Participants of my business writing classes usually say that business writing is important because it provides a form of documentation.
However, many business messages I read do not provide documentation. In fact, sometimes they do not even communicate effectively.
Why do I say that?
Messages could contain long and tangled sentences with needlessly complex words. Grammar mistakes make the writing incoherent. The message could be displayed in a messy layout, and comes across as uninviting and tedious to read (imagine a long paragraph containing five key ideas).
To make reading even more challenging, the tone is sometimes cold and unfriendly.
Here are five ways to polish your business writing skills:
(1) Make sure there is logical flow in your writing – especially if the message is complex.
Circle key words in your paragraphs, and see if they convey a logical sequence of ideas. Better still, plan your content before you start writing.
(2) …
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Jolynn Chow 