Next time you read a piece of business writing you like, ask yourself why. 

Next time you read a piece of business writing you dislike, ask yourself why. 

My guess is you’ll identify three points of difference:

  • The pieces you like are easy to read; the pieces you dislike are hard to read
  • The pieces you like use simple words; the pieces you dislike use complicated words 
  • The pieces you like have a conversational tone; the pieces you dislike have a stuffy tone

Some businesses have a false belief that when you do business writing, it needs to be formal and fancy. But you don’t like that writing – and neither do your customers. So don’t do it.