ell as your spelling, grammar and punctuation. Mistakes can be distracting and reflect badly on the writer. Your email or report could be read by colleagues across your company including top managers, as well as by influential people in the outside world. Be sure it sends out a positive message about you and your level of professionalism.

7. Remove the clutter from your text
Your documents will read better if they consist mainly of English words all in the same font. Almost everything else found

Being able to communicate effectively through the written word is one of the most valuable skills you can have in the business world. With that in mind here are seven simple ideas to help you improve your business writing immediately.

1. Think about your reader
See the world as your readers see it and then write your document to fit their perspective. Always consider how the matters you are writing about affect them. Try to use their language and take their priorities into account. Never forget, something which is trivial to you may be of huge importance to them and vice versa.

2. Use fewer words
People are too busy to read loads of text. Your chances of being read rise dramatically the shorter you make each email and business report. Take every opportunity to remove unnecessary words and even whole sentences and paragraphs. Once you start cutting you'll be surprised how much you can remove.

3. Use simple, everyday language
Remember, your aim is not to impress but to communicate. Every time you use a longer than necessary word you lengthen the text, slow readers down and risk losing them altogether. Why pad out a document with words like 'utilise, purchase and commence', when the English language offers perfectly acceptable alternatives such as 'use, buy and start'?

4. Write short and simple sentences
A good rule is to include just one main thought per sentence. Why? Because if you cram two or more ideas into a sentence they start to fight each other and the message is harder to follow. You'll also make life easier for your reader if you limit yourself to just one or two clauses per sentence and to no more than 25 words.

5. Give your emails a single objective
Trying to achieve several things in one email is a recipe for confusing and losing the reader. Simply choose your most important aim and focus your message around that. You'll find it easier to write as well as easier to read.

6. Pay attention to detail
Check your facts, as well as your spelling, grammar and punctuation. Mistakes can be distracting and reflect badly on the writer. Your email or report could be read by colleagues across your company including top managers, as well as by influential people in the outside world. Be sure it sends out a positive message about you and your level of professionalism.

7. Remove the clutter from your text
Your documents will read better if they consist mainly of English words all in the same font. Almost everything else found

something which is trivial to you may be of huge importance to them and vice versa.

2. Use fewer words
People are too busy to read loads of text. Your chances of being read rise dramatically the shorter you make each email and business report. Take every opportunity to remove unnecessary words and even whole sentences and paragraphs. Once you start cutting you'll be surprised how much you can remove.

3. Use simple, everyday language
Remember, your aim is not to impress but to communicate. Every time you use a longer than necessary word you lengthen the text, slow readers down and risk losing them altogether. Why pad out a document with words like 'utilise, purchase and commence', when the English language offers perfectly acceptable alternatives such as 'use, buy and start'?

4. Write short and simple sentences
A good rule is to include just one main thought per sentence. Why? Because if you cram two or more ideas into a sentence they start to fight each other and the message is harder to follow. You'll also make life easier for your reader if you limit yourself to just one or two clauses per sentence and to no more than 25 words.

5. Give your emails a single objective
Trying to achieve several things in one email is a recipe for confusing and losing the reader. Simply choose your most important aim and focus your message around that. You'll find it easier to write as well as easier to read.

6. Pay attention to detail
Check your facts, as well as your spelling, grammar and punctuation. Mistakes can be distracting and reflect badly on the writer. Your email or report could be read by colleagues across your company including top managers, as well as by influential people in the outside world. Be sure it sends out a positive message about you and your level of professionalism.

7. Remove the clutter from your text
Your documents will read better if they consist mainly of English words all in the same font. Almost everything else found

communicate. Every time you use a longer than necessary word you lengthen the text, slow readers down and risk losing them altogether. Why pad out a document with words like 'utilise, purchase and commence', when the English language offers perfectly acceptable alternatives such as 'use, buy and start'?

4. Write short and simple sentences
A good rule is to include just one main thought per sentence. Why? Because if you cram two or more ideas into a sentence they start to fight each other and the message is harder to follow. You'll also make life easier for your reader if you limit yourself to just one or two clauses per sentence and to no more than 25 words.

5. Give your emails a single objective
Trying to achieve several things in one email is a recipe for confusing and losing the reader. Simply choose your most important aim and focus your message around that. You'll find it easier to write as well as easier to read.

6. Pay attention to detail
Check your facts, as well as your spelling, grammar and punctuation. Mistakes can be distracting and reflect badly on the writer. Your email or report could be read by colleagues across your company including top managers, as well as by influential people in the outside world. Be sure it sends out a positive message about you and your level of professionalism.

7. Remove the clutter from your text
Your documents will read better if they consist mainly of English words all in the same font. Almost everything else found

message is harder to follow. You'll also make life easier for your reader if you limit yourself to just one or two clauses per sentence and to no more than 25 words.

5. Give your emails a single objective
Trying to achieve several things in one email is a recipe for confusing and losing the reader. Simply choose your most important aim and focus your message around that. You'll find it easier to write as well as easier to read.

6. Pay attention to detail
Check your facts, as well as your spelling, grammar and punctuation. Mistakes can be distracting and reflect badly on the writer. Your email or report could be read by colleagues across your company including top managers, as well as by influential people in the outside world. Be sure it sends out a positive message about you and your level of professionalism.

7. Remove the clutter from your text
Your documents will read better if they consist mainly of English words all in the same font. Almost everything else found

ell as your spelling, grammar and punctuation. Mistakes can be distracting and reflect badly on the writer. Your email or report could be read by colleagues across your company including top managers, as well as by influential people in the outside world. Be sure it sends out a positive message about you and your level of professionalism.

7. Remove the clutter from your text
Your documents will read better if they consist mainly of English words all in the same font. Almost everything else found in business documents is clutter. Clutter includes things like foreign words, abbreviations, brackets, asterisks, ampersands, mathematical or scientific symbols, roman numerals and anything in italics. Try to keep these to an absolute minimum. Preferably get rid of them altogether.

Conclusion
It makes little sense to spend time drafting text that no one wants to read. Put these seven ideas into practice and you will see a significant change. Firstly, you will increase the chances of your words being read. Secondly, your readers will be more likely to understand what you are saying. And finally, they will be more likely to respond to your document in the way you want them to.