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Clarity in business writing is not a luxury.
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—Sir Richard Branson, Founder, Virgin Group
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On this page, we explore three techniques to make written communications clearer:
- using precise language
- choosing plain words instead of complicated ones
- defining lists with bullet points and numbers.
Precision
Business communication should be clear, specific, and full of meaning. For example:
| Avoid |
Try
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| Capable of greeting many customers while attending to a multi-line phone. |
Capable of greeting 25 customers an hour, while managing incoming phone lines for six district managers.
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| Your order has been received and will ship shortly. |
Order number 1234, received August 1, ships on August 5. You should receive the order on August 8.
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Plain Words
When trying to enhance your reputation, it is tempting to use complex words in order to appear intelligent and sophisticated. Unfortunately, this tends to make your ideas difficult to understand and could potentially damage your credibility. Remember the focus of your writing should be on the reader understanding the message. Instead of focusing on “sounding intelligent,” concentrate on writing accurate content with precise, unambiguous words, so that your message is transmitted clearly. In other words, be precise and understandable.
| Avoid |
Try
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| It seemed as if the lawyer was trying to obfuscate the meaning. |
It seemed as if the lawyer was trying to confuse the meaning.
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| The remuneration the contractor receives is commensurate with the time and materials used. |
The pay the contractor receives is equal to the time and materials used.
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Lists
Lists can be used in several ways. Working with numbered lists or bulleted lists is a fast way to draw attention to several items. Lists add white space to a document, which helps the reader. They add emphasis because they stand out on the page. Numbered lists are often used either when order of importance matters, or when the number of items in the list matters.
| Avoid |
Try |
Why
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| The store needs several items to process the refund for the incorrect billing. If you have the receipt, we’ll need that. After you find the receipt, circle the incorrect payment and add the voided check to the envelope. Remember that a stamped return envelope will get your money back more quickly. Please be sure to add that. |
To process your refund, the store needs several pieces of documentation. Please do the following:
- Find the original receipt
- Circle the incorrect items
- Find the voided check
- Include a self-addressed stamped envelope
Include all items with your request.
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A numbered list provides the correct order and structure for the reader. It also creates white space in the message, which makes it easier to read.
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| When you go to the store, can you remember to get the items I need for my recipe? I forgot to get one orange, eggs for the mix (2), and the red for the icing, so I’ll need one bottle of red food coloring. |
At the store, please purchase:
- one orange
- two eggs
- one bottle of red food dye
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It’s likely the shopper only needs to know what to buy, not why to buy it.
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Activity: writing clearly
This activity gives you an opportunity to practise writing clearly and precisely, with an awareness of your reader’s needs.
- For this activity, imagine that you have a business contact from another country who is coming to your office in town next week for a meeting. This is the first time the visitor has been to your country. You need to email them with instructions on how to get from their hotel to your office. This might be by taking a bus, train, or taxi, or you might arrange for a company car to pick them up (choose whichever one is the most practical option for where you live).
- In your learning journal, draft an email, explaining exactly what your visitor will need to do to reach your office. This may include, for example:
- how to find the right bus, train, or taxi, or where to meet the company car and how to recognise it
- how to specify where they want to go
- how to pay for the journey, if necessary
- You can invent any details you need to make the email realistic, such as the name of your visitor and the location of their hotel and your business, but make the instructions for transportation real – this will be a good test of your skills in summarising and communicating complex information clearly.
- If you can, ask a friend to follow your instructions in real life. Then talk to them about their experience:
- What worked well for them?
- What, if anything, caused misunderstandings?
- What could you have made clearer?
Acknowledgements
The content on this page (apart from the activity) was adapted from Word choice and tone, authored by Susan Kendall and provided by Lumen Learning under a CC-BY-4.0 licence. The content is part of the online course Business communication skills for managers.
—Sir Richard Branson, Founder, Virgin Group
On this page, we explore three techniques to make written communications clearer:
Precision
Business communication should be clear, specific, and full of meaning. For example:
Plain Words
When trying to enhance your reputation, it is tempting to use complex words in order to appear intelligent and sophisticated. Unfortunately, this tends to make your ideas difficult to understand and could potentially damage your credibility. Remember the focus of your writing should be on the reader understanding the message. Instead of focusing on “sounding intelligent,” concentrate on writing accurate content with precise, unambiguous words, so that your message is transmitted clearly. In other words, be precise and understandable.
Lists
Lists can be used in several ways. Working with numbered lists or bulleted lists is a fast way to draw attention to several items. Lists add white space to a document, which helps the reader. They add emphasis because they stand out on the page. Numbered lists are often used either when order of importance matters, or when the number of items in the list matters.
Include all items with your request.
Activity: writing clearly
This activity gives you an opportunity to practise writing clearly and precisely, with an awareness of your reader’s needs.
Acknowledgements
The content on this page (apart from the activity) was adapted from Word choice and tone, authored by Susan Kendall and provided by Lumen Learning under a CC-BY-4.0 licence. The content is part of the online course Business communication skills for managers.