(Credit: Zain bin Awais; 184916772/via Getty images)
Business writing isn't limited to email, memos, or PowerPoint presentations. It also encompasses the messages you send to colleagues and clients in team messaging apps, documents you share, and comments you add to project management software and collaboration apps.
But no matter the medium, the goal of all business writing is clarity. In other words, you must make sure you get your message across effectively.
I don't know how often someone has complained that they wrote a very detailed document or email with instructions that no one followed and then blamed the recipient for not reading closely. Well, was the document too long? Was it formatted in a way that was easy to read? If your writing makes people say, "Ugh, I don't have time for this," no one wins.
This is not a finger-wagging article. I'm just as guilty as anyone of putting out business communications that could have been easier to understand. So, I put together a list of five skills below that I routinely practice to improve such writing. You can try using generative AI tools, as well as apps such as Hemingway Editor or Grammarly, to help clarify your communication, too, but learning and employing these skills will do more to improve your writing overall.
1. Write in Plain Language
Make your writing simple and clear by using plain language. Forget anything you learned in school about colorful descriptions and synonyms for words that repeat. Writing for business is different.
When a sentence is full of clauses and adjectives, it's harder to parse. Anytime you find yourself tripping over your words, use this formula to rewrite your sentence: (1) subject, (2) verb, (3) direct object, and (4) indirect object [when necessary].
You don't need to know much grammar to get it done. Here's an example: (1) Mary (2) threw (3) the ball (4) to John. Or, alternatively: (1) Mary (2) threw (3) the ball.
If you get lost, ask yourself, "Who is doing what to whom?" Let's look at an example of a directive in which the subject is the implied you: (1) [You, implied] (2) Give (3) the edited report (4) to the finance team.
Certainly, you need more complicated sentences than that, and it wouldn't hurt to throw in a "please." But by writing in this format, you simplify your message.
As for synonyms, pay attention the next time you read a piece of journalism with a lot of quotes. Experienced journalists stick with the word "said." They don't write "he surmised," "she concluded," or "they groaned." It's always "said" because it's clear and doesn't detract from the quote's content.
2. Assume a Global Audience
The prevalence of jargon and cultural references in business writing is astounding, and it impedes your message. Native speakers and people who belong to dominant cultural groups use them without even knowing it.
Evidence suggests that non-native English speakers communicate more clearly with one another than with native speakers because they say what they mean. They never "circle back" or "tire out the team running out ground balls" (sports references are the worst). If you want someone to ask someone else in accounting whether the check has cleared three days from now, say that.
Because idioms and cultural influence pervade language, you have to be keenly aware of the words you choose to catch them. It's a skill that you need to practice. In a best-case scenario, your colleagues will feel comfortable telling you when something is unclear, but you need to do the work, too. Are you using direct language? Are you being specific? Pay attention to the actual words you use when you speak and write.
If you're a non-native speaker, don't shy away from asking questions for clarity, such as, "When you say, 'Circle back in a few days,' do you mean you want me to follow up by email on Monday?"
3. Use Formatting Sparingly
Short paragraphs are your friends. Bullet points and boldface type are fickle friends. The point of using bullets and boldface is to make something stand out. If you use either too much, they lose their effect. The same goes for italics and all-caps formatting.
Once a bulleted list has more than about six items on it, those things don't pop out on the page anymore. If you absolutely need more than that, consider turning them into a numbered list instead. That way, you can reference "number 11" or "points 12 through 16" without causing confusion.
Finally, don't mix bullet points and boldface. If you think you need to put the first few words of each bullet point in bold, you're packing in too much information. To be effective, you need to simplify your message and formatting even more.
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4. Revise Before Sharing
The compulsion to press "send" as soon as possible is a plague, especially in business communication. It hurts everyone because it creates a false sense of urgency. Rarely does a message need to go out now. Would another two minutes be detrimental? Would anyone suffer if you waited a half hour to revise your writing before you share it?
Everyone knows that they should reread what they wrote before sending it, but most of the time, no one does. If it's an important piece of writing, a better method is to walk away from it for a few minutes. Get out of your chair and go to the bathroom or make a cup of coffee. Then, come back with a clear mind. That's what you really need.
A trick that I sometimes use is to "schedule send" in Gmail, Slack, Apple Messages, and other places that allow it. By scheduling a message for later, I make sure I won't forget to send it and get another chance to think about what I've written before it goes out.
5. Learn to Love the Edit Button
In many places where business communication happens, you have an edit button that works even after you share a message. Some examples are shared documents, Slack and Microsoft Teams, and text messages. Even most email programs give you a limited window to cancel the sending of a message or recall it if you realize it has an error.
When you find something that needs to be corrected, just fix it. Don't send three follow-up messages that contain the correction.
If the change you've made is crucial and you're afraid people have already seen the incorrect version, consider sending a line calling attention to the correction. You should still fix the original message so it's correct for everyone going forward, however.
For more advice on how to get things done in the workplace, see 5 simple tips for a more productive workweek and 11 simple efficiency tips from a productivity expert.
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