11 Tips To Improve Your Business Writing

(With Examples)
By Indeed Editorial Team
Updated September 30, 2022
Published October 7, 2019

The Indeed Editorial Team comprises a diverse and talented team of writers,
researchers and subject matter experts equipped with Indeed's data and
insights to deliver useful tips to help guide your career journey.

Business writing is an essential skill in the workplace as it encompasses the ability to

communicate clearly and concisely through documents, such as emails and reports.
Learning effective techniques to strengthen your business writing skills can help you
succeed in your career.

In this article, we discuss what business writing is, share 11 effective business writing
tips and provide a five-step guide for improving your business writing.

What is business writing?

Business writing is a form of written professional communication. Business
communications can be internal, which is when you're writing to those within your
workplace, or external, written for clients or customers. Typically, business writing is
practical, which means the documents are useful to the readers and they may perform
an actionable step after reading it. The goal is to communicate your information clearly,
accurately and efficiently. Some examples of business writing can include:

 Offer letters
 Business proposals
 Emails
 Memos
 Compliance reports

11 business writing tips

You can use these tips to help further develop your business writing skills:

1. Generate point ideas

You may find it helpful to generate point ideas before writing because it's helpful to
understand the thoughts to include in the document. Begin with the information you're
most comfortable and confident with and then return to complete the rest. Creating an
ideas list may also help you in identifying themes within the topics, which you can then
use to develop topic paragraphs or segments in your piece.

2. Use the active voice

The active voice provides clarity to writing and avoids wordiness. In the active voice, the
subject of the sentence performs the action, but in the passive voice, the subject is
acted on by the verb. For example, "The car was hit by the truck" is a passive sentence.
"The truck hit the car," which puts the idea in the active voice, is more concise and
helps the reader quickly understand the point of the sentence. The active voice may
also help you sound like you're in control of your writing, increasing your influential
writing authority to the reader.

3. Incorporate headings and subheadings

Section your writing into easily identifiable headings. Headers and sub-headers make it
easier to scan and navigate the document for the reader. Headers can comprise the
main section topic, while subheadings can break the main topic down into further,
digestible sections for organization and clarification. These sections can also make it
easier to break up long text sections and guide letters, reports or other document types.

4. Support your statements

Often, a paragraph begins with a main idea statement, but that idea can be more
convincing if you support it with facts. When you have the opportunity, expand on any
information you provide by using examples, figures or statistics. Providing support
statements can help you add more validity to your claim and allow the reader to
understand why you're including a specific piece of information and why it's relevant for
them to understand within the context of the writing piece.

5. Implement journalistic strategies

Implementing journalistic strategies can help you ensure you're answering the relevant
questions readers may have about your piece. A strategy you can use comprises
answering the five Ws and H, which include answering the story's who, what, when,
where, why and how. To help you ensure you're using this strategy correctly, consider
asking your colleagues in a different department to review your document and if they
have remaining questions about the piece.
6. Simplify your word choices

You may find it helpful to replace jargon with simplified word choices. Using universal
language may make it easier for the reader to understand your writing, especially if they
aren't familiar with the technical aspects of your role and department. It might be helpful
to use a thesaurus to help you find simple words to replace your technical terms or ask
your colleagues in other departments if your writing makes sense to them or if it can use
further clarification.

7. Write out abbreviations and symbols

You may find it helpful to create a more professional document by writing out
abbreviations and symbols. For example, you may type out "and" to replace the "&"
symbol to portray a polished, professional look. This can also help minimize potential
confusion among readers if they aren't familiar with an abbreviation or symbol you
included in the document. When proofreading your writing, be sure to search for
symbols and abbreviations and rewrite them before sending out the document.

8. Include seven or fewer lines

If you're drafting an email or another document where the reader is likely to read it on a
screen, consider writing paragraphs of seven or fewer lines. Using seven or fewer lines
can help the reader read the entire document because it helps break up long text
blocks. This strategy can help increase the readability of your document and provide an
easier read for individuals.

9. Select professional fonts

Your font selection can determine how the reader views your document, such as if it's
easy to read. Additionally, you may find it helpful to use two or three different
complementing fonts at least throughout your document. For example, you can use
different fonts to differentiate sections like headers and body text. Choosing
complementary fonts, such as serif and sans serif, can provide a cohesive, uniform look
to the text and increase your professionalism to the reader. Here are some business
fonts you may choose for your next piece:

 Times New Roman

 Georgia
 Arial
 Roboto

10. Use gender-neutral titles

It's helpful to include gender-neutral titles to avoid exclusionary language. For example,
when referring to a professional's title, you may say they're a chairperson. These word
choices can help readers feel included and demonstrate your dedication to the inclusion
of others. Additionally, inclusive wording can help a company attract and retain
customers because you're ensuring everyone feels welcome by the organization.

11. Include a call to action (CTA)

A CTA is a statement encouraging a reader to take immediate action after reading the
document. Including a CTA helps provide relevancy to the reader about why they're
reading the piece and how they can use the information when they're finished with it.
This statement helps the reader understand their role, and if they complete the action, it
helps you determine if you produced an effective writing piece