Writing for Business for Beginners

In university, writing was a chore. I thought, “Once I graduate, it’ll be great to be free from this!”

Now, living in the real world, writing is still important…maybe it’s even MORE important, actually. Today I don’t write for a grade. I don’t write to prove my ability in a certain area. Today, I write for business.

Painting pictures with words at work has tipped the balance - I’m the teacher, not the student. It’s up to me to convey, using the right number of words and types of phrases, all the ins and outs of a service provider’s products.

Where’s the balance between imagination and reality with business writing? That’s one of the difficulties in writing at work. How to be straightforward without boring everyone?

I definitely haven’t solved all these problems or found answers to all my questions, but there are some observations I've made along the way

3 Tips to Write for Business for Beginners:

1. Get someone else’s input

A knowledgeable and unabashed proofreader might make your paper look like a bloody warzone, but they’re a true friend. 

2. Determine the tone and stylistic

Forget about MLA and ABA – in reality, most companies have their own unique way of doing things. Some of the hot spots are contractions, slang, certain capitalizations and abbreviations. Also, while knowing the corporate lingo is important, a fresh outsider’s perspective can also be a great help when communicating with external shareholders and clients. Someone tenured might not notice their use of jargon, but you can help them by suggesting phrasing that outsiders will understand.

3. Keep it concise

In most business settings, people prefer short and sweet to a lengthy description of “this one time when I had an epiphany about how the company’s product could be better” and “the story of the ten meetings I had to get through before I could introduce my brilliant idea to the CEO before….” Well, you get the picture.
Stories are great; they are powerful and, when written well, cut through the word-clutter online. Just be sure to use them sparingly and appropriately.

To avoid the risk of not following my own advice, I’ll keep my suggestions to the minimum.

Writing for business can be quite rewarding – it’s a tangible deliverable in a country where services rule and product-production is often secondary.

Since starting my post-graduation job, I've learned a lot along the way about my own writing and about how to better follow the example of others. With lots of great input along the way, I’m proud to say I've made the cut and am an accepted author at my company.

Good things come to those who learn!