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Business Writing

The document discusses business writing, defining it, outlining its main types, and explaining 10 principles of good business writing. It defines business writing as purposeful writing that conveys relevant information clearly and effectively. The main types are instructional, informational, persuasive, and transactional. The principles include clarity of purpose and thought, conveying accurate information, avoiding jargon, and being concise yet grammatically correct.

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64 views19 pages

Business Writing

The document discusses business writing, defining it, outlining its main types, and explaining 10 principles of good business writing. It defines business writing as purposeful writing that conveys relevant information clearly and effectively. The main types are instructional, informational, persuasive, and transactional. The principles include clarity of purpose and thought, conveying accurate information, avoiding jargon, and being concise yet grammatically correct.

Uploaded by

anelekhomo1
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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BUSINESS

FUNDAMENTALS 2

Ms Dlamini
BUSINESS
FUNDAMENTALS 2

“You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can't get


them across, your ideas won't get you anywhere”
- Lee Lacocca
Objective:
By the end of our lecture you should be
able to…
◦ Define business writing

◦ Explain the Types of Business Writing

◦ Understand the Principles of Good Business


Writing
What is business writing?
• Business writing is a type of writing that is
used in a professional setting.
• It is a purposeful piece of writing that
conveys relevant information to the reader
in a clear, concise, and effective manner.
• It includes client proposals, reports, memos,
emails.
Types of Business Writing
Types of Business Writing
The broad field of business writing can be grouped into four categories based
on their objective, such as:
1. Instructional
The instructional business writing type is directional and aims to guide the
reader through the steps of completing a task. A user manual falls aptly under
the instructional category, as well as a memo issued to all employees outlining
the method of completing a certain task in the future.
2. Informational
Informational business writing pertains to recording business information
accurately and consistently. It comprises documents essential to the core
functions of the business for tracking growth, outlining plans, and complying
with legal obligations. For example, the financial statements of a
company, minutes of the meeting, and perhaps the most important, report
writing.
Types of Business Writing
3. Persuasive
The goal of persuasive writing is to impress the reader and influence
their decision. It conveys relevant information to convince them that a
specific product, service, company, or relationship offers the best value.
Such a type of writing is generally associated with marketing and sales.
It includes proposals, bulk sales emails, and press releases.
4. Transactional
Day-to-day communication at the workplace falls under the
transactional business writing category. The bulk of such
communication is by email, but also includes official letters, forms,
and invoices.
10 Principles of Good Business Writing

1. Clarity of 2. Clarity of
purpose thought

3. Convey accurate
and relevant 4. Avoid jargon
information
Principles of Good Business Writing

1. Clarity of purpose
Before beginning a business document, memo, or email, one should ponder two
primary questions:
Who is the reader?
What do I want to convey to the reader through my writing?
Clarity of purpose gives a direction to the writing and develops its tone, structure,
and flow.

2. Clarity of thought
Thinking while, rather than before writing, makes the writing less structured,
meandering, and repetitive. Business writing requires the skill to reduce long,
rambling sentences into concise, clear ones. One needs to extract what is significant
to write clearly.
Principles of Good Business Writing

3. Convey accurate and relevant information


The primary goal of business writing is to convey valuable information. Inaccurate or
irrelevant content affects the purpose of the document. For effective business writing,
information must be value-additive and complete.

4. Avoid jargon
A simple and orderly writing style goes a long way in communicating the message to the
reader. Bold writing full of industry-specific buzzwords and acronyms should be avoided to
the maximum possible extent. Otherwise, the reader may be unable to comprehend the
document or lose interest in it.
Principles of Good Business Writing Cont..

5. Read 6. Practice
and revise is the key

7. Be
direct
Principles of Good Business Writing

5. Read and revise


Reading the passages out loud after completion can reveal flaws and gaps in the arguments. It
is recommended to welcome constructive feedback from colleagues and revise the document
for improvement.

6. Practice is the key


Proficiency in business writing can be attained through regular practice. Paying attention to
the vocabulary, sentence structure, and style of writing while reading can help to develop the
same instinct while penning one’s thoughts down.

7. Be direct
Presenting the essence or the heart of the passage in the first 150 words is a good idea when
it comes to business writing. It saves the reader time and sharpens the argument.
Principles of Good Business Writing Cont..

9. Correct
8. Avoid verbosity grammar and
sentence structure

10. Easy to scan


Principles of Good Business Writing

8. Avoid verbosity
If the meaning can be conveyed in three words, it should not be stretched to five. Verbosity
works against making the writing engaging to the reader.

here's an example of a verbose sentence:


"The reason why I am late for our meeting today is that I accidentally overslept this morning
and missed my alarm, which caused me to rush and leave my house without eating
breakfast, and then I encountered high volume traffic on the way here, which further
delayed me.”

This sentence is verbose because it uses more words than necessary to convey the message.

The same message can be conveyed in a more concise manner, such as:
"I'm late because I overslept and encountered traffic."
Principles of Good Business
Writing
9. Correct grammar and sentence structure
While a grammatical error may come across as unprofessional, good grammar
portrays both attention to detail and skill – traits that are highly valued in
business.
Business writing evolves with time, so does grammar and writing rules. For
example, emoticons, when used carefully, are gaining acceptance in business
writing. A good writer needs to stay updated with the writing rules to hone their
skill.

10. Easy to scan


Business executives value a document that can convey messages quick and
briefly. Business documents can be enhanced through the use of numbered or
bulleted lists, clear headings, concise paragraphs, and careful use of bold
formatting to highlight the keywords.
Summary
❑ Business writing is a purposeful piece of writing that conveys relevant
information to the reader in a clear, concise, and effective manner.
❑ It can be categorized into four types: instructional, informational,
persuasive, and transactional.
❑ Clarity of thought, conciseness, correct grammar and sentence
structure, and simple language characterize effective business writing.
Independent Study Resources
Video Resource
Business Writing: Rules v. Guidelines
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbaGxB2Q3h4

eBook Business Writing


https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/durbanut-
ebooks/reader.action?docID=5505203&query=Business+Writing#
References
Corporate Finance Institute. 2021. Business Writing - Overview, Types,
Key Principles. [online] Available at:
<https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/careers/how-to-job-
guides/business-writing/> [Accessed 3 May 2021].

Thomsett, MC 2018, Style Guide for Business Writing : Second Edition,


Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Boston. Available from: ProQuest Ebook
Central. [15 September 2021].

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