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Writing Resources

Helpful Writing Tips

The goal of business writing is effective and precise communication. As you write, keep in mind the following writing, format design and grammar tips.

Writing and Design Format Tips:

  1. 1. Remember the writing process – DRAFT, EDIT, REVISE and PROOFREAD. In a group report, the writing process is especially important to achieve a unified style, format, tone and language. Each time you and/or the group re-write the document, remember to get feedback, revise, edit and then proofread.
  2. To UNIFY your writing, relate sentences and paragraphs to the main purpose. Readers tend to scan documents to find information that interests them, so put your TOPIC SENTENCE first and SUPPORTING DETAILS second.
  3. Satisfy the needs of your PRIMARY AUDIENCE – the course professor – by demonstrating your knowledge and understanding of the course concepts, vocabulary and readings and that apply to the particular assignment. To ensure these needs are met, look at the assignment instructions to learn the specific requirements of the assignment and/or professor.
  4. Keep the TONE of your report appropriate for your audience and purpose. TONE is the ATTITUDE that your WORD CHOICE conveys. In a report, the tone is formal and professional; that is - check the emotional language and the level of formality. Avoid slang and redundant or unnecessary words.
  5. To achieve CLARITY, choose precise and appropriate words and language. Explain technical words or concepts that would be unfamiliar to a layperson.
  6. For COHERENCE (FLOW) use transitional words or phrases to move from one thought to the next, and one paragraph to the next. Keep logical transitions separate from time transitions.
  7. For FORMAT, check the rules or traditions specific to your document type. If writing a letter, check standard letter formats. If writing a press release, organize the information on the page in the form of a press release, and so on. Choose FONTS and FONT SIZE to convey formality or informality based on your knowledge of your audience.
  8. Use HEADINGS and SUBHEADINGS to help readers locate information easily. Use lists, tables, lines and boxes for clarity of organization and emphatic elements such as bold, italics and underlining. Be CONSISTENT. Use the same type of format design in each category.
  9. When using VISUALS ensure that all charts, graphs and tables are discussed, interpreted and integrated into the text. Position the visuals as close to their explanations as possible, where they will be most useful to the reader. Provide keys and captions. Label all elements. The display should be complete but not cluttered or crowded.

Tips on Developing Paragraphs

One of the most important aspects of any paper or piece of writing is the organization of the content into easy-to-read paragraphs. No matter how interesting your information is, it must be organized in a way that presents and supports the main point or thesis, catches the eye and holds the reader’s attention. Here are some tips for building a well-developed paragraph:

  1. A well-developed paragraph is a group of sentences, all related to each other and to a topic. There should be a topic sentence and all other sentences should contribute information to the topic or ask questions about it.
  2. A well-developed paragraph should have transition words between sentences as well as transition words or sentences between paragraphs. Transitions make it easier for the reader to follow the material.
  3. In a well-developed paragraph, the topic sentence is usually first and can be indented so that the reader can easily find the main idea. The topic sentence may also be last, but if it is hidden in the middle of the paragraph the reader has to work too hard to understand the subject.
  4. If using block text, skip a full line between one paragraph and the next.

The use of well-developed paragraphs and coherently written information makes your position comprehensible and is an incentive to the reader to keep reading, thereby winning half the battle towards proving or persuading him/her to the point of your writing.