Business Writing Glasgow

You’ve searched for business writing Glasgow.

Is it because you believe your communication is failing to cut through?

You spend hours crafting the perfect report or document.

And people skim-read it.

It’s deeply frustrating.

Welcome to Pink Elephant Communications, where we’ve helped people with their writing since 1989.

So what does a business writing training course at our Pollok Park studios look like?

Let’s get into it.

A deep dive

First of all, we’ll chat about your reasons for improving your business writing.

And then we’ll share everything we’ve learned about communication.

It comes from decades spent as journalists, key messaging experts and writers.

Insight from the likes of Scots author Rachael Fulton and former STV news anchor Colin Stone.

From Andrew McFarlan, who’s helped write tenders that have won hundreds of millions of pounds.

That’s the starting point, and we’ll tailor all exercises around your business writing.

What’s in it for me?

This is the first question we ask on any business writing course.

Have you identified the reader’s motivation early on?

So many reports start with lines like:

“This report summarises the main findings of the investigation conducted into the supply of data from department A to B, to help establish future best practices”.

Hardly an inspiring opening line.

26 wasted words.

How about this instead?

“By sharing more data more regularly, departments A and B can significantly increase sales and cut costs. This report summarises the investigation and associated action plan.”

26 productive words that make the reader want to read on.

The average UK reader makes their minds up within 26 words as to whether they’ll read on.

So make sure you’re getting to the point.

Brevity

If there’s one issue with business writing we see all over the world, it’s unnecessary length.

Think about it: when did you last read something and thought:

“I wish that had been longer.”

Time is a premium for everyone, so we’re attracted to those who make us feel like our time is valued.

To the person who summarises the point in the first line.

Who tells us “this will only take a minute” and sticks to it.

Who texts us rather than calling us, when they know we’re short of time.

So be that person with your writing.

Challenge yourself to cut your writing down by 25%, then 50%, then 75%.

Ask your audience how they feel about the new length.

Rather than dumbing a message down, you’ll simply get better at realising what’s important.

Cue faster responses from people, who feel their time is being valued.

What do you want from me?

The often-forgotten element of business writing.

What do we actually want our audience to do?

Make sure you have a clear recommendation, ideally under a nice clear headline of ‘Recommendation’.

That should include a person by name, a timeline and a clear ask.

For example:

“I recommend that the Head of Operations leads a taskforce to ensure better, more regular data is shared, with the plan operational by I January 2023.”

This needs to be written without justification, which will have come before.

Just a clear, attributable action.

Otherwise, audiences have to do the guesswork.

And so they’ll likely do nothing at all.

It’s the equivalent of marking an email for later (which becomes never).

Be like the conductor of an orchestra: guide people in what they need to do next.