Business Writing Basics

What Makes a Business Letter Effective?

• Clarity: In business writing, you must make your purpose and intention clear from the start. The muddled “corporate speak” that often plagues business writing is exactly the type of language to avoid. Business writing should be easy to understand and should get to the point quickly.
• Professionalism: Your business correspondence can shape your and your company’s reputation. Write in a formal, professional tone and use correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation as well as appropriate word choices.
• Results: Every business document you write should be crafted to inform, persuade, encourage, or otherwise influence your reader to understand and ultimately help you achieve your goals.

Why Is Good Writing Good for Business?

• It improves business savvy: Writing business documents often compels you to conduct research, collect evidence that supports your position, and consider alternative views, all of which improve your understanding of your business and your role within it.
• It provides a record of accomplishments: Successful memos, reports, proposals, and other documents you’ve written create a record of your work performance that can serve as a basis for promotions or increased responsibility.
• It increases productivity: Well-written memos, training documents, and other business documents can make you and your company operate more efficiently.
• It boosts sales: Companies in the United States spend more than $50 billion per year on direct mail pieces aimed at convincing recipients to buy products or services. A well-written and persuasive letter is the first step toward making a sale or closing a deal.
• It improves communication: Companies that value and practice good business writing communicate more effectively with clients and among staff than companies that don’t.

The Most Commonly Used Business Documents