Why is writing important in business? Writing is essential in any form of business. We use writing in all types of communication such as: email, facsimile, letter writing, etc. Writing skills are important to the business professional because it prepares the workplace for well-written business communications. The three topics I will cover can serve as an outline for improving writing skills in businesses. The topics are principles of business writing, how to write an effective business letter, and how to improve business writing within the company. These topics will aid in examining and improving our company's employees writing skills.
First, there are "four principles of writing: Empathy, Persuasion, Tone, and Service Perspective. The first principle is Empathy which means to care for someone's feelings or ideas" (Writing@CSU: Writing Guide, 2004, p. 1). When writing, you have to be sensitive to your audience. You should want your audience to know that you care about them. To write a good letter, think about the reader and try to anticipate his/her reaction to your comments. A letter with the right language lets the reader know that the writer is really interested in working together to solve a problem or discuss a concept. (Writing@CSU: Writing Guide, 2004, p. 1).
The second principle of writing is Persuasion. The definition of persuasion is: "The act of persuading or the state of being persuaded" (Dictionary.Com, 2004). There are four principles of persuasion: 1) Tailored to fit the reader's reaction - As the writer, ask yourself how the reader would react to what you are writing. For example, if you know the reader doesn't take constructive criticism very well, don't include negative criticism in what you are writing. The key to persuasion is being persuasive in proving your point without offending the reader, 2) Write with the "you" attitude giving emphasizes to the reader rather than the writer by using
References: Deal, J. (2004). Business Writing. Retrieved September 10, 2004 from: http://ww.dealconsulting.com/solutions/buswrite.html Dictionary.Com. (2004). Retrieved September 17, 2004 from: http://www.dictionary.com Read, C. (2004). Writing an Effective Business Letter. Retrieved September 10, 2004 from: University of Phoenix, InfoTrac OneFile Writing@CSU: Writing Guide. (2004). Retrieved September 9, 2004 from: Colorado State University, Writing center, Colorado State University website: http://writing.colostate.edu/index.cfm