Writing for business is something everyone needs. Whether it’s writing a letter to your local congressman, writing an email to a client, or creating an investor presentation good communication is a must. All professions and people can benefit from improved business communication.

There are two things I want to cover in this article. One, a list of specific types of sentences that can help you be more concise and powerful in your delivery. Two, is a list of more general tips and suggestions that can help your writing in general.

Powerful Sentence Structures for Business Communications

There are five types of sentence structures I recommend in writing business copy.

1. Definition
   • This is a pretty straight forward sentence. It’s a simple definition of a term. Defining terms, concepts, or ideas concisely in a single sentence demands less of your reader. You should not expect your reader to remember an entire page in order to define a concept that supports a greater message.
   • Example: The HelpAide program provides affordable healthcare to lower income, uninsured families by offsetting costs through charitable contributions.
2. Relationship
   • This sentence is used to define how two separate items or concepts are related. It provides context so your reader does not have to draw assumptions themselves. Relationships also assist in furthering definitions.
   • Example: HelpAide is similar to existing HMO and PPO coverage plans but are targeted towards emergency medical care.
3. Cause + Effect + Reason
   • The structure of this sentence is defined in it’s name. Western culture follows the philosophy of cause and effect. Use it in your writings. In a sentence you should give a cause, effect, and reason for that effect. This provides a complete understanding very quickly and very concisely. By stating the entire relationship in a single sentence readers don’t have to have long term memory or figure out that your reason was in support of an effect five sentences previous.
   • Example: Healthcare costs are at an all time high and therefore unreachable to a growing number of citizens due to increased demands on the healthcare system and a discrepancy between low income families and cost of living in general.
4.  Claim
   • The claim is a direct statement of what you’re trying to convey. Don’t let your reader have to try and tie everything together and draw a conclusion, no matter how logical you think it is. Make your claim. Make it clear and without vagueness.
   • Example: HelpAide is the best solution for fixing the current healthcare accessibility problem for the poor.
5. Direct Request
   • The direct request is similar to the claim but is usually only necessary if you’re asking for something or attempting to persuade. Just as the claim should be very clear, so should your request. If you are looking for an action, ask for it. Don’t make your reader guess what you want.
   • Example: I’m asking you to make a donation to the HelpAide organization so we can reach more families in need. 

These sentence types are a general guide for how to structure clear and concise ideas in your business writing. Of course there are others. Of course you will not always need all of them. But if you are looking for a way to state something, one of these sentence structures or a combination thereof can probably do it.

Some General Business Writing Tips

Here are a few general tips to improve your business communications:

1. Know Your Audience
   • When writing your business communications you better know your audience. The terms, tone, and details you give will vary from audience to audience even if the ultimate message and goal you wish to achieve are the same. If your audience is not technical, leave out the jargon. If your audience is uninitiated, give more information and don’t assume knowledge. If your audience is in the know, don’t repeat information they already know. This is a general tip, one everyone says. It’s important, just reflect back when you’re proof reading and put yourself in the shoes of your reader.
2. Be Conversational
   • Don’t try so hard! You don’t have to try and sound business-like or professional. Other people are just like you. You can be more conversational in your tone, you don’t have to try and be formal. Formality isn’t necessarily what business communications is about. You want to be short, clear, and to the point. Time is money and writing conversationally can make it easier for your reader to understand what you’re saying. Just know your context, sometimes formality is warranted.
3. Anticipate Questions
   • Anticipate what your reader will ask you… then give the answer! If you’ve communicated the idea before and have received questions, go ahead and answer them. If you can see that your writing leaves some natural questions open, address them. Don’t leave the reader hanging, you’re supposed to be giving information and this isn’t a marketing piece.
4. Draw The Whole Picture
   • This tip is similar to “Anticipate Questions” but it is more about what comes before you write than the questions that come after. As much as possible, it’s best if your documents can stand alone without the need to reference other information. Don’t assume too much knowledge, always err on the side of caution and give extra information. You never know who the document will be passed to next. Make sure your concepts are complete with details.
5. Short and Concise is Better
   • Keep it short. As I’ve mentioned, time is money, and the faster a reader can read your document the more appreciative the person will be. Short and concise improves understanding. Don’t make your reader have to remember too much. Don’t make your reader have to understand long-winded explanations for concepts.
6. Use Fewer Words
   • Similar to “Short and Concise is Better” but more specific. This is about removing those filler words that are unnecessary. Synonyms, fluff, pronouns, and anything else that can be removed yet still maintain grammar and readability. Here’s an example: “Jack and Jill went over to well for some water.” can be written as “Jack and Jill went to the well for water.”
7. Use Lists
   • I like lists, lists in numbers or bullets like this article are good. Lists in paragraphs are good, they add to conciseness. Lists provide a great organization of concepts and make documents easier to scan and digest for readers. Why is your product good? Oh, because it’s big, fast, and inexpensive. That’s for putting that in a list instead of three separate sentences. 

