Walking into DSW for the first time searching for a new pair of shoes can be overwhelming—so many options and styles to choose from! The same can happen to a writer as you start scrolling through that long list of font styles in MS Word. And with hundreds of...
People love to tell others what to do with their voice: “Lower your voice,” or “Save your voice.” And one suggestion that causes a lot of confusion is: “Use your active voice when writing, not passive.”
My active voice? Not my passive voice? I thought I only had one voice…
In...
Business communication comes in many forms and spans international borders, cultures, and demographics. Therefore, you must know precisely who your audience will be—their background, demographic traits, their knowledge of the subject already, and their expectations of your presentation. So, whether you are writing an internal company memo or a...
The business world is inundated with jargon—and its effects can range from merely annoying to completely obscuring the meaning of something. Some people rely too heavily on jargon in their writing. And because it’s easy to use—trendy catchphrases you’ve picked up from others—you may find yourself inserting it in...
Persuasive content writing—website pages, blogs, marketing campaigns, newsletters, and digital ad copy—all have one thing in common. They demand the perfect call to action. If you need more subscribers, sales, or a jumpstart to your leads-to-conversion rates, then it’s time to use a great call to action! And learning...
Everyone wants credit for a job well done. And in business writing and communication—from emails to company-wide internal memos to detailed reports—you want to receive due credit for your writing skills. But if you choose to “borrow” ideas, quotes, or data from another author, it’s essential to know when...
It’s a part of doing business—you get an unexpected email from an irate client, and they choose to take out their frustration on you. Yikes! And it’s only Monday morning. It stings a bit when you’re the recipient of such a rude email.
Although you can’t control what the client...
When telling a story, writing in the third person gives the writer more control, allowing them to be all-seeing and all-knowing. The same thing applies when you are writing a business proposal or report. Most corporate and business guidelines now suggest writing in the third person. It’s more formal...
A business memo is a document that contains summarized information about a business. It is used to pass information within an organization. Memos are not as formal as business proposals because they are within the same organization, but they are expected to be concise, professional, simple, and specific. The...
Business writing is useful in various contexts, but its primary purpose is to receive a business response. In other words, it is writing that deals with business, whether it's reaching out to customers or employees, and getting a response back relevant to whatever business the writing deals with. A...
