Are you a businessperson? Do you want to write better?
Here’s one thing you can do that will improve your writing instantly. It’s also easy. Ready?
Read your writing aloud
I’ve worked with business writers for years and this is something hardly anyone does, even though it will make your writing better the first time you do it. There are four simple steps.
Print out your draft
This works better if you read from a printed page rather than a screen. I don’t know why, but it does.
Read your piece aloud
Take your time and read your piece out loud. “Out loud” means “so someone else could hear you.” Don’t try to go really fast either. Pretend you’re a professional announcer reading the piece.
Make changes
Your tongue will find things that your eyes might miss. If you stumble over a phrase, change it to read well. If you catch yourself using the same word or phrase over and over, consider changing it. If something doesn’t make sense rephrase it.
Repeat as needed
After you make all your changes, repeat the process. Do this until what you wrote makes sense and reads well out loud.
