Chapter 1
Business Writing Style
This chapter is intended to provide tips for effective business writing that can be applied to all forms of business correspondence such as: memos, faxes, reports, and e-mails.
Use these 12 tips to develop an effective business writing style:
1. Keep your purpose, readers and content in mind
2. Keep your sentences short
3. Use positive language
4. Use linking words
5. Use simple, familiar words
6. Use passive voice for specific reasons
7. Use bullet points and numbered lists correctly
8. Use tables and charts effectively
9. Use impersonal style when expressing opinions
10. Avoid outdated expressions
11. Avoid repetition
12. Avoid turning verbs into nouns
1. Keep Your Purpose, Readers and Content in Mind
Before you start writing your e-mail, memo or report, consider the following points and keep in mind the PRC (Purpose, Reader, Content) Triangle (see fig 1.1 below).
Purpose
What is my purpose?
- To inform
- To request
- To persuade
- To suggest or recommend
- To complain
- To explain
- To appreciate
Readers
Who are my readers?
- Supervisors
- Assistants
- Trainees
- Technicians
- Managers
- Employees
- Others
Content
- What information do my readers want?
- Will my readers understand ...
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