Business Writing with Confidence - An ABC Guide

Confident writing is an essential part of effective business communication. Most people would agree with this statement but how many of us have the skills or the confidence to put it into practice? Anxiety about grammar rules can leave people tongue tied. All too often business writing is seen as a barrier, a stumbling block rather than something that can add value to your contribution at work.

But heres the thing: you dont need to learn the rules of a grammar book to write with confidence at work. You just need to work on three basic elements of good business writing: authenticity, brevity and clarity. Its what I call the ABC guide to confident writing at work.

Writing with authenticity

Writing with authenticity means being real, sounding human, sounding like yourself. Its great for creating rapport with other people, whether thats your colleagues, customers or potential clients. Most people want to do business with another human being and its even better if thats someone they feel they can get to know and trust.

To make your writing more authentic:

* Make use of plain, everyday words: go for short, simple words; avoid jargon and clichs; use everyday words rather than corporate or business speak

* Use a conversational style: this doesnt mean slang it does mean feeling free to use short sentences and contractions like Im or well or lets (all great for the flow)

* Find your own words: spend a little bit of time jotting down your own words for the things that are most important to you (ideas, your business purpose, your values) and start to work them into your writing. This is a great way to sound like you really mean business!

Writing with brevity

Most people are drowning in information overload. So much for the paperless office most of us are suffering from too much paper, a deluge of e-mails and more reports than well ever have time to read. Youll really start to win friends and influence people if you keep your writing short and to the point. Your readers will thank you for the time and effort saved, and youll also make your message more punchy, powerful and memorable.

To write with brevity:

* Keep each sentence short: aim for an average of 18 25 words a sentence. This is good writing practice and will get you into the habit of writing less

* Cut out excess words: go back and edit your work once youve written a draft. Cut out as many excess words as you can. Then do it again (and again till its done.) Enjoy seeing your message emerge more clearly!

* Write within limits : set yourself a word limit and practice working to it. Itll improve your skills of writing with brevity and help you stick to the point

Writing with clarity

Youve got something important to say so you want your writing to stand out. Clear writing makes it easier for people to read, follow and understand what youre saying. Now this is the place where grammar does come into play because there are some rules whether you like it or not that are there to help us understand your meaning. You need to master these basic rules if you want your message to be clear and easily understood.

To write more clearly:

* Know your point : be clear what youre trying to say, and why, before you start to write. Boil your message down to no more than 10 words. Thats your message: focus on that and it will shine through your writing

* Manage your writing: work out which grammar points are stopping you from writing with clarity (like use of apostrophes). Ask a colleague or friend to help identify them. Then take responsibility for learning and applying the rules. There are plenty of books, websites and writing coaches who can help with this

* Keep it simple: use short sentences, cut out excess words, use plain, everyday language

I dont know if you noticed some common themes running through these writing tips. Keep it short, keep it simple, use plain language, know your point and stick to it. These are the fundamental rules of good business writing and if you apply them you will find it easy to write with authenticity, brevity and clarity. Effective business writing neednt be hard it can be as easy as ABC.

Joanna Young is a writing coach who helps people to write with confidence - to realise the power of their own words. You can find out how to work with Joanna or read more of her writing tips at http://www.confidentwriting.com

Tips for Business Writing
Do your emails often confuse potential new clients? Do your memos precede a thousand requests to clarify your message? Good business writing skills are an essential component for a successful career. If you arent sure how to begin, these tips are sure to help.Tip #1: Remember that you are writing for your reader, not yourself. Ask yourself what you...

Importance of Communication in an Organization
Communication is one of the basic functions of management in any organization and its importance can hardly be overemphasized. It is a process of transmitting information, ideas, thoughts, opinions and plans between various parts of an organization.You cannot have human relations without communication. However, good and effective communication is r...

Idiot Proofing Business Through Secrets of Powerful Communication Skills and Intent
In this article I will share some simple tips to help idiot proof your business. Regardless of whether you work with clients, customers, patients or employees or bosses, you need powerful communication skills.Part of powerful communication skills is strong intent and clear understanding of who you are and what you want and what the other people wan...

Business English And Its Importance To Business And Professional Success
What is Business English?Loosely defined, Business English refers to the English language used in international trade or business. It is a specialized area of the English language learning and teaching because it is largely attributed to non-native English speakers who study the subject to enhance their chances of doing business with companies fro...

Breakthrough E-bay Income - Techniques That Work Towards an Increased E-bay Income
E-bay has indeed made a drastic change on the way people are buying their merchandises nowadays. As a commerce site, it has made a great impact on how people now look at the modern way on how they can shop and buy the items that they want. All the comfort and ease that they experience with E-bay has made them practically all E-based in transactio...

6 Tips to Controlling Your E-Mail (Before It Controls You!)
Excerpt from Dr. Julie Millers Fourth Edition, Business Writing That Counts!Controlling Your TimeI bet you now receive ten times more e-mail messages than snail mail. Manage your e-mails as you would other correspondences that cross your desk: Handle it only once!Heres how:1. Promise yourself to check e-mail twice daily.Time management of your e-ma...

Productive Ebay Income - How to Get it
Companies around the world are doing their business online: and Ebay certainly does not miss all the action. There is such a thrill in the sport of bidding, and more customers are willing to join in the game than just purchase an expensive item in another online store. So if a company wants to have a productive Ebay income, there are three things t...