Learning Plan 2

Business Writing
Business Enterprise Simulation | ABM

for corrections and suggestions, email at ejggramaje@addu.edu.ph

DISCUSSION
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, and notices.
Proficiency in business writing is a critical aspect of effective communication in the
workplace.

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.

Types of Business Writing

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 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.

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.

PRINCIPLES OF 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.

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 uncluttered writing style goes a long way in communicating the message to the
reader. Grandiose 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.

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 crux 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.

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. For example, instead of writing “the
article uses more words than are needed,” write “the article is verbose.”
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 conventions. For example, emoticons, when used
judiciously, are gaining acceptance in business writing. A good writer needs to stay updated
with the conventions to hone their skill.

10. Easy to scan

Business executives value a document that can convey its message in a cursory glance.
Business documents can be enhanced through the use of numbered or bulleted lists, clear
headings, concise paragraphs, and judicious use of bold formatting to highlight the keywords.

Do we really need business letters in this era?

We definitely need to know, and understand the complexities of writing a business letter in
an internet era despite the fact that communication has improved so much that we are able
to communicate the same idea through e-mail at a faster pace. Besides, writing comprises
both formal and informal aspects. A letter written to a friend is bound to be informal,
whereas, while composing a business letter, formal norms of writing should be followed.
Recording Purpose Apart from being formal, business correspondence can be recorded or
stored for future use. Most of them have legal validity. Some of the highly professional letters
are sometimes kept confidential. For instance, letters written by the President of a country
during war times are kept secret. And then, when they are made available for the public after
many years, they are usually sold out for millions of dollars. So, you can understand the
gravity of a formal letter.

Do Don’t
1. Select words in an appropriate 1. Avoid using Unnecessary Words to
register for your reader. Communicate
Register: The vocabulary and tone that fits a Example:
particular social group. • "My suggestion is that we must begin
Examples: to socialize our employees into the
• "almost like joining a fraternity or Lincoln culture so that they
sorority" (more effective for student internalize the core values of cost-
audiences) reduction and high-quality that
• "or whatever" (more effective in Lincoln embraces."
informal, personal communications) Example revised:
• "paradigm shift" (more effective for • "Train employees so they will
academic audiences) internalize the core values of the
• "Your existing workforce consists of company."
state-of-the-art robots." (harsh tone)
• "Workers today are reluctant to kill 2. Avoid qualifiers.
themselves for money." (exaggerated Qualifiers: Words that weaken claims.
tone) Examples:
• "It may be necessary to…."
2. Use the imperative voice for • "Following are recommendations
recommendations: which might be considered:"
 Imperative Voice: Begins with a verb, • "Lincoln probably needs to…."
assumes the subject, "you."
Explanation: The imperative voice is concise 3. Avoid personalizing pronouns, and
and eliminates the moral tone of "should" therefore personalizing problems.
and the overly emphatic tone of "must."
Example:
Examples:
Change "You need to"… to "Lincoln
• "Balance work with the lives of Electric needs to…"
employees."
• "Recognize the value of middle
4. Avoid using passive rather than active
management."
voice.
• "Create self-managed work-teams."
Active voice: Uses action verbs.
Passive voice: Uses forms of the verb, "to
3. Use verbal rather than nominal forms be," (is, be, am, are, was, were, been)
of words.
Examples of Passive Voice:
Nominal forms: Verbs changed into nouns
• "What the company is missing is…."
or adjectives.
• "Conclusions have been drawn and
Examples:
recommendations have been made."
• "person-organization fit issues"
Changed to Active Voice:
• "management directed policies"
• The company lacks…
Verbal forms: Change nouns back into verbs.
• The report concludes with
Examples:
recommendations.
• "Company policies fit employee
expectations."
• "Managers direct policy."

Elements of Business Letter

1. Heading 8. Body
2. Date 9. Complimentary Close
3. Inside Address 10. Signature
4. Reference 11. Identification Marks
5. Subject 12. Enclosure
6. Attention line 13. Copy Notion
7. Salutation
Let us look at a basic one first: it starts with the heading. Now-a-day’s printed letter heads
are available in corporate offices. When the letter head is not there, then the heading has to
be created. This will be followed by date. The third element is the inside address. While
heading has the sender’s address, the inside address covers the details of the receiver, this is
followed by reference, and subject. Subject will briefly tell about or give the gist of the letter
in the form of a topic or key phrases. The attention line, that follows, calls for the attention
of that particular person to whom the letter should reach so that he can respond quickly. The
next element salutation is the informal greeting like ‘Dear Sir/Madam.’ Next comes the most
important part, that is, the body of letter. This is followed by complimentary close—which
connotes a very pleasant way of saying something before concluding the letter with a formal
full-hand signature. Next comes the last three elements of the letter—identification marks,
enclosure and copy notation. Although the above elements comprise a formal business
letter, in modern computerized offices, certain elements such as identification marks and
copy notation are done with. That is why, while mentioning the elements above, I had put the
optional elements in purple color and the significant ones in blue color. So, if you look at it
you can easily understand that heading, date, inside address, salutation, body,
complimentary close signature are the most important elements.

RESOURCES
References:
https://pages.uoregon.edu/ddusseau/101/199/style.html
https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/careers/how-to-job-guides/business-
writing/
Materials:
• AAT Format and Guide for ABM
• NPTEL-COMMUNICATION SKILLS Module 5: Business letter writing