Want to recapture what you learned in high school English class and turn it into a strength in your business career? Let’s walk through some old memories together, reminisce on our earlier days, and reflect on the long-lost art of solid business writing to make you a bit more aware of how to stand out among your peers by demonstrating stronger written communication skills.
A Caveat About Chatbot-Assisted Writing
First, for many of you reading this, AI didn’t exist in your high school days. Still, it’s here with us now, so let’s start with a caveat. As tempting as it is to delegate your business writing responsibilities to artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, or Google Gemini, be careful. Certain words flag AI written communication patterns, including accordingly, additionally, arguably, consequently, dynamic, ever-evolving, exemplary, hence, leverage, maximize, moreover, nonetheless, seamless, thus, transformative, utmost, and vital. Overused phrases in chatbots include a testament to, in conclusion, in summary, it’s important to note that, and this list is not exhaustive.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that you can’t use these words or phrases in your writing. But if you happen to be using a chatbot to help you, replace these words and phrases because they’re not necessarily how we talk to and communicate with one another. As such, your writing could become suspect, especially if it appears that you’re trying to use “big words” for the sake of impressing your reader or otherwise plagiarizing someone else’s work.
Email Mastery
Keep Emails and Texts Limited to One Thumb Scroll
We’re moving pretty quickly these days, reminiscent of how quickly the day went by from first to sixth period. To adapt best to today’s workplace realities, keep your written emails and texts limited to what your phone screen will show without forcing the reader to scroll down. At least get to the point of your communication in one paragraph (i.e., three to five sentences). Combined with a conclusive subject line, your brevity will serve you well. If more information is needed for clarification, add a sentence at the end of that initial paragraph that reads, “More information below if you’d like additional background.”
For example, your email subject line might read: “Not able to reach client Jones by 3PM today.” The email/text itself might state:
· “I’ve tried reaching him daily for the past three days.
· His answering machine is not set up.
· He hasn’t responded to text messages.
· I’m sending certified mail with proof of delivery today to the last address on record and will monitor status via tracking number.
Please see more information below if you’d like additional background.”
The purpose of your communication is to let your boss know every step you’ve taken and communicate the current delivery status. This way, if your boss can think of anything else you can do at this point, they’ll advise you based on the steps you’ve outlined (or anything you may have missed). Less tends to be more in email and text communication, and as the saying goes, “No one wants to read a book.” So, keep your writing tight to the degree possible, and focus on limiting your message to critical information that can be captured quickly and efficiently.
Mastering the “Subject Line” of an Email
Tailoring the subject line is a bit of an art because it grabs the reader’s attention and can save the recipient oodles of time. As such, much is written about crafting effective subject lines in emails.
Overall, some key strategies for writing sharp subject lines include:
· Be concise. (Five – eight words is ideal.)
· Be specific (e.g., Meeting agenda change for 3PM all-hands gathering).
· Use precursors in the subject line like: “Decision,” ”Action Required,” “Feedback,” or “For Your Information,” depending on the context of the message.
· Avoid using the term “Urgent” unless absolutely necessary. If you truly need to call something to someone’s attention immediately, use the terms “Timely” or “Time Sensitive” instead. While “Urgent” infers a sense of panic, “Timely” draws the necessary attention without the drama typically associated with emails labeled “Urgent.”
· Change the subject line when the topic of an email chain moves in a new direction. What may have begun as a “Welcome back from vacation” memo may turn into specifics regarding recruitment, pending workers’ compensation cases, learning and development initiatives and rollouts, or the like. It’s perfectly acceptable and reasonable to amend the subject line as the content changes.
Use an “Inverted Pyramid” Writing Style
An “inverted pyramid” writing style simply employs the following format in emails and memos:
· TOP: Crucial info must go at the very beginning (i.e., information they must have for your communication to be successful).
· MIDDLE: Additional information that is helpful but not crucial.
· END: Nice-to-have information.
This keeps your written message focused and tight.
Know Your Grammar
Believe it or not, many adults can’t even remember what they’ve forgotten about English grammar rules in high school. Here are some shortcuts and highlights to make your writing stand out.
Plurals
Plurals of abbreviations are tricky. Here's the rule: Omit the apostrophe when writing the plural of an abbreviation that does not contain periods. Therefore:
· CEOs, CPAs, RFPs (requests for proposal), and CBAs (collective bargaining agreements)
However, include apostrophes when writing the plurals of abbreviations that contain periods:
· M.D.'s, Ph.D.'s
Likewise, omit apostrophes when referring to a decade. For example:
· The 1950s, the 2010s
And if you want contractions of decades, it looks like this: the '50s, the '20s.
Commas
“Serial” comma users typically include a comma after the second element in a three-element series, as is typically the case found in books:
· He’s taking HR, legal, and ethics courses at a local junior college.
Magazines, in comparison, typically omit the third comma in a three-element series, as follows:
· He’s taking HR, legal and ethics courses at a local junior college.
Both constructs are appropriate as long as you apply them consistently. I always apply that second comma in a three-element series (also known as an “Oxford comma”) because it makes things clearer in my mind. (In the case above, “legal and ethics courses” can be confusing without the comma: are they the same or are they separate types of courses?) The additional (serial) comma makes it clear that “legal” and “ethics” courses are different.
