Category: tone

business blogging, business communication, business writing, tone, writing better, writing well, writing with clarity

5 Ways to Boost Your Writing Style and Tone for Business

1. Know the purpose of your document. Let it determine the appropriate writing style and tone.

  • Emails: People often write them like they speak, with relaxed language, using contractions and slang (“Let’s talk soon.”). Depending on company culture, internal memos may use more formal wording, forgoing humor and emojis. It may use neutral pronouns to remove potential bias.
  • Articles, web pages, newsletters, social media, and blog posts: Those that inform can include more neutral wording than those that entertain. If you want to interest people in buying a product or a service or to support something, you may use persuasive wording with psychological triggers, like emails warning of a sale that will end soon.
  • Crisis communications: When an emergency strikes on a mass scale, consider the gravity of the situation. Serious topics, such as widespread layoffs, a mass killing, or a harmful virus need care and sensitivity. Depending on the circumstances, it’s more empathetic to deliver the news by phone, video, or in person.

2. Simplify. Large blocks of text can be hard to read online, especially without proper formatting. Shorter words, sentences, and paragraphs free of jargon are easier to read. Add a list or bullet points to reduce blocks of text to improve scannability. Write in an active, rather than a passive voice, which fosters complex words and phrases.

3. Clarify. Explain complex concepts. Use examples. Add links to boost comprehension and save words. Insert images if they will enhance your explanation.

4. Show empathy, respect, and sincerity. Think about who your reader is, where they’re at, and what they struggle with.

  • End your email with a greeting.
  • Use the words “please” and “thank you” as appropriate.
  • Consider writing for inclusivity: different races, ethnicities, and people with disabilities.
  • Consider how readers from another culture may interpret your message.

5. Proofread. As a Forbes article declared, typos, especially lots of them, can make you look sloppy or “kill your brand.” Spell-checking software maker Grammarly reported in their study of 100 LinkedIn profiles of native English speakers that it can affect a professional’s ability to be promoted. They found that the profiles of people who weren’t promoted to a director-level position in the first ten years of their careers had 2.5 more errors than those who advanced.

Need to improve the tone or other parts of your writing to boost your image and your success? Consider a business writing coaching session.

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What kind of tone works for you in your writing? Feel free to comment below.

Quotes

“Don’t you type at me in that tone of voice.” ~ Anonymous

“A writer doesn’t have a soundtrack or a strobe light to build the effect she wants. She has conflict, surprise, imagery, details, the words she chooses, and the way she arranges them in sentences.” ~ Adair Lara

tone

5 Ways to Warm Up Your Writing

1. Use contractions – Unless you intend to write statements as a form of command (e.g., “Do not trespass”), in many contexts, contractions warm up your writing. For example, the statement “It is time to party” sounds too formal for the intent behind it. So, loosen those writing muscles for when “It’s time to party.” And we’ll be more likely to join the fun and perhaps sip a pint or two.

2. Write to your reader – When you refer to your audience in your writing, the word “you” is more likely to maintain their interest. There’s a reason why some songs top the charts, often because a singer is singing about “you,” even if it’s not really about you (are we so vain?). We might like to imagine the artist is singing to us. It gets our attention so we will purchase the song or buy into its concept.

3. Be specific. Vague words can come across as “empty,” without any meaning.

Example: I facilitated the project.

Some of us might scratch our heads after reading that sentence. We could understand it better if the writer was more specific — perhaps they “led” the project instead. And we would be more interested if they had something to say about the results of their leadership, like if it generated $35,000 in sales.

4. Shorten your words – “Big” words — like “facilitated” (above) — can be hard to read. They also seem stuffy. They can make you appear to attempt to be more clever than your readers. If you’re writing to an educated audience, you might be able to get away with it. But if you want to reach more people, it’s better to use shorter words with fewer syllables or accents in them. Aim for three or below.

5. Talk to your readers – If you stare at your screen constantly when you write, your writing can seem as inhuman as the technology you use. You can spend too much time in your head and not in the world around you. “Talking out” your rough draft while you record it may set a more conversational tone and help you catch mistakes your mind’s eye misses.

Need help warming up your writing? Contact me for advice.

How do you warm up cold writing? Feel free to comment further below.

Quotes

“You can’t actually write like you talk. You can, however, put a reasonable facsimile of your ordinary talking self on paper. You can purposely put into your writing certain things that will make it sound like talk.” ~ Rudolf Flesch

“Write like you speak with ‘rhythms of human speech,’ as William Zinsser said, and in as few words as possible. Use action verbs to carry water.” ~ Sandra E. Lamb

Comments? Suggestions? Need help with your communications? Contact me.