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As the world has shifted further away from more “traditional” methods of communication, such as phone calls and in-person meetings, writing skills have become increasingly important. In the business world, this means that employees and leaders alike must always be proficient, effective, and concise in their writing.
Here are a few of the most common business writing mistakes that you should avoid in all of your written communication:
- Forgetting to Edit – No one is perfect, which means that no writing is perfect the first go-around. The best authors work with editors for this very reason. Business writers must not forget or disregard the fact that they need to edit their work before sending it to a client or coworker. Sadly, many professionals forgo the editing process and simply hit send without thinking twice.
- “Over” Writing – While being comprehensive and covering all of your “bases” is effective and helpful in some instances, in others it can be more of a detriment. Some writers tend to do a “brain dump,” where they write down every single thing that is related to the topic, thus burying the main points and ideas for their readers. Irrelevant material or illogical organization can cause your audience to miss the key ideas of the writing or make them stop reading it all together.
- Only Writing from Your Point of View – Exclusively speaking from your own point of view while using words like “we” and “our” can immediately cause your audience to lose interest. After all, the audience really cares about themselves and their needs, wants, and desires. Try to figure out what is really of interest to your intended readers and base your writing on that.
- Leaving the Readers Guessing – No matter if it is an email, a report, or a proposal, your writing should not leave the reader wondering why you have told them the information or what they are supposed to do with it. The instructions, whether implied or specifically stated, should be clear and point the reader to their next action.
Would you like to avoid potential mishaps in your business writing? Our Booher Strategic Writing® courses are designed to lead participants through the thinking process behind writing clear, effective business documents. To learn more about our Booher writing courses, contact us today!
