Business writing
How to produce writing that gets read
Good business writing focuses on what the reader needs
What is ‘good writing’ in a work context?
Is there a formula you can use? A benchmark you can apply?
Sadly, there’s no universal standard for what makes good professional writing.
Instead, it’s entirely about the context of your intended audience.
For example, we’re often told to avoid jargon.
But if your aim is to appeal to a specialist audience, jargon is a code you use to show you know what you’re talking about, that you’re part of the club and can be trusted.
On the other hand, if you need to explain something simply for a non-specialist audience, chunky paragraphs of specialist jargon will cause the reader to bounce out of your work faster than a super-bouncy bouncing ball from a supermarket toy-vending machine.
Good writing meets audience needs
People don’t read for fun at work, and they don’t owe you their time and attention.
If you can’t make it clear from the first few words why they should care, you’ve lost them.
