How Can I Improve my Writing Style?
If clarity of communication is a problem, then the secret to improving your communication may be to spend more time planning what you will say before putting words to paper. Before beginning to write, if you don’t do so already, you should jot down a few words, phrases, or other notes to help organize your thinking. Outlining is also helpful, particularly for long memos.
Such an outline breaks down the document into a lead sentence; separate paragraphs, each for a different thought; introductory sentences for each paragraph to position it within the main document and allow for scanning; and a closing or summary statement at the end.
In addition, to send clear communications, stay away from long sentences and fancy words that will only create confusion. Better to use shorter, more familiar words. And get to the point. Managers don’t have the time to write long memos unless the contents demand it, and their readers don’t have the time to read long memos and reports unless the content requires it.
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If you want to improve your writing, here’s some advice to follow:
Write to express, not impress. Your primary purpose should be to communicate your ideas. Fancy words and long sentences might have impressed your English professor but they aren’t likely to do more than annoy in the realm of business. Use short, familiar words that sound sincere and conversational, no formal or academic phrases.
Keep your sentences brief. Sentences twenty to twenty-four words long are typical in poor business writing and, again, throwbacks to college papers. Longer sentences are harder to follow and are almost always less precise.
Become more personal with your writing. Use the personal pronouns I, me, you, we, and us. "It has come to my attention that …," is long and likely to drive readers away from the important message. Instead, be specific and say, "I learned …"; or "Marketing tells me…";or" Government studies remind us…."
Use the active voice instead of the passive voice. The passive voice forces you to use more words and lessens the impact of your writing.
Avoid needless words or phrases. Phrases such as "there is" mean nothing and, more important, add nothing to a sentence except length. A poor example: "There is contained in the enclosed. …" Better: "The enclosed pamphlet contains an important message. …"
Beware of nouns ending in -ion, -al, or -ment. Write, "I decided to buy the company," not "I made a decision to buy the company." Say, "Marketing recommended we lower the selling price," not "Marketing made a recommendation that we lower the selling price."
Avoid phony phrases, overused openings, and clichéd closings. Don’t utilize what you can use. Don’t propose a paradigm that’s really a model. Don’t write, "Per our conversation," which comes across as formal and impersonal; instead, write, "As we discussed …" "If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call" can be made reader-friendly: "If you have any questions, please let me know."