Concise Business Writing
Source: https://curiousexpeditions.substack.com/p/business-writing-tips
Effective business writing is a “superpower” and it takes numerous rewrites and reviews to develop the skill. Here are a few takeaways I have learned along with multiple dry-erase boards by Fact of the Day 1 author Danny Sheridan (highly recommend following).
Takeaways:
Clarity of writing = clarity of thought.
Compress to impress (aka be concise).
Numbers > adjectives.
Write out acronyms on first use. For example, Demand Side Platform (DSP).
No “weasel” words.
Make the desired outcome or “ask” clear and known ahead of time.
Work backwards from your audience.
Use numbered or lettered lists (easier for reader to reference); avoid bullets.
Include page numbers in the footer of every page (easier for reader to reference).
When appropriate, state at the beginning of a document what the purpose is and what is needed from the reader.
Consider a global audience and either write in an international standard format or remove subjectivity. For example, write dates as December 1, 2020 (instead of 12/01/2020).
