Present Information Carefully

For sample business documents, see the figures later in this chapter. For more on adding visuals and formatting job applications, see the Quick Format Guide beginning on p. A-1.

In business, time is money: time wasted reading poorly written material is money wasted. Organize so that readers can move through your writing quickly and easily. Make the topic absolutely clear from the beginning, usually in the first paragraph of a letter or the subject line of a memo or e-mail message. Use the conventional format that readers expect (see Figures 17.4 and 17.6 later in this chapter). Break information into easily processed chunks; order these chunks logically and consistently. Finally, use topic sentences and headings (when appropriate) to label each chunk of information and to give readers an overview of your document.

REVISION CHECKLIST

For more revising and editing strategies, see Ch. 23.

  • Have you kept your letter, memo, or résumé to a page or two?
  • Have you cut all unnecessary or wordy explanations?
  • Have you scrutinized every word to ensure that it can’t be misinterpreted? Have you supplied all the background information readers need?
  • Have you emphasized the most important part of your message? Will readers know what you want them to do?
  • Have you followed a consistent, logical order and a conventional format?
  • If appropriate, have you included labels and headings?