I hope some of this information is helpful. If you have any tips or suggestions, please add them to the comments below or shoot me an email.

Hello everyone,

As you may know about me, I am an entrepreneur and software developer. I left my last position with Spectre Gaming to pursue personal discovery and new opportunities. Well, for the past few months I’ve been working on a new effort, The Human Known Project.

The Human Known Project is well… here’s the description that our marketing person came up with:

In 1990 the Human Genome Project was launched to further the understanding of the human make up by close examination of our genetics. In 2003 the project was deemed completed and the human code had been broken.

In 2007 the complimentary Human Known Project was launched to satisfy an increasing need for the human story to be told; for an advancement of how we see history, ourselves, and our greater human experience. For all of our technological feats and scientific probing we are no closer to better understanding the very basic human questions of who we are, why we are here, etc. The journey to the future is one of great technology and even greater adventure; the adventure of having lived because we are more then the sum of our parts.

The Human Known Project is more than a database. It is a human site, a site to promote remembrance, knowledge, sharing, growth, community, and personal development. Above all it is a place to ensure that who we are is not lost to time.

This project is an effort to bring together all of the experiential knowledge the world has, that has previously been passed by oral tradition, so that it can persist for all time and be easily discoverable by the entire world.

Today, what is known to us, what is really known to us through experiences, is passed to a local group… family, friends, churches, or local communities. Today, what is known to us gets lost; oral tradition is lost, experiences and stories are not shared, there’s nobody asking the questions. Today, unless you are in a small, upper echelon of people, your story doesn’t get widely dispersed in movies or books or television or the Internet.

The Human Known Project believes that everybody has something important to say. Everyone has had experiences that are helpful to someone, that provide insight into what it means to be human, and that are unique and valuable.

The Human Known Project is the place to share your experiences, discover the experiences of others, learn from people all over the world, find that there are others facing similar situations, and to connect with those people.

At the end of the year we will be formally launching the public service. I encourage you to take a look, be part of something historic, and share your stories. Share them for yourself, for your family, for your friends and community, and for the world.

Thanks for reading, click on over and become known to the world.

The Human Known Project is getting ready to formally launch at the end of this year. We are currently in the final phase of putting the site together and then we’ll be working hard to get the word out and we need your help!

We need volunteers to help us with all aspects of the project. From techies and desigers
to business people and lawyers to individuals and you! There’s a job for everyone; from leading projects, to helping the elderly enter their stories, to passing out flyers, and a lot more. If you can get involved, please join our volunteer network!

Since its inception, the entire effort of The Human Known Project has been funded privately by me, Alex Lowe. We need financial support and donations to keep this project going. We are currently exploring and seeking private donations, institutional investment, endowments and grants, and other financial means to continue on. We want The Human Known Project to provide a lot of value to the world, and we need funding to keep going.

Thank you everyone for your contributions and support! This project is for the benefit of everyone and only works when you sign up and share your experiences.

Best regards,

Alex Lowe
The Human Known Project

When attempting to run Microsoft .Net based applications, like many of those available from http://www.lowesoftware.com, you may get the following error on startup:

The application failed to initialize properly (0xc0000135)

The cause of this error is that the Microsoft .Net framework is not installed or is damaged in some way. Therefore applications will fail to launch.

To fix this error you can run Windows Update and find the Microsoft .Net framework update to install. Alternatively, you can download the Microsoft .Net Framework directly from Microsoft.

• Microsoft .Net 1.1
• Microsoft .Net 2.0
• Microsoft .Net 3.0

What follows is a list of actions and behaviors that bosses exhibit, good ad bad. If you’re a boss, use these lists as a general guide to help you do better and extract more productivity from your employees. If you’re an employee, make sure your boss is performing so you can be successful. If you’re neither, remember these things for when you become an employee or manager.

