Improved Business Writing for Administrative Assistants

Administrative assistants: Showcase strong writing communication skills, whether it’s for you or your boss.

As an administrative assistant, you have many obligations to take care of. One big task is written correspondence. Whether it’s for you or your boss, it’s crucial that you showcase a strong voice in communications and make sure to get your point across. Let’s take a closer look at how you can improve your business writing:

Make it concise: It’s tempting to add extra verbiage to make important emails and letters look more professional and urgent. However, this practice is only hurting administrative assistants in the long run. Instead of using overly lengthy sentences or bulky paragraphs, trim the fat as much as possible in communications with others. This means using one word in place of three or four and being as direct as possible, according to Harvard Business Review. Anything that’s not completely necessary to the point should be removed to keep your audience engaged in the subject matter.

Be mindful of tone: There’s a real difference between being direct and being pushy, so make sure you avoid the latter. During drafting and before sending, reread your work to ensure the appropriate tone is used, according to Writers Write. Any words or phrases that demonstrate a contradictory tone of voice should be reworked or eliminated altogether. This practice will help employees get their point across in a way that is clear to their recipients.

Include a call to action: There’s a reason why a piece of business communication is created in the first place, so don’t forget to include it. It’s critical that readers know what they’re expected to do once they’ve received the communication, so make sure it’s clearly stated, according to Lifehack. Including the call to action at both the beginning and end of a document will make it difficult to ignore or forget.

Business writing is a crucial skill for administrative assistants. You must be able to craft a concise but direct email or letter for your supervisor. To improve this practice, always be aware of your tone, cut down your verbiage and always add a call to action for colleagues to follow.