Generally speaking, in school we are taught to write academic papers. These are usually lengthy and written in paragraph style. Normally you are trying to prove a hypothesis or simply summarize material you’ve read. This approach is so distant from writing in the business world that it’s no wonder most people struggle with it when they start working.
Here’s the most important thing to remember: More information does not equal more important information. You need to go for quality over quantity when writing.
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While the academic method is used in some fields other than academia, like in medicine and the sciences, it is not the right approach for the majority of fields. Take a step back for a minute and ask yourself: “Do I read every word in a long paragraph of a report?” “Do I read every word in a long paragraph of an email?” If you answered “no” to one or both of the questions, you’re with the majority of readers. And you understand that it’s time to take a critical look at your own business writing style.
Paragraphs. We are all busy, and no matter who your reader is, they are probably also busy. If you’re writing an email, memo or report — anything really at work — paragraphs over three to four lines long are likely not going to be read in their entirety. When we read text in a rush, our brain doesn’t have time to weed through tons of information to pull out what is most important. So you want to make sure that you distinguish key information for your reader. How can you do this most effectively?
— Bullets. Using bullets is a great way to break up long text and set out the most information for your reader. Three to five bullets in a row are fine but any more and you’re running into the danger zone of them not being read. You also need to pay attention to how long each bullet is. Try to keep each bullet to one to two lines. If you make them longer than that, your reader won’t have the attention span for it.
— One-liners. If you prefer not to use bullets, you can simply set important information apart by breaking it out of the paragraph and putting each piece of information into its own line. Keep in mind that like bullets, these lines should not go beyond a certain length or you risk them not being read at all. You may want to put a header before each line to tell the reader what it is about, much like you see in this article.
— Bold or underline text. Whether you use bullets, one-liners or a combination of the two (or if you really just cannot get around a longer paragraph in a report), you should bold or underline critical information. You don’t want to overdo it, but a deadline or contact information are examples of things you might highlight.
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Edit for essentials. If you’re having trouble making your text easier to read or you still need to cut down on lines, edit your work. There are many superfluous words that we use when writing, such as putting two words together that mean the same thing. For example, “new innovation” or in a list format, “stakeholder relations, client relations and external relations.” You may even have a list with words that don’t repeat but that mean the same thing. Cut out the duplicates. For the list above, you don’t need to repeat “relations” three times. You could simply write, “stakeholder, client and external relations.” Additionally, think about whether these three items are truly separate. Do you mean the same thing when you say “stakeholder” and “client”? Perhaps even “external” refers to the same group. If so, delete one or two instances.
Titles and subjects. You need to be equally careful with report titles and the subjects of your emails. “Meeting” or “Latest Report” is too generic for either. Imagine you have never been informed about the subject and use a title that almost anyone could understand. Keep it short and simple but as informative as possible. Emails travel endlessly back and forth between people with the same subject and typically, no one changes the subject line. Break the cycle and change it! It’s much more likely someone will read your email if you change the subject to reflect what your note is about, whether it’s an update or correction of misinformation.
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No matter what type of correspondence you’re composing at work, remember these tips to keep your communications on point and increase the chances it will be read. Separating out key information in creative ways and cutting out unnecessary words are two of the best ways you can do this. Concise communications are much less overwhelming for your reader. And, once again, more information does not equal more important information. Remember to strive for quality over quantity.
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How to Make Your Point in Business Writing originally appeared on usnews.com
