How Good Are Your Business Writing Skills? | Final Draft Communications

In companies or agencies without a writer on staff, others may get thrown into the role of copywriter, grant writer, promotional writer, web copywriter, or proposal writer. These people don’t necessarily want to write, or feel comfortable with business writing. While they have no choice but to muddle through, they may wonder how good their skills really are. These folks may be better at writing than others in the organization, and have access to a dictionary and style manual, but they do not necessarily feel that they are doing it “right.”

Sometimes, the English Major’s Stamp of Approval from a “real” writer can provide the confidence boost these reluctant writers need, and that’s how I work with some of my clients. For another way to boost your business writing confidence, take this quiz to find out where your skills are. If you score low, don’t fear. This blog and many other resources are here to help, and the best way to improve as a writer is to keep writing!

Just answer “yes” or “no” to each question, and give yourself one point for each “yes.”

Do you take time for planning before you start a business writing project?
Do you consider the context of the piece you are writing before starting to draft?
Do you schedule enough time in your business writing project for research, drafting, revision, and finalization?
Do think in terms of benefits, rather than features?
Do you know who your audience is?
Do you know exactly what you have to offer your audience?
Do you put your audience’s information needs ahead of your communication needs?
Do you use simple language so your words don’t overshadow your ideas?
Do you consider best practices for the particular type of business document (brochure, case study, proposal, blog, website, e-book, etc.) you are writing?
Do you have a core message?
Do you know the top 10 errors to avoid when writing for business?
Do you think about technical considerations, such as word count?
Do you start with a good hook?
Do you use collaboration?
Do you take the time to come up with good titles?

Scoring:

0-5 points – You need some work. Educate yourself on the basics by reading the “Writing Fundamentals” section of this blog, or looking for other “business writing basics” resources online.

6-10 points – You’ve got the basics down, but you probably need some polish. Read the “Writing Tips and Tricks” and “How to Write Effective Marketing Documents” sections of this blog, or search for online resources in the specific areas you have the most trouble with.

11-15 points – No worries, you are a skilled business writer. See if you can get assigned some writing tasks that will challenge you to do more research, provide organizational input, or write about topics you don’t fully understand.

How did you do on the business writing quiz? Let us know in the comments!

About the Author: Karen Marcus, M.A. is a Northern Colorado copywriter who has been helping clients in a wide range of industries to put their best word forward for 13 years.

Need assistance with your business writing skills? Karen can help! Click here for contact info.