Page 30 - How to write effective business English your guide to excellent professional communication by Fiona Talbot

Business writing for today 19

Step 2

Be clear:

● ● Use plain English and express facts as simply as possible.
● ● Edit so that your main points are easily understood.
● ● Use headings and sub-headings to highlight key information.
Confused messages undermine your objectives. They can lose you
custom too.

Step 3

Make the right impact:

● ● Use the right words to grab attention, and a layout that gets
noticed for the right reasons.

● ● Paint a picture with your words and use verbs to convey action
and ownership of who does what and when.
● ● Use the right style to present yourself and your company well.

● ● Create opportunities.
The right impact differentiates you from competitors and helps
bring about the responses you need. There’s more about this in
Chapter 5 on social media.

Step 4

Focus on readers as your customers:

● ● Get to know as much about them as you can, so you can write
from their perspective.

● ● Empathize with them and make your content interesting, so that
they want to read.

● ● Favour positive, proactive words to engage, persuade, influence –
and create a dialogue and following, where needed.