What is economical in business writing?

Adapting to the Task and Audience

a.       Developing audience benefits

b.      “You” view is necessary used to give emphasize on the audience. The sender focus must be changed to audience focus to show the “you” view as it is shown in this example.

As the sender gives “you” view, the audience will think “I need to do what the sender has said because it will give an effect for me.”

c.       Being conversational but professional

You are insisted on being professional, but do not drop the conversational style. Using active voice may seem professional and conversational.

d.      Expressing yourself  positively

Expressing your thought positively makes your surrounding reacts positively as well. The way to express your positive thought is by using positive words or avoiding negative words. For example, you should say, “you will be happy to” instead of  “you won’t be sorry that” .

e.       Being courteous

Being courteous is an exact way to get good response to a letter, report, or memo. It is not only about saying “please” and “thank you”, but it is also about the tone of your writing. What things should be done in order to get a good response? Here are the answers.

§  Thank people for their contribution or work.

§  Acknowledge emails and letters.

§  Sound neutral rather than confrontational.

§  Focus on the positive words.

§  Show your concern.

§  Soften bad news by leading up to it.

§  Don’t demand, rather start sentences with “I want” or “I would like”.

f.       Choosing bias-free Language

You must avoid language which tends to discriminate others – language which is sensitive to people’s sex, race, age, and other differences. Below is the example of bias language.

Biased: Give your report to the committee chairman.

The word “chairman” refers to one’s sex. Therefore, to make it better, you can say, “Give your report to the committee chair.”

g.      Employing Precise, Vigorous Words

To avoid ambiguity which can lead to misunderstanding, you need to use precise and vigorous words. For example, use word “fax me” instead of “contact me”. What will happen when you use the word “contact me”? The interlocutor may contact you via text messages, phone, chat, or e-mail, whereas you expect him or her to contact you via fax.

How Teams Approach Collaborative Writing Projects  

Collaboration is done to make a better result. Working together may help members to get along well each other. Both formal and informal chains of communication will be improved as the time goes by. What are the tools which help collaboration? E-mail, mailing lists, discussion boards, and instant messaging absolutely can support teams.

The Legal Ethical and Responsibilities of Business Communications

You need to fulfill ethical obligation in :Investment Information, Safety Information, Marketing Information,  Human Resources Information, and Copyright Information

Source

http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/style-and-usage/negative-words-to-avoid-in-writing.html

Types of Business Writing

The broad field of business writing can be distilled into four categories based on their objective, such as:

1. Instructional

The instructional business writing type is directional and aims to guide the reader through the steps of completing a task. A user manual falls aptly under the instructional category, as well as a memo issued to all employees outlining the method of completing a certain task in the future.

2. Informational

Informational business writing pertains to recording business information accurately and consistently. It comprises documents essential to the core functions of the business for tracking growth, outlining plans, and complying with legal obligations. For example, the financial statements of a company, minutes of the meeting, and perhaps the most important, report writing.

3. Persuasive

The goal of persuasive writing is to impress the reader and influence their decision. It conveys relevant information to convince them that a specific product, service, company, or relationship offers the best value. Such a type of writing is generally associated with marketing and sales. It includes proposals, bulk sales emails, and press releases.

4. Transactional

Day-to-day communication at the workplace falls under the transactional business writing category. The bulk of such communication is by email, but also includes official letters, forms, and invoices.

Principles of Good Business Writing

1. Clarity of purpose

Before beginning a business document, memo, or email, one should ponder two primary questions:

• Who is the reader?
• What do I want to convey to the reader through my writing?

Clarity of purpose gives a direction to the writing and develops its tone, structure, and flow.

2. Clarity of thought

Thinking while, rather than before writing, makes the writing less structured, meandering, and repetitive. Business writing requires the skill to reduce long, rambling sentences into concise, clear ones. One needs to extract what is significant to write clearly.

3. Convey accurate and relevant information

The primary goal of business writing is to convey valuable information. Inaccurate or irrelevant content affects the purpose of the document. For effective business writing, information must be value-additive and complete.

4. Avoid jargon

A simple and uncluttered writing style goes a long way in communicating the message to the reader. Grandiose writing full of industry-specific buzzwords and acronyms should be avoided to the maximum possible extent. Otherwise, the reader may be unable to comprehend the document or lose interest in it.

5. Read and revise

Reading the passages out loud after completion can reveal flaws and gaps in the arguments. It is recommended to welcome constructive feedback from colleagues and revise the document for improvement.

6. Practice is the key

Proficiency in business writing can be attained through regular practice. Paying attention to the vocabulary, sentence structure, and style of writing while reading can help to develop the same instinct while penning one’s thoughts down.

7. Be direct

Presenting the crux of the passage in the first 150 words is a good idea when it comes to business writing. It saves the reader time and sharpens the argument.

8. Avoid verbosity

If the meaning can be conveyed in three words, it should not be stretched to five. Verbosity works against making the writing engaging to the reader. For example, instead of writing “the article uses more words than are needed,” write “the article is verbose.”

9. Correct grammar and sentence structure

While a grammatical error may come across as unprofessional, good grammar portrays both attention to detail and skill – traits that are highly valued in business.

Business writing evolves with time, so does grammar and conventions. For example, emoticons, when used judiciously, are gaining acceptance in business writing. A good writer needs to stay updated with the conventions to hone their skill.

10. Easy to scan

Business executives value a document that can convey its message in a cursory glance. Business documents can be enhanced through the use of numbered or bulleted lists, clear headings, concise paragraphs, and judicious use of bold formatting to highlight the keywords.

More Resources

CFI now offers the Business Essentials Bundle with courses on Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint, as well as business communication, data visualization, and an understanding of corporate strategy. To keep learning, we suggest these resources: