Welcome to Blacktown Business Access

 fb yt 

Trevor Oldfield. Trevor Oldfield. Featured
28 February 2021 Posted by 

WE WELCOME THE BLACKTOWN NEWS

It's vital we stay connected: CHAMBER
TREVOR OLDFIELD
IT is both exciting and humbling to provide an article for the new Blacktown newspaper.
The Blacktown News will quickly become a wonderful conduit for information from all levels of Government local Business and of course your Business Chamber. 
 
Having a voice whether it be through social media, print media or in a networking environment is crucial to succeeding today in business. 
 
Connecting with your peers and local leaders gives vast opportunities to understand the business landscape and helps you decide the direction of your marketing. 
 
The past 12 months has changed the way in which we do business with each other. While it has reduced personal interaction and our ability to connect in a social environment, the other side of the coin is that it has helped us discover quicker and more effective methods to market our businesses.
 
The difficulty many of us have is adjusting to this new way of connecting and to that end I thought it relevant to provide a piece on Developing and maintaining your voice through the written word.
 
Tips for Developing and Maintaining Your Voice in Your Business Writing
 
Know the Difference Between Your Voice and Your Tone and Style
 
Tone indicates the writer’s attitude toward what she or he is writing. For instance, a writer can use a sarcastic, witty, casual, or humorous tone. Business writers should always write in confident, sincere, and respectful tones, unless their target audiences can greatly benefit from a different type of tone. And they should never use a condescending, derogatory, or dismissive tone if they want to gain their audience’s trust.
 
Additionally, a business writer’s style is more about how she or he organizes a piece of writing. Do they use chapters, subheadings, etc.? Do they follow a particular style guide?
 
While tones and styles can work together to create a more distinct business writing voice, they are still separate and different from the writer’s complete voice and perspective.
 
Always Write in the Active Voice
 
In grammar, there is the “passive voice” and the “active voice.” In business writing, always use the active voice to establish your authority and reliability. Think of the following example and which option you would want to see in your weekly sales report:
 
Passive Voice: An error may have caused the ordering platform to stop working for several days, which impacted the dates on the sales report.
 
Active Voice: The dates listed on the sales report are inaccurate because the ordering platform stopped working for several days.  
 
As you can see, the active voice is clearer, more direct, and easier to understand.
 
Try to Avoid Too Much Jargon When Using Your Voice
 
To further emphasize the authority and simplicity in your business writing, don’t use too many euphemisms, industry slang words, or acronyms that are easily confused or difficult to decipher. Your business writing voice should always aim to be clear and effective for your target audience.
 
If you want your business writing voice to become trustworthy and credible, then use industry jargon sparingly, when it genuinely builds a deeper rapport with your target audience. Don’t use it just to cut corners or save space on a page.
 
Remember to Remain Professional
 
Don’t use too much humour or any derogatory and combative remarks in your writing. It should go without saying that the integrity of your work will constantly be questioned and pushed to the side if you don’t maintain a respectful and authoritative tone in your business writing.
 
Trevor Oldfield AM KSJ JP is President of the Greater Blacktown Business Chamber.


editor

Publisher
Michael Walls
michael@accessnews.com.au
0407 783 413

Login to post comments

Blacktown News covers the business and community issues of the NSW Blacktown region. Blacktown News is a prime media source for connecting with the pulse of the region and tapping into it's vast opportunities.