{"id":62496,"date":"2022-03-09T13:27:03","date_gmt":"2022-03-09T17:27:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=62496"},"modified":"2022-03-21T08:48:36","modified_gmt":"2022-03-21T12:48:36","slug":"business-writing-skills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/business-writing-skills\/","title":{"rendered":"Want to Improve Your Business Writing Skills? Do This"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Do you often write for business? What are some things to keep in mind when writing a professional e-mail, memo, or report? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to improve your business writing skills, the number one thing to keep in mind is simplicity. And don&#8217;t be afraid to add some personality rather than sounding like a robot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some tips on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-improve-your-business\/\">how to improve your business<\/a> writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-business-writing\"><strong>Business Writing&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In most companies, employees use some form of written communication, such as emails, memos, copywriting, newsletters, or social media captions. All of these different forms are types of business writing. In his book <em>On Writing Well, <\/em>William Zinsser believes his principles of simplicity and clarity are important for business writing\u2014employees and customers who read business writing should understand it. Remember that your whole purpose in writing is to convey an idea to someone. If no one understands your confusing email or memo, why write it?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Zinsser notes that it can be easy to stray from simplicity in business communication. Like scientific or technical writing, business writers often use jargon and confusing sentences to sound important or intelligent. But Zinsser explains that this kind of complex writing confuses a reader and makes her think a company is pretentious. Someone with real business writing skills doesn&#8217;t try to bump up their language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: The authors of <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/rework\"><em>Rework<\/em><\/a> echo Zinsser\u2019s belief in the importance of business writing. They take the idea one step further, saying that <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/rework\/chapter-9#principle-8-hire-people-who-can-write\">companies should hire people who can write simply and clearly<\/a>, even if it\u2019s for a programming or engineering position. According to a 2013 study, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inc.com\/kaleigh-moore\/study-73-of-employers-want-candidates-with-this-skill.html\">73.4% of employers now look for good writing skills<\/a> for new hires. Like Zinsser, these experts believe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/clear-writing\/\">clear writing<\/a> is an indicator of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/clear-thinking\/\">clear thinking<\/a>, which is a skill 93% of employers want. Thus having good writing skills may improve your hiring chances.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, Zinsser recommends that you make your business writing sound personal. He believes a reader wants to know that she\u2019s reading the words of a person, not a business. Organizations can\u2019t write emails or memos\u2014people do.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Companies have embraced Zinsser\u2019s version of personal business writing and are now creating consistent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/forbesagencycouncil\/2019\/09\/10\/15-approaches-to-developing-a-strong-brand-voice\/?sh=3871e2cc3332\">brand voices, or the unique personality of their communications with consumers<\/a>. One key element of a brand voice is identifying what kind of person your business would be and using that idea to communicate with customers. For example, Nike\u2019s brand voice persona is an athlete who uses strong, inspiring language to motivate consumers.)&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do you often write for business? What are some things to keep in mind when writing a professional e-mail, memo, or report? If you want to improve your business writing skills, the number one thing to keep in mind is simplicity. And don&#8217;t be afraid to add some personality rather than sounding like a robot. Here are some tips on how to improve your business writing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":62633,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,29,34],"tags":[588],"class_list":["post-62496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-career","category-communication","tag-on-writing-well","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Want to Improve Your Business Writing Skills? 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