Teaching Business Writing Archives

Examples of Respectable Tone For Letters of Resignation

You finally have the guts to leave your job, be it for a better opportunity, a new business venture, personal time, or simply because you can’t take it anymore. So what’s next? The dreaded letter of resignation, of course. Writing a letter of resignation is tricky… continue reading

How To Avoid Too Much Formality in Business Writing

Writing for business can be tricky. Because you must maintain a professional manner, this can often cause some people to become too formal in how they write. Although business writing should be more formal than other casual types of writing, such as emails between friends or social media articles, it still needs… continue reading

How To Draft An Employment Agreement

An employment agreement is a detailed document drafted by an organization that clearly states the responsibilities, roles, and terms and conditions for both parties. This document is not binding until signed by both parties (employer and employee), meaning that a breach in the contract can result… continue reading

Tips on Writing Proper Document Addendums

There are times when a contract needs to be modified for whatever reason. Perhaps there was an overlooked precaution, a modification that needs to be made on a clause, or a new member of the team who directly affects procedure. When a contract is modified,… continue reading

Tips For Company Website Verbiage and Copy

It can seem as though “best practices” for generating copy on your website landing pages might be different for every viewer. Yet, you will find that there are some best practices you can adopt to make the writing process simpler for you. These practices will also make… continue reading

12 Tips on Writing to Get the Job

Updated 4 October 2022: Cover letters, resumes, proposals, online job applications—these are some of the most significant pieces you will write. They must engage readers and communicate persuasively, especially for competitive positions. Even if you are modest and shy, these pieces must sell you. Here… continue reading

A graphic of two shadows of seeming detectives looking through a magnifying glass at the words "Error Quest!"

Three Quick Error Quests for You

How good are you at finding errors? The three short error quests below will test your proofreading skills and your knowledge of grammar, punctuation, and structure. Each quest contains just one error—no more, no less. Can you find it? You may be surprised at the… continue reading

Tips on Fresh Writing for Elizabeth Warren–and You

This is a blog about business writing—not politics. But Elizabeth Warren’s recent fall in poll numbers and weak results in primaries are directly tied to the message she is communicating. And that IS a writing issue. Senator Warren doesn’t need to change her ideas and… continue reading

A picture of a printer with multi-coloured sheets flying out towards a tree, to signify a dilemma of saving trees and printing less vs. impressing a client

Professionalism vs. Saving Trees: Which Do You Choose?

A friend had just finished a proposal she would be presenting to a new client the next morning. After printing six copies for the people who would be at the meeting, she noticed that she had made an error in the client’s name at the… continue reading

A graphic of a yellow piece of paper with the word "criticism."

Can You Pass This Test on Giving Constructive Feedback?

Yesterday I posted advice on giving constructive feedback in writing. That advice took the form of a list of Don’ts. Why not test yourself today on tips for giving constructive feedback? The list of 20 Don’ts below contains some fake Don’ts that should actually be… continue reading