Secrets for Successful Business Writing
Secrets for Successful Business Writing
Does the thought of writing a business plan make your palms sweatier than a cow in a burger joint? Maybe it brings back nightmares from high school English class.
Sure, it can be intimidating at first, but with these tips in mind, you'll be able to add "Business Writer" to your expanding skill set as a Jack or Jackie of all Trades. Business writing doesn't have to be drier than the Dust Bowl. Read on to learn how to write in a way that grabs (and keeps) your reader's attention.
You may be thinking, “I have no plans of owning my own business, this doesn’t apply to me, I just need to find out how to write decently for this stupid project my supervisor threw my way”. Before you close this window, consider this: according to a CollegeBoard survey, 50% of the participating companies said that they take a job
candidate’s writing skills into consideration when hiring. The survey also found out that 80% of the corporations assess writing when hiring. This shows how important business writing is, regardless of whether you plan on being an entrepreneur or not. It’s a valuable skill for anyone to learn.
The easiest way put your readers to sleep? Sprinkle jargon throughout your business plan. I know, it may be tempting to talk about leveraging the low-hanging fruit by utilising the sales-and-delivery pipeline, but be aware of how this comes across to your audience. Some writers may use lingo, thinking it'll make them look sophisticated and knowledgeable, but it usually results in their reader becoming confused or, worse, bored.
How can I write in a way that engages my reader? Know who your audience is. No, this doesn't mean anyone of any gender, age 0 and up. You'll find that using a one-size-fitsall approach ends up fitting none.
The best way to figure out what to say to your audience is by asking yourself: why are they reading this? What do they want to know? How can reading this benefit them? If I may confess, all of these questions may or may not have been running through my mind when writing this (and any) article.
Now that you know your target audience and what they want, it's time to start planning how to communicate your message effectively. The best way to do this is to ask yourself what you're trying to tell them? What do they need to know first? What goals does your organisation wish to achieve? How do you want them to respond?
Next, determine where and when you want your reader to take action. Why will this benefit them in the short and long term? Asking these questions about your reader's experience will help you craft a road map of your business plan. Planning out your message ahead of time will allow you to guide your audience through each section with skill and ease.
Have you figured out your message and target audience, but still feel like your plan isn’t fully fleshed out? When in doubt, refer to the 5 W’s and 1 H. Who is my audience? What is the message I want to communicate to them? Where will this take place? When do I want them to take action? Why should this be important to them? How will the goals of this organisation benefit them?
After you’ve figured out the key points of your message, start writing. No, that doesn’t mean bringing up your word processing software of choice, minimising it and browsing the Internet. Nothing to it but to do it!
Put your pedal to the gas and start writing. Use the answers you gathered from the 5 W’s and 1 H as subheaders, then fill in each section with further explanations. I think you’ll find this to be a way to effectively communicate and keep your reader involved with your message.
So you got the voices in your head to finally go off strike, reaching an agreement and ending your writer’s block. Next, you’ll want to read through what you’ve written. If you want to get the most bang for your buck when doing this, I’d recommend reading it out loud. This is the easiest way for you to find any obstructions in the flow of your writing.
In addition to checking your work for proper punctuation, grammar and word usage, you’ll want to make sure that your voice resonates throughout the business plan. If you want to make your words jump off the page, don’t be afraid to show your enthusiasm for what you want to accomplish and how it’ll help your readers in your business plan. Trust me, it’s contagious. You’ll see.
Write your business plan and just think, maybe one day you’ll be writing your own paycheck!
Does the thought of writing a business plan make your palms sweatier than a cow in a burger joint? Maybe it brings back nightmares from high school English class.
Sure, it can be intimidating at first, but with these tips in mind, you'll be able to add "Business Writer" to your expanding skill set as a Jack or Jackie of all Trades. Business writing doesn't have to be drier than the Dust Bowl. Read on to learn how to write in a way that grabs (and keeps) your reader's attention.
You may be thinking, “I have no plans of owning my own business, this doesn’t apply to me, I just need to find out how to write decently for this stupid project my supervisor threw my way”. Before you close this window, consider this: according to a CollegeBoard survey, 50% of the participating companies said that they take a job
candidate’s writing skills into consideration when hiring. The survey also found out that 80% of the corporations assess writing when hiring. This shows how important business writing is, regardless of whether you plan on being an entrepreneur or not. It’s a valuable skill for anyone to learn.
The easiest way put your readers to sleep? Sprinkle jargon throughout your business plan. I know, it may be tempting to talk about leveraging the low-hanging fruit by utilising the sales-and-delivery pipeline, but be aware of how this comes across to your audience. Some writers may use lingo, thinking it'll make them look sophisticated and knowledgeable, but it usually results in their reader becoming confused or, worse, bored.
How can I write in a way that engages my reader? Know who your audience is. No, this doesn't mean anyone of any gender, age 0 and up. You'll find that using a one-size-fitsall approach ends up fitting none.
The best way to figure out what to say to your audience is by asking yourself: why are they reading this? What do they want to know? How can reading this benefit them? If I may confess, all of these questions may or may not have been running through my mind when writing this (and any) article.
Now that you know your target audience and what they want, it's time to start planning how to communicate your message effectively. The best way to do this is to ask yourself what you're trying to tell them? What do they need to know first? What goals does your organisation wish to achieve? How do you want them to respond?
Next, determine where and when you want your reader to take action. Why will this benefit them in the short and long term? Asking these questions about your reader's experience will help you craft a road map of your business plan. Planning out your message ahead of time will allow you to guide your audience through each section with skill and ease.
Have you figured out your message and target audience, but still feel like your plan isn’t fully fleshed out? When in doubt, refer to the 5 W’s and 1 H. Who is my audience? What is the message I want to communicate to them? Where will this take place? When do I want them to take action? Why should this be important to them? How will the goals of this organisation benefit them?
After you’ve figured out the key points of your message, start writing. No, that doesn’t mean bringing up your word processing software of choice, minimising it and browsing the Internet. Nothing to it but to do it!
Put your pedal to the gas and start writing. Use the answers you gathered from the 5 W’s and 1 H as subheaders, then fill in each section with further explanations. I think you’ll find this to be a way to effectively communicate and keep your reader involved with your message.
So you got the voices in your head to finally go off strike, reaching an agreement and ending your writer’s block. Next, you’ll want to read through what you’ve written. If you want to get the most bang for your buck when doing this, I’d recommend reading it out loud. This is the easiest way for you to find any obstructions in the flow of your writing.
In addition to checking your work for proper punctuation, grammar and word usage, you’ll want to make sure that your voice resonates throughout the business plan. If you want to make your words jump off the page, don’t be afraid to show your enthusiasm for what you want to accomplish and how it’ll help your readers in your business plan. Trust me, it’s contagious. You’ll see.
Write your business plan and just think, maybe one day you’ll be writing your own paycheck!
