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Business Writing is Different

It is essential to understand that writing for a business context or audience can be distinctly different than writing in the humanities, social sciences, or other academic disciplines. Writing for business should be crisp and succinct. It should be to the point, specific and accurate. If you have not read many memos before, seek out some examples (refer to the Recommended Texts section at the end of this handout).
In most cases, the business letter will be the first impression that you make on someone. For this reason it is important that you are diligent in your task of writing an effective business document. Even though business writing is possibly less formal than it once was, your writing must still adhere to the conventions of standard American English by using conventional spelling and standard grammatical forms.

Business writing varies from the chatty, conversational style often found in email messages to a familiar co-worker, to the more formal, legalistic style found in contracts. In the majority of memos, email messages, and letters, a style between these two extremes is appropriate. Always remember, writing that is too formal can alienate readers, and an overly obvious attempt to be causal and informal may strike the reader as insincere or unprofessional. In business writing, as in all writing, knowing your audience is critical.

Pronouns and Active versus Passive Voice

The use of personal pronouns is important in letters and memos. Do not refer to yourself in the third person by using one or the writer. It is perfectly natural and appropriate to refer to yourself as I and to the reader as you. Be careful when you use the pronoun we in a business letter that is written on company stationary, since it commits your company to what you have written. When a statement is your opinion, use I; when it is company policy use we.

The best writers strive to write in a style that is so clear that their message cannot be misunderstood. Clarity should be the ultimate goal of your business writing style. One way to achieve a clear style, especially during revision, is to eliminate overuse of the passive voice, which plagues most poor business writing. Although the passive voice is sometimes necessary, often it not only makes your writing dull but also can be ambiguous, uninformative, or overly impersonal. Reliance on the active voice to keep the pace of the letter moving, use of personal pronouns, and a positive point of view will keep a reader interested.

Focus and Specificity

You can achieve clarity with conciseness. Proceed cautiously here, however, because business writing should not be an endless series of short, choppy sentences. Don’t be so concise that you become blunt. The use of terminology and concepts related to the industry or field is encouraged in correspondence of this type. These terms and concepts should be used in a way that shows your specific knowledge and experience relating to the endeavor at hand.

A possible starting point is to reread the description of your task (e.g., advertisement of a job opening or instructions for a proposal submission). Making a short list or outline can facilitate drafting an effective piece of business correspondence. Think of your purpose and what requirements are mentioned or implied in the description of the task. List these requirements. Next, identify qualifications or attributes, maybe even answers or objectives, that match the requirements that you have just listed. Strive to be exact and specific, avoiding vagueness, ambiguity, or the use of platitudes. If there are industry- or field-specific concepts or terminology that are relevant to the task at hand, write them down. You will want to use the vernacular of your audience if it will contribute to the communication of your message or intentions.

This list of requirements and attributes will serve as an introductory outline governing your writing and directing your focus. Make sure that it is satisfactory and thorough before you start to actually write the letter or business document.

source: unc.edu

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