10! Ten Tips for Better Writing

I compiled this list of important elements of professional business writing that I see lacking in many documents, proposals, and papers (from students and professionals). Use this as a checklist when you write your next report, proposal, or paper.

• Proofread your papers. Typos, whether in text, email, or in reports, look sloppy. One or two might be ok, but so often I see five or more in just one or two pages. That's not acceptable.
• Take out all the extra fluff words. In business writing, you need to be clear, concise, and complete. In my technical communication course, we call this the 3Cs of professional business writing. You put in all the fluff to get more pages. However, it's confusing and takes up way too much of your reader's precious time. 
• Don't state your opinion unless you support it with valid, scholarly, or research-based data. Otherwise, it's just your opinion, and in the world of business, that only counts in brainstorming or creative work. For example, when someone asks you, as a marketing professional, who takes the most selfies, you'd better be able to back up your answer with real data because if you get it wrong, you could cost your company millions. This is just one example. 
• The first sentence in each paragraph must tell the reader what the topic of that paragraph is. That's why it's called "the topic sentence". This is good business writing and helps a reader easily skim a piece of writing. At the end of each paragraph, write a sentence that transitions smoothly to the next paragraph. This ensures you have a logical flow to your message.
• Avoid wishy washy phrases. These add no meaning and undermine your confidence as a communicator. Here are some examples:

-"I think..."

-"I believe..."

-"I like..."

-"I wish..."

• State your claim then back it up with articles and data that support it. That way, there's nothing wishy washy.
• Show your reasoning process. Don't just state an opinion. Lay out a reasonable argument:

If a=b and b=c then a=c.

This is the basis of all critical thinking, so be sure to develop your thoughts logically.

• Pay attention to your page layout and the visual element of your messages. It builds confidence and professionalism, and it helps your reader. Also, most of you will spend between 50-80% of your time researching, writing, and developing all sorts of reports and proposals, so learn how to do this now. Here are some tips:

Whether email or documents, use and then be consistent with section titles and report headings. 

Use white space to break up big blocks of text. Most people will skip right over a big block of text. So, if you want people to read what you wrote, break it up!

Use bulleted and numbered lists to break up large blocks of text. These are really easy visual cues for a reader, and they make you, the communicator, look very organized.

Be consistent in your layout. Make sure that you don't change fonts or font sizes right in the middle of an email, paper, or report. If you use double-spacing, use it for the entire report. Attention to this type of detail makes your message easier to read, and it makes you look like a professional communicator. 

Don't get sloppy with page breaks. Take the time to see how the pages break, even with a longer email, and make sure it's even.

Use page numbers and other header and footer information that helps your reader know where he or she is in the document. This is of course only relevant for reports, not emails, but it's really important. 

• Use a valid citation format both for the reference within your paper and as your list of sources at the end of the paper (or at the bottom if you choose to use footnotes). Here's information on three acceptable citation formats. These are from a link from the University of Pittsburgh:

 https://pitt.libguides.com/citationhelp

• Always communicate in a way that your audience prefers. This is what strategic flexibility in communication is all about. This goes for the message too. You need to think of the type of language and sentence structure that works best for your audience. Are you writing an informal message to a friend, an internal email, a more formal email that may go beyond your immediate work group, a short report that will be shared in many areas of the company, or a long report that may be presented to high levels in the company? Each of these requires different approaches to communication and you, as a professional communicator, must determine the way your audience consumes its information. 

There you go. Ten tips for more professional business writing.