Keeping it short and simple is one of the most effective rules in any type of writing. People have a tendency to say too much. Your aim should be to keep it clear, concise, and to the point. Using the right words and sentences and omitting unnecessary words will drive home the point you are trying to make. Avoid being too wordy, or your message could become lost.

Pay attention to your word choices. Try to use words that are simple and will not require someone to pull out a dictionary in order to decipher your message. Using simple words and avoiding jargon, or industry-specific words, will better serve the audience. Word choice is also important if you are writing something that will be read internationally, as the meanings of some words may be unclear.

Organize the material or direction of the document before getting started. You also can make adjustments to the way things are organized when you are editing. Usually there is a logical order for paragraphs or information to follow, so it is a good idea to pay attention to the structure. When organizing your document you should aim to have an introduction, supporting body of information, and a conclusion.

Pay attention to the tone of your document. The tone is the style or manner in which you are presenting the information. A light and positive tone is usually going to be better received by the reader. Even if you are writing something that is delivering a negative message, the goal should be to soften it and deliver it in a lighter tone.

Be mindful of your grammar. Throughout previous lessons, there were several important grammar rules covered. Such things as subject and verb agreement, using conjunctions, split infinitives, and prepositions all fall under this category. Having an understanding of grammar will be beneficial in producing all types of business writing documents.

It also is important to not abbreviate or leave words out when you are writing your letters.

You should also try to avoid using the same word repeatedly. This is sometimes unavoidable if you are writing about a particular item or topic; but whenever possible, try to break it up using different words so the reader does not become bored with the repetition. For example:

Repetitive: The cat has long, brown fur. The cat went up the tree. The cat then climbed down.
Non-repetitive: The cat has long, brown fur. It went up the tree and then climbed back down.

Punctuation is important regardless of the type of document you are preparing. Following proper punctuation rules will help your writing be more clear and effective. Important rules to follow include placing commas where they belong, avoiding over-punctuating with commas, using apostrophes, capitalization, quotations, periods, dashes, and writing with numbers.

Watch whether you are using active or passive voice. Most business writing should aim for using the active voice, unless you are writing something that clearly makes more sense using a passive voice.

Aim to create a visually appealing document. While much of the emphasis of this course has been placed on the mechanics of writing, it is equally important to create a document that is visually appealing. When we as humans speak, much of our language comes across through nonverbal signals. We give cues as to our tone and feelings by our body language. How a document is visually prepared is the equivalent of this. Along with having professional text, the document should be easy on the eyes, look crisp and clean, follow proper formatting techniques, and be free of debris, etc. A document that is wrinkled, and not formatted properly, smudged, etc., will take away from any good writing on the page. Likewise, a good, crisp, clean document that is visually appealing will add to the professional image and go a long way in preserving the message and tone.

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