How To Write Clearly And Concisely With Business Writing Courses

Elevate your written business communications and business writing skills by learning how to write clearly and concisely with these business writing courses.

In an age where remote work is fast becoming the norm and most communication is done in the form of online messaging via email, Slack, and other apps, professional business writing skills are an essential future workplace skill.

The fact is, you won’t be hired if you can’t write clearly. And you won’t remain in a job long enough to get promoted if you can’t write clearly and concisely – the characteristics of good writing.

One of the best ways to advance your professional success is to do a business writing and communication course to improve business writing skills and write more powerfully and clearly.

You don’t need advanced writing skills to be job-ready, just basic writing skills for adults, and some business writing practice to learn clear and concise business writing skills.

The Importance of Written Business Communication

Written business communication is a formal and professional way to communicate with other people in the workplace. It is also important to be courteous when writing business communications.

Written business correspondence can include memos, letters, emails, and proposals, and may also be used to document agreements, procedures, or other important information.

Written business communication often provides a record of what was discussed and decided upon in meetings. This can be helpful to ensure that everyone is on the same page and that no misunderstandings occur.

In addition, written business communication can help build trust and goodwill between parties. Taking the time to craft a well-written message is an indication that you value the relationship and your colleagues’ time.

Effective business writing skills are essential for managers to communicate with employees, and vice versa, in a way that promotes clarity and understanding, and prevents misunderstandings arising out of miscommunication.

How to Write Clearly and Concisely In the Workplace

Basic writing skills are essential in the workplace, as is the ability to be clear and concise in your written communications.

The main characteristics of good business writing skills are the ability to write clearly and concisely. Here are some tips to help you write clearly and concisely in your business correspondence.

#1. Set your intention

One of the most effective writing skills of quality writers is knowing clearly what goal they want their message to accomplish.

What is the intention of your email, memo, essay, or report? Setting an intention for your communication will help you achieve your writing goals more effectively.

Once you have a clear intention, you will be able to write clearly and concisely to communicate your business goals in a way that achieves the results you want.

#2. Cultivate mental clarity

The quality of your writing reflects the clarity of your thoughts. If you’re not clear about what you want to say, you won’t be able to write clearly. If your thoughts are scattered and confused, your writing will reflect your lack of clarity.

“The quality of your writing reflects the clarity of your thoughts.” ~ Priya Florence Shah

To demonstrate better business writing skills, you must get clear on what you want to say, and how you want to say it before you sit down to compose that missive.

You can develop clear business writing skills by taking some time to contemplate what you want to say first. Put down your ideas in bullet points, if that’s helpful.

You can use the MindVisualizer Mindmap software to create a mindmap that visually captures and organizes your thoughts and information.

If you find it easier to dictate a message rather than write it, you can use a Speech-to-Text app to dictate your message and then edit it to a professional tone.

If you have a deadline, ask your boss for an extension, so you can gather your thoughts properly, and write clearly and concisely once you’re done.

#3. Keep your writing jargon-free

Intelligent writing is concise and clear and does not require complicated words or jargon-infested sentences. Using complicated words does not make you seem intelligent; it only makes you sound pretentious.

Use simpler words that are easy to understand, instead of complex words that strain the reader’s mind, or don’t flow naturally. For example, you can say “use” instead of “utilize”; or “very” instead of “extremely”.

“Use the smallest word that does the job.” ~ E.B. White

You can also break your ideas down into smaller chunks, and try breaking up long sentences into shorter ones so that your reader can follow along more easily.

Make sure each sentence is clear and easy to understand. Try reading your writing out loud to see if it sounds awkward or confusing. If it does, go back and revise until it sounds smoother.

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” ~ Hans Hofmann

In this free eBook on Business Writing Hacks for Flawless Communications, you’ll learn the techniques that professional writers use to write clearly and persuasively.

#4. Eliminate excess words

To write clearly and concisely, you need to eliminate any words or phrases that aren’t necessary. Start by getting rid of any excess words.

For example, you might be able to simplify a sentence by getting rid of the word “very”. Here are some clear and concise sentence examples:

• “In order to improve your writing skills, you need to practice” can be rewritten as “To improve your writing skills, practice.”
• “The fact that I am writing to you shows that I care about you” can be rewritten as “I’m writing to you because I care about you.”

Focus on brevity. Keep your sentences short and to the point so that your readers can quickly absorb your ideas. Use strong verbs and concrete nouns to improve impact, instead of weak verbs and abstract nouns.

“The writer who breeds more words than he needs is making a chore for the reader who reads.” ~ Dr. Seuss

You’ll find many clear and concise sentence examples in former Wall Street Journal editor, Shani Raja’s copywriting course, From Structure To Style, which will show you how to write clearly and concisely, with confidence, style, elegance, and impact.

#5. Check grammar and punctuation

You don’t have to be an expert at grammar and punctuation in order to be good at written business communications. However, you do need basic writing skills with decent grammar and punctuation.

You can use online writing tools like Prowritingaid’s free online grammar checker tool to help you check your written correspondence before you press send.

Master the English language with this Udemy English writing and speaking course that covers all areas of English learning, including English grammar, English speaking, and English writing (punctuation).

#6. Proofread & format your message

Don’t forget to proofread your written business correspondence for typos or long-winded sentences that may be difficult to understand.

