10 Tips for Better Business Writing

10 Tips for Better Business Writing 10 Tips for Better Business Writing 10 Tips for Better Business Writing By Mark Nichol Writing in a business environment is an activity with associated norms, challenges, and opportunities. Keep the following points in mind as you craft communication in the context of a company or an organization. 1. Clarity Be clear. Clarity is the primary goal of all communication, and in business writing, the degree of transparency in one’s message can determine whether one succeeds or fails in a venture, whether you’re transmitting a report or closing a deal. State the intention of your message, provide the necessary details, and request the precise response you need or want. 2. Active Voice Employ active construction (subject-verb-object). â€Å"This report was sent to me by John Smith† is not wrong, and it’s probably the best choice if you want to distinguish one report from another, but consider whether â€Å"John Smith† should be the subject of the sentence; the active syntax is more vigorous, and usually more appropriate. 3. Direct Language Construct concise, declarative statements. Your goal is to provide or invite information, or to persuade or be persuaded. Your time is valuable to you, but the recipient or recipients of your communication also have constraints and deadlines, so take the time to express yourself with economy and directness. 4. Simple Words Favor plain, clear words and phrases over technical terms, jargon, or buzzwords. Take care not to complicate your vocabulary or stiffen your tone in an attempt to seem more businesslike or expert. By all means, use proper terminology to enhance clarity and demonstrate your knowledge and skills, but imagine how you would speak to your intended audience, and write with a conversational glossary in mind. 5. Tone Strike a balance in tone that depends on the particular context of the communication. Even within categories (memos, whether in print or in email form, or marketing content), the feel of the correspondence will depend on many factors. Consult with management and colleagues, study precedents, and consider the audience when settling on the voice of a particular message. 6. Role Consider the role of a particular piece of communication. If it’s summarizing a report, don’t go into so much detail that the report itself is unnecessary (unless, of course, you’re providing an executive summary for a company leader who doesn’t have time to read it). If it’s part of a larger project, match your writing style to the approach of the overall suite of materials. 7. Goal Focus on the expected or hoped-for outcome. Whether you’re writing to a superior or a subordinate, or to a colleague or someone outside your company or organization, be clear but courteous about the goal of your correspondence. 8. Candor Avoid euphemisms or generic references; name topics outright. Diplomacy is a foundation of successful business transactions, but you can undermine success by seeming too solicitous or vague about sensitive matters. Be forthright in your discussion. 9. Formality Standards for business correspondence have become more relaxed, but maintain a professional tone, avoiding slang or text-speak, exclamation points, and overly informal salutations and sign-offs. 10. Words with Friends Be cautious about making exceptions about formality when corresponding with coworkers or associates you consider friends or confidants. Just because you dish or swear when the two of you chat in person doesn’t mean you should do so in email messages or other electronic communications located on a company network. Drop the formality a notch, certainly, but don’t document your lapses in professional behavior. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Business Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Creative Writing 10155 Boxing IdiomsPlurals of Proper Names

Convert Molarity to Parts Per Million Example Problem

Convert Molarity to Parts Per Million Example Problem Molarity and parts per million (ppm) are two units of measurement used to describe the concentration of a chemical solution. One mole is equivalent to the molecular or atomic mass of the solute. Parts per million, of course, refers to the number of molecules of solute per million parts of a solution. Since both of these units of measurement are commonly referred to in chemistry, its helpful to understand how to convert from one to the other. This example problem demonstrates how to convert molarity to parts per million. Molarity to ppm Problem A solution contains Cu2 ions at a concentration of 3 x 10 -4 M. What is the Cu2 concentration in ppm? Solution ï » ¿Parts per million, or ppm, is a measure of the amount of a substance per million parts of a solution.1 ppm 1 part substance X/ 1 x 106 parts solution1 ppm 1 g X/ 1 x 106 g solution1 ppm 1 x 10-6 g X/ g solution1 ppm 1 ÃŽ ¼g X/ g solution If the solution is in water and the density of water 1 g/mL then1 ppm 1 ÃŽ ¼g X / mL solution Molarity uses moles/L, so the mL need to be converted to L1 ppm 1 ÃŽ ¼g X /( mL solution)x(1 L/1000 mL)1 ppm 1000 ÃŽ ¼g X / L solution1 ppm 1 mg X/L solution We know the molarity of the solution, which is in moles/L. We need to find mg/L. To do this, convert moles to mg.moles/L of Cu2 3 x 10-4 M From the periodic table, the  atomic mass of Cu 63.55 g/molmoles/L of Cu2 (3 x 10-4 mol x 63.55 g/mol)/Lmoles/L of Cu2 1.9 x 10-2 g/L We want mg of Cu2, somoles/L of Cu2 1.9 x 10-2 g/L x 1000 mg/1 gmoles/L of Cu2 19 mg/LIn dilute solutions 1 ppm 1 mg/L.moles/L of Cu2 19 ppm Answer:A solution with 3 x 10-4 M concentration of Cu2 ions is equivalent to 19 ppm. ppm to Molarity Conversion Example You can perform the unit conversion the other way, too. Remember, for dilute solutions, you can use the approximation that 1 ppm is 1 mg/L. Use the atomic masses from the periodic table to find the molar mass of the solute. For example, lets find the ppm concentration of chloride ions in a 0.1 M NaCl solution. A  1 M solution of sodium chloride (NaCl) has a molar mass 35.45 for chloride, which you find from looking up the atomic mass of chlorine on the periodic table and noting there is only 1 Cl ion per NaCl molecule. The mass of sodium doesnt come into play since were only looking at chloride ions for this problem.  So, you know have the relation: 35.45 gram/mole or 35.5 g/mol You either move the decimal point over one space to the left or multiply this value times 0.1 to get the number of grams in a 0.1 M solution, to give you 3.55 grams per liter for a 0.1 M NaCl solution. 3.55 g/L is the same as 3550 mg/L Since 1 mg/L is about 1 ppm: A 0.1 M solution of NaCl has a concentration of about 3550 ppm Cl ions.