Professional Written Business Communications Tips
Email, instant messaging and reports have made effective written communication just as important as the spoken word in business. It's estimated that more than two-thirds of salaried employees in large corporations have responsibilities that involve writing.
Exceptional spoken and written communication skills are now required for job applicants, and it's your writing abilities that not only help you land a job but also keep your career moving upward.
The specific ideas you are trying to convey to colleagues or customers can easily be misinterpreted if not written well. By following a few simple tips, you'll be considered a star written communicator with winning ideas.
Other People Are Reading
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Immediately Clarify Your Purpose
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Just as you would open a business phone call or spoken presentation with a defined purpose, effective written communication demands the same. Opening sentences filled with cliches and jargon will make your reader lose interest. Grab attention, and let the reader know you value her time with a clear purpose at the outset.
Use Proper Grammar and Spelling
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When trying to juggle five projects at once, it's easy to hammer out an email that is full of run-on sentences and a couple of misspellings. The use of commas, periods and a dictionary can help assure your reader he is dealing with an intelligent person or company. Proper grammar and spelling also help develop the purpose of your communication without losing the reader.
Even if a customer sends you emails full of grammatical mistakes, don't assume he expects the same from you. Always pay attention to the details.
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Write Like You Speak
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Your writing should read like you sound in spoken conversations. Written communication that lacks your personality can quickly become boring and even confuse your reader.
Captivate your reader by writing like you typically speak. Effective speakers have the ability to move their listeners. Your written communication should do the same. Whether you are writing a one-line email or a multiple-page report, inject personality into sentences.
Watch Your Tone
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You may be the most demanding department head, or you may be the ultimate Type A. It doesn't mean you need to shout in your emails. Even if the recipients need instruction or reprimand, few tactics are more effective at lowering employee morale than reading it on the screen or on paper. Written communication is permanent.
A spoken situation allows room for interactive response and a greater chance to resolve challenges. Yes, you can hit that reply button in an email; but there is still a strong sense of singularity in an email written from one point-of-view.
Keep your tone professional and respectful. It helps maintain smooth working relationships, which is critical, even when you feel like screaming.
Stay Healthy With Short Paragraphs
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Just as eating small meals throughout the day is healthier than a few large ones, the same can be said about written communication in business. Long, drawn-out paragraphs immediately lose the reader.
Each paragraph you write should not be more than a few sentences in length. Short paragraphs and frequent use of the return key portrays your writing as easy to read, and it invites the reader to take in every detail of your purpose. Your message immediately becomes more interesting to read, even if the content is the same as the page-length paragraph.
Write these short paragraphs in complete sentences with proper grammar. Incomplete sentences can quickly transform interesting ideas into unreadable words.
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References
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