Writing for work isn’t the same as writing for social purposes, or even as writing at school or college. In general, what sets business writing apart from other types is that here you’re often trying to bring about some sort of change on the part of the reader. That applies in obvious ways – like writing an ad to get people to buy 
your product rather than your competitors’ – but also in more subtle ways, like calming an angry customer down or getting a colleague to see your point of view. So here are some handy hints that will ensure you approach your writing on the job in the best possible ways …
1.What’s your mission? Before you start any writing project – whatever it is – you must be very clear in your mind what it is you need to communicate, and what you want to achieve with that piece of writing. As you go through the process, keep asking yourself “does this express what I really want to say, and will it get that over to whoever will read it?” If you have to answer “no” at any point, go back and try again.
2. Focus on who you are writing to. If you don’t know anything about them, try to find out what makes them tick. You need to understand what their needs are and how your message will combine with that. If what you write and want them to do fulfils a need for them, you’re much more likely to be successful.
3. Be aware of what medium you’re writing for (letter, email, blog, instant message etc.) Think about the messages you receive by these media and they use that knowledge to make your writing appeal, by using the appropriate tone of voice, timing and style.
4. What’s in it for them? Once you’ve covered those first three points, you need to add in a final incentive to get your reader to do, or feel, what you want them to. The best way to achieve this is to ask yourself “what’s in it for them?” Then, make sure whatever benefit is in it for your reader is clearly expressed.
5. Keep your language simple. Even if you’re writing a business letter, these days formal phrasing is seen as old-fashioned and pompous. Remember that what you write will be read by a human being, not a machine! Keep all your business writing simple and informal in style, as if you were talking to a colleague or customer on the phone. And don’t use any business jargon unless you’re certain your reader will understand it.
6. Watch your grammar and spelling. Still on that note, these days you don’t have to be too fussy about perfect grammar and spelling. However, obvious mistakes will make you look either careless, or worse still, ignorant – so watch out for them. Use your spellcheckers and when in doubt, check it out with a dictionary, or ask a colleague.
7. Keep it short and snappy. People – especially at work – don’t have much time to read long pieces of writing. If you have quite a lot of information to get over, break it up into bite-sized chunks with cross-headings, numbering, bullet points etc. so people can scan it quickly if they’re in a hurry and still get your main points.
8. Make it easy to read. Another reason why it’s a good idea to break long text up into small chunks with cross-headings is that with online communications, long blocks of text are even less inviting to read than they are on paper. Try to keep your written messages clear and uncluttered, both verbally and visually.
9. When you need to speak up…If you have to get up and say your words – e.g. in a meeting or presentation – be sure you write yourself a fairly detailed list of points and preferably a script to work from. Don’t be tempted to write it as you think you should come over; write for the real you, because that’s always what works best. If you’re unsure how to do that, talk through your key points from notes, into an audio recorder, then transcribe it back, edit it and tidy it up. That way it will be the real you talking which is far more impressive than if you try to hide behind an assumed image.
10. Don’t overstretch yourself. Whatever you do, don’t try to write something on the job that normally should be done by a professional. Writing ads, press releases, website text and even blogs may look easy, but it’s not – and you can make both yourself and your company look foolish if you do it wrong. Ideally, hire a professional business writer, or failing that, do some training in business writing yourself, before you try the hard stuff.
Suzan St Maur is a widely experienced business and nonfiction writer, and the author of 24 published nonfiction books. She runs the rapidly growing self-help writing site, http://HowToWriteBetter.net , which offers over 100 pages of free advice and tips on all forms of business and social writing plus a range of first-class books on how to write better.