10 Simple Ways to Improve Your Business Writing Skills

Once you've identified what you need to say, get to the point quickly. People are always pressed for time, and they will appreciate your brevity.

Need more convincing? Stop and think about how frustrated you feel after reading an email that's three times longer than it needs to be, with the main points buried way at the bottom. It's a waste of time and energy, right?

Don't make your audience go through this - be brief.

Grammar and spelling mistakes are embarrassing, and they hurt your credibility. Sure, you can rely on spellcheck tools, but they don't catch everything, especially words that are used out of context.

Once you're finished writing, proofread it immediately. And, whenever possible, put it away and read it again a few hours (or a few days) later. Giving yourself some distance from the writing will help you spot mistakes you might have missed on the first read-through.

Pro Tip : When proofreading, read each sentence carefully. Take the advice of George Orwell, who states, "A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask himself at least four questions, thus: What am I trying to say? What words will express it? What image or idiom will make it clearer? Is this image fresh enough to have an effect? And he will probably ask himself two more: Could I put it more shortly? Have I said anything that is avoidably ugly?"

Anyone can learn to be a better writer, and the best way to improve your own writing is to practice . The more you write, the better you'll get. You can also consider taking a free online business writing course through Coursera . The class was created by the University of Colorado-Boulder and is free if you audit.