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On this page I offer the benefit of my writing expertise, free!
Having been in business for many years I have a wealth of experience to share. So much in fact that I can give some of it away. The tips below should help you in all sorts of ways at work and in your business. Copyright? No problem. All visitors to this page are welcome to copy and use it. Just keep my name handy, or bookmark this site so that you can find me when you need to.
Instantly improve your writing: Most of us in business need to write letters, memos, reports, proposals, instructions, etc. Unfortunately if the quality of the writing is poor it is common for the content to be misunderstood by the reader, and that could be disastrous in some situations. So how do you improve the quality of your writing? The answer is simple. Take care and time. Never rush the writing process. It's a creative activity and it needs the right surroundings in which to flourish. By right surroundings I mean that you must have a suitable working environment, and the right tools, either paper and pen or computer and word processor. But first you must plan what it is you want to write. Below I've laid out a simple procedure that you can follow whenever you need to write a business communication, to your boss, your staff, your bank manager or a client.
Decide what you need to say, set an objective for the message.
Think about the reader and define your target audience. Who are they, what don't they know, where will they be when they read your document? Will their surroundings prevent them from understanding your message?
Structure your document. Whether it's a letter or a business plan the information must flow logically and in sequence.
The style of writing must always be clear and easy to understand by the reader, whatever their level of education and knowledge. Do not use long words just to show off your vocabulary, keep it simple.
If you are writing with a word processor, use all of its grammar checking and spell checking tools.
Finally, when the document is finished, print off a copy or write it out in final form and read it through carefully. If it is more than just an e-mail or letter, leave it overnight and come back the following day to read it again. You will be surprised how much you can improve your writing just by reading something carefully 24 hours later.
Never write in haste or anger. This applies particularly when responding to an e-mail. If you feel emotionally involved, wait a few hours before doing any writing. Even then, when you've written the reply, do not send it off immediately. Try to delay sending it for a while and read it again before despatch.
If a document is really important to you or your business, get a professional writer like me to help structure or write it for you. Or have it professionally edited. Either way, I can help you. Click here and e-mail your problem to me for an instant solution.
Managing a Project? When managing a project, have you consciously and deliberately communicated the project direction to the team? What about accountability and responsibility? A project has not begun until you carry out the former and will never succeed without the latter.
Creating a web site? When planning the content of your web site, consider the impact it will have on your business. A web site transcends all geographic boundaries so your trade will no longer be local or national. Your site can be viewed by anyone around the world so be prepared to respond to enquiries from China, Mexico, Greenland, Qatar, the United States and of course the UK.
Having trouble finding the time for all these things? When you are allocating your time to various tasks don't forget that the doing time is not the only time involved. Time is also needed to prepare to do the task and in completing the task successfully. A common example is the allocation of time for a meeting. Most people block off the start and end time of the meeting in their diary. They don't normally block off time for preparing their contribution to the meeting or the time it would take to fulfill the actions agreed at the meeting. So where do you find the extra time? Usually it is 'stolen' from the time allocated to other tasks. The vicious circle and the consequences are obvious.
