10 Simple Ways to Improve Your Business Writing Skills

In writing, your goal is to be clear and direct. If your reader has to use Google to decipher what you're trying to say, they're going to feel alienated and annoyed.

Mark Twain once said, "Don't use a five-dollar word when a fifty-cent word will do." Avoid the temptation to use flowery, pretentious words to sound smarter. Stick with the fifty-cent words.

1. The cat scratched the woman.
2. The woman was scratched by the cat.

The first sentence is written in the active voice. It's clear and direct. The second sentence is passive.

In an active sentence, the subject performs the action of the verb. In a passive sentence, the subject is letting the action happen to them. Here's another simple example:

In the first sentence, the subject (the golfer) performs the action (hit the ball). In the second sentence, the subject (the golfer) comes after the verb; it's receiving the action.

To spot the passive voice, look for forms of the verb "to be," such as "will" or "was," in front of a verb. For example, "The meeting will be held at 8pm," is passive. Instead, say, "The meeting is at 8pm."

Sometimes it's tempting to throw in a joke or include some office gossip in an email. However, these add-ins don't contribute to your message and can negatively affect your reputation. They're also easily misunderstood.

Yes, you need to be authentic and to let your voice shine through in your writing. But you also need to stay professional; it's a balancing act. A good way to check the appropriateness of your content is to ask, "Would I be comfortable with this if it was on the front page of the newspaper tomorrow morning?" If this makes you cringe, do some editing.

Don't leave it up to your reader to figure out what you want them to do with this information. Spell it out, and be specific. For example:

• Please send back any edits by 5pm Tuesday.
• Please call this client back by Friday to resolve the issue.