By, Susan Adams
Revised by, Savannah Stein
“Clarity is the most important characteristic of good business writing,” says Mignon Fogarty, creator of the “Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing” podcast. “Often businesspeople will use big $10 words because they want to sound intelligent. Instead, they end up sounding like they’re trying too hard.” Enhance your business writing with the following 10 tips:
Start by writing short, declarative sentences. Never use a long word where a short one will do. Be ruthless about self-editing; if you don’t need a word, cut it.
đźš« Utilize
âś… Use
đźš« Terminate
âś… End
Avoid jargon, foreign phrases and scientific words Use clear, straightforward English whenever possible. Jargon may sound impressive, but simple, direct language ensures your message is clear and effective.Â
đźš« Circle back
âś… Follow up later
đźš« Move the needle
âś… Make progress
Make your point upfront: if your main idea isn’t in the first paragraph, move it there or rewrite.
Keep it simple: Simplicity doesn’t mean simple thinking, says Kara Blackburn, a lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management.Â
Focus on action: Start by asking, "What action do I want the reader to take?"Â This question helps sharpen your message.Â
Use plain English, be specific, clear and direct.Â
đźš« Utilization of the provided resources is strongly encouraged to facilitate comprehension.
âś… Use the provided resources to help you understand.Â
đźš« In the event that assistance is required, do not hesitate to contact our support team.Â
âś… If you need help, contact our support team.Â
Curb your enthusiasm. Avoid overusing exclamation points, regardless of how energized or friendly you might feel.Â
đźš« xoxo
đźš« Peace outÂ
đźš« Later
âś… BestÂ
âś… Regards
âś… Respectfully
Whenever possible, use active instead of passive verbs. Active verbs help to energize your prose. Use a straightforward sentence structure–subject, verb, object–that people can read quickly.
đźš« The meeting was led by Tom.
âś… Tom led the meeting.
Use pronouns correctly, and don’t hesitate to use “me.” Fogarty points out that many people mistakenly use "myself" because they believe it sounds more formal or important. To avoid this mistake, try removing the other person from the sentence.Â
đźš« Send the memo to Bob and myself.
âś… Send the memo to me. The pronoun remains appropriate even when adding Bob to the sentence.
Beware of common grammatical mistakes, like subject-verb agreement.Â
The number of the subject (whether it’s singular or plural) determines the number of the verb.Â
Use a singular verb form after nobody, someone, everybody, neither, everyone, each and either.
The dog barks at strangers đźź° singular subjects and verbs
The dogs bark at strangers đźź° plural subjects and verbs
Know when to use “that” and “which.”Â
That: Introduces essential information in what’s called a “restrictive clause.”Â
Which: Introduces extra information in a “nonrestrictive clause.”Â
âś… I’m interested in speaking with you about our new product, which has the potential to increase sales. đźź° The second clause adds extra details but isn’t necessary for the meaning of the first clause, so which is the correct choice. Â
âś… Computers are the only products that we sell. đźź° The phrase “that we sell” is crucial to the sentence’s meaning, making “that” the correct choice. Removing it would alter the sentence’s intended message. Â
Another common error is confusing “affect” and “effect.”Â
Affect: A verb meaning “to influence.”Â
Effect: A noun that means “result.”Â
âś… The weather affects our ability to travel, and it had a terrible effect on my flight to New York.
For more writing tips, consult the classic books on writing and grammar, such as The Elements of Style, by William Strunk and E.B. White, The Associated Press Stylebook and The Chicago Manual of Style. On iTunes, download the “Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing” free podcast. Happy writing.