4 tips to be a better writer — right now!
Writing comes naturally to some. To others, it is a completely unnatural and uncomfortable process. The majority of business professionals out there fall somewhere in between. They consider themselves decent writers but find it a challenge to continually locate the right words and tone for their releases, newsletters, white papers and so on.
Here are 4 tips that can help experienced and novice writers alike build their skills and their confidence:
1. Scrutinize everything you write. It doesn’t matter if it’s an email or a birthday card, take your time with what you’re writing, and reread what you’ve created at least twice. Get a sense of what works and what doesn’t, and think about ways to improve. Should the content be more descriptive? Less wordy? Do you need a refresher course in some grammatical rules? Are you taking up several sentences to say the same thing, just in different ways? But don’t make it all negative. Focus on what’s good about your writing, too. Do you turn a nice phrase? Is your tone professional yet approachable? Do you feel that others will get a crystal-clear image of what your trying to say? The more you analyze your writing, the more aware you’ll be of your writing strengths and weaknesses. Then, you can capitalize on the former while minimizing the latter.
2. Read the content of others. Look at your competitors’ website and blog; reread emails sent to you by colleagues; dig out that industry newsletter from last month. Note words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs and whole articles that are well written and make an impact. Does your writing have that same power? It’s not that you want to copy someone else’s writing style; instead, you want to recognize good solid business writing and find ways to enhance your own
3. Read your writing out loud. This is a really good tool that even accomplished writers use. When you read aloud, you get a better feel for the tone of the piece. You’re also likely to catch errors like this: She is is a good friend.
4. Trust yourself. As a skilled professional, you are an authority in your field. Write with authority (but don’t be preachy), and others will admire and respect your prose.
NOTE: For more information on writing and editing for small business owners and entrepreneurs, please visit
