Business Communication: A Guide to Writing Professionally

Shakespeare’s timeless tale of love, ‘The Merchant of Venice,’ has much value for business leaders and for those interested in business communication. We learn that exactness in words will reflect in procedures, and loose wording means poor processes and outcomes.

The Shakespearean tragedy also has a lesson for the unscrupulous among us who attempt to use the written word for their own ulterior motives. The bard reminds us, again here, that Shylock’s greed for drawing a pound of flesh from Antonio’s body comes unstuck as the contract he drew up did not mention that blood will spill during the process.

As you ponder over the magnificence of the written word and how it saved a man centuries ago, be aware that writing is still as powerful, if not more, in today’s world as well.

via GIPHY

It pays for businesses to get their written communication right, with the key result being that no message from it can ever be misinterpreted. Ambiguity is a big NO in written business communication.

As a positive tool in business affairs, written communication is used to inform, persuade, and motivate stakeholders. These stakeholders could be clients, investors, employees, the government, suppliers, vendors, shareholders, et al. This means that business communication as a field to master is powerful. It can be used to build relationships and resolve conflicts.

Our Comprehensive Training Curriculum in Written Business Communication allows you to train your employees in this particular skill. The training integrates knowledge with hands-on activities to provide a hands-on training experience.

Business Writing Basics

The module starts with a refresher course on the basics of written communication, something that we take for granted. It is, however, a good place to start as, over time, people forget why they write the way they do. Jaded expression, spelling errors, and formatting issues are tackled. Remember, for written business communication, god is in the detail. Lofty mission and vision statements, jazzy employee appointment letters, and any other written communication (on company letterhead) can all seem like a nightmare if they contain spelling errors, wrong punctuation, or poor sentence structure.

You have the option to replace all such stationery, of course, but it is clear this is a setback to your budget.

Click here to get access to our training module

The session ends with a recap.

The Process of Written Business Communication

Written business communication is a process of creating, sending, storing, and retrieving written messages to convey information within an organization. It includes both formal and informal communication, such as memos, letters, reports, emails, and text messages.

All kinds of written business communication have to follow the four-step process of planning, writing, revising/editing, and distributing.

Prewriting Strategies: Effective Business Writing

The first step in the process is planning, which involves determining the purpose of the message and who the audience is.

Click here to get access to our training module

This session deals with the principles of effective business writing. Trainees are taught that business writing is an iterative process, and no one can write excellent business communication material on the first attempt.

Following the steps explained previously is non-negotiable. Here, we see them from a different perspective by identifying the target audience and creating a rough draft of the absolute must-haves. The trainer will conduct an exercise requiring active participation from trainees to understand how to identify the target audience.

Click here to get access to our training module

Trainees also need to inculcate HABITS related to the creation of good business communication content. In this context, HABITS is to be read as Heading, Artwork, Bold, Italics, Artwork, and Space. Trainees will learn how to approach these four concepts with complete absorption in hands-on exercises. Our advice, curated from the world’s best research papers, is compiled in a short-and-sweet format to ensure every piece of written communication you send out is concise, has flow, and makes the desired impact.

KILL YOUR DARLINGS

The third step is revising/editing, which involves ensuring that the message is clear, concise, and error-free.

Click here to get access to our training module

One of the most important aspects of business writing is grammar. Good grammar ensures that your meaning is clear to the target audience. It also makes a good impression on readers, which goes a long way in building credibility and trust.

Poor grammar is unpardonable in business communication. It makes you appear careless or unprofessional, and it can confuse or even alienate your readers. That’s why it’s important to proofread your work with a fine-tooth comb. The use of a grammar checker could be allowed, but don’t let it grow into a habit among your workforce.

After this session, tangible learning outcomes will be seen in punctuation, capitalization, and active and passive voice. For the trainer, we provide enough training material to cover these concepts in significant detail. We also provide thoughtful, goal-oriented activities to help trainees internalize the rules of good written business communication.

Let’s take a look at some amusing bad grammar mistakes. Hungry anyone?

Certainly not a Succulent Chinese Meal

How about McDonald’s? Are you loving it, or is it being loved by you? The passive voice would make that very catchy phrase quite ‘lame’, don’t you agree?

Grammar is generally not the top priority of most in the business world, but as you can see, it really does matter.

Post-Writing Strategies

Writing an email or memo with no mistakes in the first draft is an Olympian feat. Not even professional writers can do it day in and day out. World-renowned author Dan Brown is known to be a creature of habit who writes from 4 am till noon. Once he had finished writing a draft of a whopping 152 pages. As he realized it wasn’t good enough, he binned it. Killing your darlings is actually the best decision one can make with written business communication.

Click here to get access to our training module

Writing is hard, but a little patience and proofreading will work wonders.

This session incorporates the best proofreading practices that trainees need to practice and get better at. It also makes them aware of some common mistakes people make in business writing. It is essential that people ensure that what they have written is on par with business standards.

From here on in the module, we get to specific applications and use of what has been taught so far. This includes business emails, memos, and letters. Let’s begin with emails, shall we?

Writing Business Email

This particular session deals with the science of writing an effective business email. The trainee can present the rules to be followed when writing the email, such as basic email etiquette and recommendations on what to do and not do. The slides showcase an example of a bad email and continue with an activity that asks trainees to write their own business email.

Click here to get access to our training module

In this session, the trainer is provided with an opportunity to showcase the PAS and AIDA principles of cold email writing.

Writing Memos

In this module, we get trainees to know what a memo is and how careful drafting is essential to this kind of business communication. For the trainees, interactive exercises add to the flavor of writing to learn something new.

Click here to get access to our training module

Writing Business Letters

We continue to learn how to write specific methods of business communication. In this section, trainees get to learn about the steps to write business letters, which are also put into practice through an activity.

Click here to get access to our training module

Finally, an opinion poll is conducted among trainees on improving business communication and its Dos and Don’ts. As always, we do not allow any movement forward till there is a recap of the content learned to this point.

Gain access to our full Comprehensive Training Curriculum On Business Communication by clicking here.

Click here to get access to the full comprehensive training module

The fourth and final step in written business communication is distributing, which involves sending the message to the intended audience.

FAQs on Written Business communication

What are the components of written business communication?

Written business communication is a vast ocean of knowledge, where one can have a swim of a lifetime if one is so inclined. Written business communication ranges from understanding the types of business messages to principles and steps to effective writing. Thorough knowledge of active and passive voice and capitalization is also a course requirement if you are interested. Best practices of grammar and getting that critical email right is also a function of written business communication.

Why is Written Business Communication important?

Written business communication is important for several reasons:

First, it allows businesses to document their transactions and correspondence. This creates a record that can be looked up later if there are any questions or disputes.

Second, written communication can be used to disseminate information to a wide audience quickly and efficiently. This is important in today's fast-paced business world.

Finally, written communication provides a permanent record of what was said or agreed upon. This can be helpful if there is a misunderstanding or disagreement down the road.

What are methods of Written Business Communication?

There are many methods of written business communication, including memos, letters, emails, and reports. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses. It is important to choose the right one for the situation.

For instance, memos are great for conveying quick messages to a group of people, but they can be easily ignored if they're not well-written. Letters are more formal and can be used to build relationships, but they can take a long time to write and send. Emails are fast and convenient, but they can be easy to miscommunicate. Reports are thorough and well-documented, but they can be time-consuming.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of Written Business Communication?

There are many advantages and disadvantages of written business communication: