Master Business Writing and Editing

Apply the habits acronym—headings, artwork, bold italics and typeface, and space—to design effective messages and elevate your documents into inviting, reader-friendly information design.

Learn how to craft informative headings that boost readability and skim ability, turning sections into mini purpose statements and guiding readers through business documents.

Turn data into visuals to boost clarity and retention; use charts and graphs to convey trends, compare statistics, and guide readers, while labeling axes and tying artwork to text.

Learn how to use bold, italics, and typefaces to clarify writing, balance emphasis, and choose readable fonts at 10–12 point, whether serif or sans serif.

Enhance readability in business documents by using white space, margins (one inch), paragraph spacing, bullets, and left alignment.

Identify and fix common comma mistakes by mastering four patterns: complete ideas joined by fanboys; introductory phrases; intervening information; and lists with the Oxford comma, to improve business writing clarity.

Master semicolons, dashes, and colons to link related thoughts, emphasize key points, and introduce bulleted lists for clearer business documents.

Practice applying business punctuation rules by identifying four comma patterns, including the Oxford comma, plus semicolons, colons, and dashes to improve clarity.

Identify the three main business message types: informative, negative, and persuasive, and use their skeletons to keep your writing concise and aligned with who, what, where, when, why, and how.

Explore the informative message roadmap, including opening, reasons and details, and a positive close, to clearly inform readers. Learn to distinguish informative from persuasive messages and craft a concise skeleton.

Master the persuasive message roadmap by crafting a strong opening, reasons with emotional and factual appeals, and clear action steps, using contrast to persuade.

Master the negative message roadmap by identifying the level of bad news, delivering a four-part message with a shock absorber, bottom line, detailed reasons, and a positive close.

Identify your purpose before you start writing, organize your thoughts, and determine what you want the audience to know, think, or do.

Understand your audience by evaluating their subject knowledge, likely reactions, and demographics to tailor your message.

Be direct in business writing by removing camouflage verbs, deleting redundant adjectives, avoiding filler terms, using contractions, and trimming prepositions for clear, concise messages.

Keep it simple by avoiding industry jargon, spelling out acronyms, and removing uncommonly used words and cliches, so your business writing stays casual, clear, and easy to understand.

Proofread after a rough draft by reading aloud to catch errors, confirm audience and purpose, and revise structure for fairness. Rely on editing rather than spell check to elevate writing.

Be an information designer by presenting information clearly with headings, artwork, bold italics, typeface, and space to guide readers and improve readability.