Business documents take many different forms and serve many different purposes, but they all have this in common: In order to be effective, they must be clear, accurate, consistent and accessible.
Follow these simple tips to ensure that your business documents always meet the brief:
Know your audience
Consider the knowledge, experience, reading ability and level of interest of your reader, and tailor your writing accordingly, by:
- Using language that is appropriate, bearing in mind that your readers may not be native English speakers
- Providing content that is appropriate to the reader
- Maintaining the interest of the reader
Identify the purpose of the document and focus on it
Before you begin writing the document, ask yourself what you want the reader to do after they read it. Should they be able to carry out a certain procedure, for example, or understand their job description?
The purpose of the document will also have a bearing on the language you use. For example, position descriptions should be written in simple, easy-to-understand language. If they include words that are unfamiliar to the reader, the document is in danger of being ineffective, or worse still, misleading. On the other hand, a business proposal will be read by people familiar with technical terminology and expecting more complex language.
Organise your writing
The structure of the document will be dictated by its purpose as well as the intended audience. Ensure that it is written cohesively, flows logically and is easy to follow.
Re-read your document
This important step will help you to identify any grammatical or typographical errors and see where you need to add information or remove any unnecessary details. Better still, asking somebody else to read through the document and provide feedback will give you a valuable outsider’s perspective.
Make sure your document looks professional
Having put so much hard work into getting the content right, make sure that your document also looks good.
The Proven Group
Writing effective business documents is a skill that takes time and practice to perfect. The Proven Group not only covers all your staffing needs, but can also write professional documents for you, including:
- User manuals
- Procedures and policies
- Standard operating processes
- Position descriptions
- Job ads
- General correspondence
- Business proposals
- Business tenders
- Business awards applications
The Proven Group is a recruitment agency in the western suburbs of Melbourne, Ballarat, Geelong and other areas throughout regional Victoria, with extensive experience in every aspect of recruitment and professional document-writing. Contact us today to discuss the option that best suits your needs and budget.