Think about it. . . Just using the terms “serial comma” or “Oxford comma” would make your English teacher so proud and make their whole career choice worthwhile!
Semicolons
Semicolons confuse a lot of us but can come in handy when joining two shorter, related sentences without using the words and, or, or but. For example, "however" can either lead off a new sentence or continue the ideas of a prior sentence. Notice how the semicolon precedes the word however and the comma that follows it in the second example:
· Martha is the team lead for this exercise. However, she has the least tenure in the group.
· Martha is the team lead for this exercise; however, she has the least tenure in the group.
That versus Which
Want to really impress people with your business writing savvy? Simply remember that when you use the word “which,” it’s typically preceded by a comma. That’s not the case with the word that, which doesn’t require a comma:
· This is the promotion that you've been waiting for all your life.
· This promotion, which you’ve been waiting for all your life, promises incredible opportunities.
Special Circumstances for Better Business Writing
Following are some “special” reminders that will time-warp us right back into sophomore year English class just for the fun of reliving old times when our hearts were young, and our souls were free. . .
The “One in X” Construct
The “one in x” construct is always singular. A quick way to measure how savvy one is in the business writing space can be seen in this simple construct. With a phrase like “One in four,” one is the subject and is always singular. “In four,” on the other hand, is a prepositional phrase and not the subject of that sentence. Here’s how it shows itself:
Incorrect: One in four employees are going to attend the conference.
Correct: One in four employees is going to attend the conference.
The Either-Or and Neither-Nor Constructs
Similarly, either-or and neither-nor constructs are generally singular (unless the nouns being referenced are plural), as follows:
Either Juan or Sarah is going to alert HR about the problem.
Neither Damion nor Meena is planning to escalate the matter to management.
Either the boys or the girls are going to the dance tonight.
Comparatives versus Superlatives
When it comes to comparative and superlative forms, select the right adjective to match its referent noun. For example:
· Of the two books, I like the hard cover better (not best).
· Of the three books, I like the hard cover best (not better).
· Of the two books, I like the hard cover more.
· Of the three books, I like the hard cover most.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Nothing shouts “High School English Class” more than subject-verb agreement. But it actually tells a lot about a writer’s sophistication level. For example:
One of the team members is (not are) to be selected as team lead.
Each of the managers has (not have) an attendance log.
Again, “of the team” and “of the managers” are prepositional phrases, and they do not govern the verb. In these examples, “one” and “each” are the subjects of the sentence. As such, you would write “One is” and “Each is.” The plural would be “All are.” For example:
All team members are to be selected as team lead.
All managers have an attendance log.
Compound Nouns
When compound nouns are involved, the one closer to the verb determines its tense. For example:
· We wonder if either the CEO or the loan committee members recall that incident.
In this case, the “CEO” is singular; the “loan committee members” are plural. Therefore, since “loan committee members” are closest to the verb “recall,” they determine the form of the verb. Since the committee members are plural, the verb form is also plural.
If you switch the example, the verb tense would change accordingly:
· We wonder if either the loan committee members or the CEO recalls that incident.
Check and Self-Edit Your Work
It goes without saying that you should set up automatic spelling and grammar check features for all outgoing email and Word docs. Reread all emails to ensure you catch errors that the spell check feature might miss. Remember, spell check can’t check misuse of words (i.e., words that are spelled correctly but used incorrectly). For example:
Tanks so much. (Should read “Thanks.”)
Will we be able to ensure the new car? (Should be “insure.”)
Its not uncommon to invest your 401(k) long-term money in stocks or stock mutual funds. (Should read “It’s” for the contraction “it is.”)
I read your white paper but believe it’s premise is faulty because it jumps to too many conclusions upfront. (Should read “its” as in his/hers/its.)
I read you (your) email and believe I can contribute some additional ideas and considerations.
Know and Use Your Tools
Note as well that there are various resources available online to make the editing process easier. Some options include Grammarly.com and Thesaurus.com.
Grammarly.com is an editing website that will provide you with specific recommendations to improve your writing. It edits based on clarity, engagement, delivery, and overall style using artificial intelligence. Many browsers also have Grammarly extensions that will highlight recommendations as you write. A thesaurus is also a helpful tool for you if you find yourself using the same words repeatedly. You can utilize a thesaurus to vary your vocabulary when communicating.
Ah, High School Days. . .
I know, if this blog post doesn’t end soon, you’re going to feel like you’re experiencing an acne breakout. Just hearing some of the terms above might make you break into an uncomfortable sweat. I get it. But keep in mind that your level of sophistication and business savvy is most evident in your written communication skills. And with email being the dominant method of communication in most business environments, your ability to demonstrate better business writing really helps create your personal and professional brand.
And there you have it. . . Tighter form, clearer content, and greater awareness about AI triggers. That’s a fun way to end this article, [which or that] may have been difficult to read through. But if you made it all the way to the end of this piece, it’s a for-sure indicator that you either (a) miss your high school days immensely and are so thankful for the reminders or (b) appreciate that tightening up your written message can help you stand out among your peers.
Sure, high school English class might seem like a lifetime away, but its lessons continue to inspire us, especially when they help you present yourself in the most professional way possible. And armed with these general rules and guidelines, you can now mentally tear apart anyone else’s writing that doesn’t meet your high standards. Now that’s the essence of the high school experience if I’ve ever heard it!
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