Business Communications

THE IMPORTANCE OF WRITING SKILLS IN BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS:

HOW AND WHY TO IMPROVE EMPLOYEES’ WRITING

Abstract

This essay describes how poorly written communication can lead to misunderstanding and a possible loss of business. Through this paper the author wants to persuade the employer to sponsor a workshop for all employees to improve their writing skills, to increase business communications and to avoid arguments through poor communication. This paper demonstrates the effectiveness of writing skills and why business communication is important in any kind of business. What can your business achieve with good writing skills and what it the impact of good writing skills on business.

THE IMPORTANCE OF WRITING SKILLS IN BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS:

HOW AND WHY TO IMPROVE EMPLOYEES’ WRITING

These last few weeks have been hard for some people in the office. Many arguments erupted and people started to blame each other for the fact that this particular business deal might be lost. All this arguing amongst the employees does not improve the work environment, and it is apparent to clients that the atmosphere in the office is not professional.

The reason for the dispute is clearly due to misunderstanding through poor written communication. This had a negative effect on some people’s feelings, which in turn lead to low morale and higher risk of losing business which can be directly attributed to poor writing skills. It is important for our company to look at a way to improve employees’ writing skills to avoid similar incidents in the future.

One probably has received advertisement mail from various companies and, after reading the first paragraph, the paper ends in the waste paper basket because you did not like what you read in the first sentence. The way the writer started to communicate did not make you read the rest of the document. The same happened in this last business deal; that message was not understood because it was poorly written. Clearly this is something that should not happen in business writing, especially when writing a letter or a memo, either internal or external. When your employee is not a good business writer, it can affect your business in such a way that you will loose customers. Even inside the office amongst the employees, poor communication can arouse conflict due to misunderstanding. Poor business writing can cost the co...

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... environment amongst the employees.

I want to finish with a quote from Barret J. Mandel & Philip Vassallo (1999) to convince you that good writing is also good management: “A person who learns to control the use of language in the writing of effective business documents is often the same person who learns to use language creatively and flexibly in order to lead others to work productively and harmoniously. In our experience, many of the most effective managers are also adept business speakers and writer.” (p338).

References

Drozdowski, Mark J. (2003) “The Write Stuff.”, Chronicle of Higher Education, 50 (5), 5. Abstract retrieved June 4, 2004, from UOP Library, EBSCOhost.

Lauer, Charles S. (2002) “Short and Sweet”, Modern Healthcare, 32 (15), 28. Abstract retrieved June 4, 2004, from UOP Library, EBSCOhost.

Mandel & Vassallo. (1999) “From ‘Me’ to ‘Us’: Crossing the Bridge from Academic to Business Writing.”, ETC: A Review of General Semantics, 56 (3), 338. Abstract retrieved June 4, 2004, from UOP Library, EBSCOhost.

Mims, Julian L. (1995) “Writing for results.”, Records Management Quarterly, 29 (1), 27. Abstract retrieved June 4, 2004 from UOP Library, EBSCOhost.