• Don’t give your employees opportunities but at the same time set them up to fail.
  • This usually happens when you have an employee you can count on, that is doing a great job, and who you want to delegate more responsibility to. When you delegate, in any situation, make sure your employee has expectations set, tools to do the job, and appropriate compensation for going above and beyond. If you give more responsibility you have to give more resources and power.
• Don’t’ reward bad behavior or poor performance, even by inaction.
  • Be careful not to reward bad employees and poor performance. It demotivates good employees. Even worse is awarding poor performance by inaction. When you treat good and poor employees the same it is rewarding your poor employees and punishing your good ones. It’s not fair, demotivating, and setups up a poor work culture.
• Don’t punish good performance, even by inaction.
  • Do not punish good employees. This can be done by inaction, by lack of appreciation and compensation, or by piling on the work because “you know she’ll pull through.” Even worse is punishing a good employee. Be careful with good employees, they all should not be treated the same; they’re not your kids.
• Don’t show too little appreciation.
  • The most demotivating thing for your good employees is a lack of appreciation. Be sure to say thank you, to give them extra privileges, extra gifts, and extra compensation. Even kind words and a “good job” go a long way.
• Don’t forget things you’ve said or promised.
  • You’re the boss, you’re the entire world to your employees. If you’ve said something or have promised something don’t forget it. Write things down, take notes, send yourself emails, write on your hand. Do whatever it takes to not forget things you’ve said; your word is the law and it sets up the work environment. If you don’t remember what you’ve said you’re creating an ambiguous work environment that your employees cannot navigate and will get frustrated and demotivated by.
• Don’t give your employees impossible tasks.
  • Don’t ask your employees to do things that are impossible. This includes tasks that they do not have resources for, tasks that there are not enough time for, or by over-burdening them with labor. Setting up your employees to fail creates a very negative work environment.
• Don’t be a stranger.
  • Don’t be a stranger to your employees. Don’t be an absentee manager, you have to know what’s going on in your domain. If you’re not there it’s impossible for you to know what’s going on. If you’re not there, employees can’t turn to you to help remove barriers.

• Do expect your employees to do their jobs.
  • You made an agreement when your employees were hired. Expect them to fulfill their duties, they are getting compensated for it. If your employees are not fulfilling their obligations they need to step up or you need to have them step out.
• Do create a culture of success.
  • All the time you need to tell your employees what the goal is and strive for it. Let them know the big goal; to sell a million units, to make a million dollars, to be number one in the market. But set small goals too; how many good ideas can they come up with today, how many happy customers can they support, can they get the next component done by the end of the week, can group A get their project done with less bugs than group B.
• Do measure successes and failures. 
  • Performance is important, knowing who is performing and who is not, knowing which areas of the business to focus on, knowing if you’re meeting goals. Make sure to put in some measures of performance, it gives you an objective view of the situation and makes it easier to talk to your employees, especially if you have to reprimand them.
• Do treat your good employees better than your bad employees.
  • Your good employees are an invaluable asset that you have to take care of and keep. Your poor employees are a menace to your group or organization and need to be mitigated or removed. You should treat your good employees well, they are setting an example for your organization. Don’t play arbitrary favorites though, reward good behavior based on measurements and results and make it obvious why the rewards are being given.
• Do learn about your employees goals and desires.
  • You should genuinely value your employees. Learn about their goals and desires and try to help them come to fruition. It’s a reward that breeds loyalty and trust. It shows you see them as more than just cogs in a wheel. Motivate your employees by helping them reach their personal goals.
• Do things as a group to promote team bonding.
  • Your group is likely made up of many people that work together in a continuous process or system. It’s important that the group meshes. Find ways to bond your group, it creates team loyalty and efficiency. It’s a motivator working with people you enjoy being around. Do lunches, group projects, and non-work interaction.
• Do be open to your employees.
  • Your employees need to know whats going on in the company and in the group. Don’t sugar coat or hide too much. Inevitably bad news comes out and by hiding or being afraid to share bad information you will build a culture of mistrust. Make sure your employees know what’s going on in the organization. You must respect their ability to make decisions and deal with situations. Hiding information is mistrustful and manipulative.
• Do remove bad apples as soon as possible.
  • The worst thing for a team is a bad employee. You’ve heard a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Make sure to root out bad employees before they are able to disrupt your organizations processes, culture, and people. It’s hard to build a great team, but very easy to tear it down.
• Do implement some level of structured reporting, even if it’s minimal.
  • You need to know what’s going on. Your employees also want the opportunity to tell you what they’ve accomplished, even if it’s small. While structured reporting can go overboard, make sure you have some level of regular reporting implemented from the beginning and you stay on top of it. Daily or weekly emails are just fine. It also gives your employees an opportunity to contact you in a non-threatening way and allows you to keep up to date on the details of what’s happening. But don’t micro-manage.

Good luck out there… the work environment is a tough one to manage.