Writing Effective E-Mail”, Nancy Flynn, an internationally recognized expert on the legal, risk management, and policy issues of information management, aptly explains: 'By requiring employees to use appropriate, businesslike language in all electronic communications, employers can limit their liability risks and improve the overall effectiveness of the organization's e-mail and Internet copy in the process'.¹

When approaching business writing keep three realities in mind:

Business readers are content-driven. Most people in the business world want to get straight-to-the-point with content – telling them exactly what the other person is requesting without using words or sentences that “beat around the bush”
Readers are pressed for time. Since time is of the essence in business, the email writer should keep all correspondences concise and to the point. Do not make an e-mail longer than it needs to be. Remember that reading an e-mail is harder than reading printed communication and a long e-mail can be very discouraging to read.
Readers are seeking solutions. Rather than skilfully playing around with words in your email, the reader would want to see immediate and real answers or explanations to any query that was made.

There are too many contradictory rules for composing an email:

Writing should be clear - but it should also "sound good."
Information should be simple and straightforward, yet cleverly composed to stand out.
Get to the bottom line quickly, but don't leave out background details.

If you need to compose a report, proposal, memo or email, you undoubtedly want to write effectively, without agonizing over every word. Keep the following points in mind to save time and energy, while avoiding the need for numerous rewrites:

Our writing skills were developed in school. The fundamentals aren't good enough for today's fast-paced, time-pressed business environment.
When you're juggling contradictory ideas about style, presentation and level of detail, your results can come across as fuzzy and uncertain, which undermines your intent.
Your writing skill determines whether you get your foot in the door to further the conversation. If you can't make your case in writing, you may not get the chance to make a presentation.
Writing should be like a good butler, smoothly working to serve the reader without calling attention to itself. Avoid language that sounds impressive. Use words to convey information and ideas build relationships with readers and speak their language.
How you organize your content is critical. Your readers will be drawn into your words if you present them logically.

The Introduction: Problem, Questions, Solution

Colleagues decide whether to read your memo or report based on the first few sentences. You need to grab their attention right away and create a desire to know more. Many business professionals introduce the subject matter slowly and build up to make their point. They often start from their own point of view, talking about themselves and how they're connected with the reader or the problem.

This is a mistake. Readers immediately want to know: "Why am I reading this? What's in it for me? Why should I care?" Not to be harsh, but readers don't care about you. Your introductory paragraph must quickly establish relevancy and utility.

An effective introduction briskly tells a story built around four elements:

The situation: A quick factual sketch of the current business situation that will anchor the reader.
The complication: A problem that unsettles the reader, which underscores why you're writing the memo or report.
The question: You can imply it or spell it out, as in:

a. What should we do?
b. How can we do it?
c. What's wrong with what we've tried?
The answer: Your response to the question and solution to the complication.

The order in which these elements appear can vary, but your introduction should foreshadow the content by identifying the key problem and the questions you'll be answering. Readers can then decide if your work is worth their time or should be forwarded to others.

Classic Writing Tips

College professor William Strunk Jr. and novelist/journalist E.B. White wrote “The Elements of Style^2”, which is still considered a classic reference book. Their timeless concepts include:

Use the active voice.
Put statements in positive form; avoid double negatives.
Use definite, specific and concrete language.
Avoid overuse of common adjectives like really, very, even, just, actually and basically.
Omit needless words.
Avoid complex sentences that deliver more than one idea.
Stick to one tense.
Place emphatic words at the end of a sentence.

The first step to creating a successful external communication standard for any organisation is to create a written email policy. This policy should include all the do's and don'ts concerning the use of the company's email system and should be distributed amongst all employees. Secondly, employees must be trained to fully understand the importance of email etiquette. Finally, implementation of the rules can be monitored by using email management software and email response tools. This way, quality will be maintained in all company email correspondence, which will translate to a better communication system within the organisation.

References:

1 “Writing Effective E- mail”, Nancy Flynn, Tom Flynn, Axzo Press, 2003-04-30

2 “The Elements of Style”, William Strunk, Jr., Pearson Education Company, 1919, 1959

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