Page 23 - How to write effective business English your guide to excellent professional communication by Fiona Talbot

12 How to Write Effective Business English

But where you can, put out your antennae and tune in to what
people don’t like! There are always alternatives you can choose.
Here are some examples that regularly crop up in my training
workshops. Where at all possible, people prefer to read:

● ● ‘For this to work, you/we need to...’ rather than ‘It must be
done.’

● ● ‘Thank you for bringing this to our attention’ rather than ‘We
note...’

● ● ‘So that we can reach our targets, please could I have these
figures tomorrow?’ rather than ‘I need these figures tomorrow.’

● ● ‘We are really sorry we can’t help (because...)’ rather than ‘We
can’t help.’

See the pattern emerging? People tend not to like terseness and
they like to be given reasons why things have to be done. Ask for
assistance, and they are more likely to help!
It can help to draw up two lists. One can be a list of ‘Things to
avoid’ and includes any expressions or style that you know your
boss doesn’t like or that your readers have criticized. On the plus
side, then draw up a list of ‘Things that worked’ and get into the
habit of using these.

Listen to readers’ feedback

Ask readers for feedback on your business English writing. You’ll
learn so much. Companies who take the time to do so find that
readers routinely comment that:

● ● they feel patronized by poorly written letters;

● ● they can feel insulted by writers’ lack of attention to the right
detail;

● ● they don’t sense the ‘human touch’ in much of the language used
in business writing;