business writing: write today

Business correspondence is really like any other type of writing: You need to get your message across clearly and efficiently. Here are five tips to help you write business correspondence effectively.

1. Set a goal. Before you put pen to paper (or hand to keyboard), take a few minutes to think about what you are trying to accomplish with your business correspondence. Are you making a proposal? Asking for a raise? Asking a coworker’s help on a project? Have that goal clearly in mind as you write. It will prevent going off on a tangent which could confuse the recipient.

It may help to write a brief outline before you start. No, it doesn’t have to be the formal outline that Mrs. Grundy taught you in high school English. This outline is just a guide to make sure you say everything you want to say in your correspondence.

2. Consider the recipient. Face it: we use different language when speaking to our coworkers than when speaking to the big boss or that important (potential) client. If you have a subtle sense of humor, be careful when using it in your business correspondence as the recipient might not necessarily get the joke. When in doubt, formal is better.

If your correspondence concerns negative news, many experts recommend beginning with positive news, followed by your politely worded bombshell, and then closing with positive news. Thank you for your many years of collaboration with our company. However, we are forced to severely cut back this year because of the tight economy. While we will not be able to use your services this year, we wish you the best of success and hope we can resume working with you once the economy improves.

3. Use simple sentence structure. If at all possible use active voice (i.e. noun-verb) rather than passive voice (verb-noun). Active voice makes for clear, direct writing. For example: Joe presented the report is far better than The report was presented by Joe. Keep adjectives and adverbs to a minimum.

4. Keep it short. No one has time to read a lengthy tome. For most correspondence, shorter is better. If you can keep it to one page, you are probably better off. If you find that you must go more than a page, consider breaking it up into sections (or multiple documents) or deleting some information.

5. Avoid jargon. Simple is best for business. Short, one-syllable words are usually far better than ten-dollar multisyllabic buzzwords.

Think about it: How often do your eyes glaze over when you see or hear the words: synergy, paradigm or win-win scenario? Your reader’s eyes will too. Such words as use rather than utilize are much stronger and clearer and will get your point across much more effectively.

When writing business documents, make sure to keep copies of your work, with dates and recipients appropriately noted. Unfortunately, in this day and age, a paper trail is important in case problems arise in the future.

Effective business correspondence can be easy to write if you remember to keep it simple.

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Many people think business writing is strictly writing corporate publications, technical manuals, ads and the like. They forget about the business writing that almost everyone has done at some point: Writing a business memo.

This is an important but often overlooked skill.

Here’s how to write a business memo that gets results.
As with all kinds of business writing, you need to start with a goal. What do you want to accomplish with your memo? Outline a new policy? Remind people about company procedures? Congratulate someone on his or her achievement. As the saying goes, you can’t reach a goal if you don’t have one.

Also consider who will be receiving your memo. Is it for your boss? Your colleagues? A client (or potential client)? How long have they been with the company? Is a casual or more formal style preferred?

Once you’ve considered these two items, you’re ready to start writing your memo. Start with the To: line. Be sure to list everyone who needs to know the information. You should also be sure to exclude everyone who does not need the information.

Next include the date. As with any business writing, the date can be very important later on if you have to develop a paper trail (a chronology of what happened and when). The date should be the date you sent the memo, not the date you wrote it.

Now include the subject line. It’s always helpful if briefly list what your memo is about to help the recipient figure out how important it is.

Finally include the body of the memo itself. Provide the essential information and what action you expect the recipient to take. If he or she is supposed to contact you, be sure to include your name, title, phone number and email address. Include a deadline date and possibly a course of action if no response is received.

By definition a memo is brief. If you find yours is longer than one page, either edit the information or determine another way to communicate the information (i.e., a meeting, a formal letter or a short report).

When you are writing your memo, use a simple writing style. Use active voice (i.e., noun followed by verb).

For example, say I sent the letter rather than the letter was sent. Avoid using adjectives or pompous language like paradigm or utilize. Don’t use buzzwords or cliches like win-win or thinking outside the box or synergize. These take the power away from you message. (You don’t want your memo used as the next sample in Buzzword Bingo.)

When you’ve finished writing your memo, proofread it carefully. Did you include all the essential information? Did you include all intended recipients (with names spelled correctly), date, course of action and deadlines? Check for typos and other errors. You may want to ask someone else to read your memo to ensure it has the proper tone.

For business writing to be successful, it must be clear and succinct. This is especially true for memos. Write a clean, simple business memo and get the results you need quickly.

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Business proposal writing can seem like a daunting task. However, by following a few simple steps you can write a persuasive document that will sell your idea to your boss or to your client.

1. Completely think through your plan. Business proposal writing is merely putting your well-thought-out ideas down on paper. You need to answer the following questions.

What is the problem at hand?
What market segment or customer base are you trying to attract?
What is your solution?
Why will your solution work?
How much will your solution cost (in money, labor and materials)?
Why is your solution the best one?
What other issues will your solution solve?
What are possible hurdles (regulations, competition etc.)?

2. While you answer these questions, you will likely be doing extensive marketing research. Be sure to document all your information, using reliable sources. Cite those sources in your proposal.

3. Once you have the answers to all the questions above, you are ready for business proposal writing. Begin by stating the problem. Describe current market conditions, financial details etc., anything that is relevant to the issue at hand.

4. Next, state your proposal clearly. Explain the details as precisely as you can. Explain why you and/or your company are the best ones to complete the challenge (awards, achievements, new technologies etc.). List the three top people of your management team and provide a brief biographical sketch for each of them in the addendum. If the business proposal is to be a joint venture, describe how the combination of resources will help both companies.

5. Describe possible hurdles: costs, regulatory measures etc.

6. Provide all financial data: Projected cost and revenues (for at least the first year), funding sources, etc. Estimate how long it will take for the idea to become profitable.
With proposal writing, you need to be succinct but also provide enough information to help the reader make the right decision. When you have finished writing a first draft read it carefully. Proofread it and correct any typos and grammatical or factual errors. Read it again, pretending that you are the potential client. Ask yourself, ìIf this were presented to me, what questions would I have? Is this an idea that would interest me?î Ask a colleague to also read the proposal and consider his or her feedback.

You may find that during business proposal writing that your proposal won’t work as first envisioned. That’s okay as long as you are honest about it. If you discover a potential problem, try to think through a solution. Ask for help if you need it. It is better to even scrap the proposal rather than to send it anyway and risk damaging your company’s reputation.

Unless you are responding to a formal request for proposal, there is no one standard format or length for a business proposal. Just use clear, simple, easily understood language. You can submit a single-page proposal if you can provide all the information clearly. If you are responding to a request for proposal (RFP), be sure to follow the RFP’s requirements exactly and completely.

Business proposal writing may be time consuming but is not all that difficult. If you have a great idea for your company, your enthusiasm will show in your complete, succinct proposal.

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