Business and Technical Writing
Because they cover such wide fields, business and technical writing often have many individual fine points. The company you're writing for may have particular styles that you're expected to use. In general, however, in business and technical writing, you should concentrate on five areas: audience, clarity, conciseness, tone, and correctness.
First, keep in mind who's going to receive your information (who your audience is). If you're writing for the general public, you'll probably need to take a different slant than if you're writing to a business associate. Your audience may also determine the tone that you'll use. Sometimes — for instance, when you're conveying technical information to beginners — you'll need to use a basic “here-are-the-instructions” tone. Other times — for example, in business dealings — you'll need to be more formal (but not so formal that you offend your audience by seeming pompous or cold).
Whether you're conveying information to your audience or selling services, you want your message to have an impact. To that end, make sure your writing is clear and concise. Use vocabulary your audience will be familiar with. Now isn't the time to impress readers with twenty-dollar words; readers will simply turn away from the piece (or, worse, they'll toss it in the trash). If you must introduce a word or concept that's unfamiliar to your audience, be sure to explain it in plain language.
Flowery descriptions and bloated language simply don't have a place in business and technical writing. Be as succinct as possible in getting your point across.
After you've written your piece as clearly as possible, go back through it and see if you have any places it can be shortened. Your audience will read and remember a short piece more easily than they will a long one.
Let's say you've written a perfect piece. You know your audience, and you can tell you've picked the right words to convey your message. You've checked to be sure you've written as clearly and concisely as possible. What could possibly go wrong?
Know madder how good you're peace is if it ain't spelled an punctuated proper oar if you yews words wrong youll loose your readers. After you've written your piece, be sure to check — and recheck and recheck — your spelling, punctuation, and word usage. You sure don't want something you wrote to be the latest joke around the water cooler.
