According to HBR Better Business Writing: Engage readers, Tighten and Brighten, Make your Case (Garner,2012), whether in business or academics, a costly mindset is thinking your writing is good enough. Your style of communication in writing will decide how supervisors, colleagues, clients, partners and others form opinions of you. Sloppy writing conveys your thinking is the same. Fail to convince the reader he or she should care about your message, they probably won’t and may decide it’s not worth doing business with you.

Poor writing creates barriers; writing well connects with readers and achieves goals. Straightforward, easy to understand writing is the key to successfully getting your message across: not verbose, redundant, or long convoluted passages.

Good writing is a skill you can learn. Garner suggests thinking of yourself as a professional writer. A business person writes to get results through e-mails, proposals, reports, and presentations; thus, a professional writer. Business writing is no different than what a journalist, a copywriter, or a book author does. Success depends on how well you write and convey your message. What you write should be polished.

Garner suggests developing several qualities: know the reason you are writing and focus on it and your readers needs; use the simplest words possible to express your ideas; stay away from jargon and business speak; and have an appreciation for the right words in the right places. To acquire these skills, slow down and look to the work of professional writers.

Poor writing leads to more work correcting communication or clearing up misunderstanding. Poorly written memos can lead to bad decision-making. An unorganized report or proposal can lead to important information being over looked or filed away and forgotten. Simply put, poor writing is a waste of time and can effect the bottom line of a business.

Take the time to learn to write well and achieve the results you hoped for.