“The best sentence? The shortest.” ~ Anatole France

Avoid using clichés, jokes, emojis, SMS-speak, and slang words. Ensure that your text is properly formatted into easily readable paragraphs and use a font that is neither too big nor too small.

Make use of the latest writing technology by using AI copywriting tools that have email writing templates to write compelling emails and subject lines.

10 Business Writing Courses to Write Clearly & Concisely

Your written communication skills will determine how well you do in the workplace. If you want to advance in your career, you must make an effort to learn better business writing skills.

Learn how to improve your writing quality with these business writing courses to improve writing skills and business communications.

#1. Shani Raja’s Business Writing Course

Learn how to write electrifying, well-structured, and professional copy on demand with the bestselling instructor, Shani Raja, a former Wall Street Journal editor and in-house writing trainer, who now teaches the world’s best newspaper editors secrets to 500k+ students around the globe.

Shani has written for The Economist, Time, the FT, Dow Jones, and Bloomberg News. In his From Structure To Style course, he reveals how wordsmiths do the magic of producing captivating copy for millions of global readers.

No more will your writing be rambling, confusing, clunky, or boring. These strategies will empower you to write blog posts, web and content marketing copy, and articles with impeccable style and grace.

This course is ideal for those who know basic grammar and yearn to take their writing to the next level. Here are the concepts you’ll learn in Shani Raja’s bestselling business writing course:

• The 4 ingredients of exceptional writing – simplicity, clarity, elegance, and evocativeness
• How to make your writing simple, snappy, and straightforward
• How to write with care and avoid misplacing words
• How to structure your writing so that it presents well
• How to nurture and maintain the skills you gain through the course
• How to be bold, make your writing stand out, and steer clear of weak words

Get the From Structure To Style course and learn how to write clearly and concisely with Shani Raja.

#2. Business Writing Simplified

This Skillshare business writing class will banish the myths around business writing, show you how to make your writing easier to read and simplify your written correspondence and documentation.

Find the balance between clarity and conciseness, that sweet spot that makes your writing easy to read. If your correspondence and documentation are easy to read, it’s more likely to go to the top of your audience’s priority list.

In this business writing class, you’ll learn critical writing skills to write emails and letters, memos, papers, and reports, manuals, and online help, and persuasive legal writing skills for lawyers who want to use plain English.

#3. Business Writing 101

This comprehensive seminar on how to enhance your business writing, by businessman, author, and educator, Chris Bolman, is designed for beginners, students, and early-to-mid-career professionals.

In the Business Writing 101 course, you’ll learn:

• 7 essential principles of effective business writing
• The most common (and effective) way to structure your business writing, ideas, and arguments
• Helpful tips on how to write better emails, presentations, business plans, and resumes

#4. The Business Writing Course

Learn persuasive business writing skills in Alan Sharpe’s Skillshare writing course that will help you understand the science of strong business writing today, and show you how to write clearly, concisely, and convincingly.

Alan Sharpe taught his first business writing workshop in 1989. Since then, he’s helped hundreds of people advance their careers by improving their business writing skills with his online business writing courses.

#5. Be a Better Writer at Work in 30 Minutes

In this Skillshare writing course, you’ll learn how to write better emails, newsletters, online copy, reports, and just about anything else.

Learn the techniques you need to rapidly alter your writing and produce straightforward English sentences with clarity and conciseness in Judy Yorke’s business writing training course.

You’ll discover:

• Why good writing can boost your career prospects
• Simple changes that will transform your writing in minutes
• Easy ways to make your writing more engaging and attention-grabbing
• How to replace the jargon, clichés, and acronyms that are ruining your writing

#6. Write Better Business Emails in 6 Easy Steps

Join skilled international business writing coach and trainer, Tiffany Markman, as she guides you through the six critical steps of creating best-practice business emails in her business email writing course.

This beginner-level Skillshare business writing class is one of the best professional email writing courses for anyone who wants to write better business emails in less than 25 minutes.

#7. Business Writing & Technical Writing Immersion

In this highly-regarded Technical and Business Writing Udemy Course, you’ll learn sophisticated approaches to generating lengthy papers like proposals, and how to meticulously prepare, structure, outline, compose, revise, and deliver outstanding business and technical writing.

Developed by Dan Graham as a straightforward, tried-and-true, effective writing system, this effective business writing course uses 12 steps and almost 60 practical techniques to compose emails, business documents, reports, and other professional communications successfully.

Learn how to produce documents that are successful every time by working your way from the initial writing analysis to the final copy in this professional business writing course online.

#8. Udemy English Writing Course

Do you lack confidence in your English writing skills? This Udemy English Writing Course will help you master the English language and become a more confident writer.

This writing course for beginners covers all areas of English learning, including English grammar, English speaking, and English writing (punctuation).

This is a practical course for developing writing skills in English. It covers English grammar, English speaking, and writing for British and American English.

This English writing skills course includes over 35 hours of video lessons, hundreds of examples and practice problems, and full-length PDFs.

#9. Google’s Free Business Communication Course

You can find some of the best online writing workshops for beginners in Google’s Digital Garage portal, which offers free business writing courses for professionals.

You’ll get simple tips and advice on writing for businesses, and learn how to make your communications concise, easy to read, and engaging in this Google Writing Course.

These business writing courses for professionals will help you get the effective business writing training you need to learn better business writing skills and succeed in your career.

In addition, most of these business writing classes online offer writing certifications that you can display on your LinkedIn profile so you can showcase your business writing skills.

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