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I wish they had told us all, in high school and college, how important our communication skills were to our future. Want to stand out from the crowd at work or in business? Polish your writing skills and I can assure you, you will be ahead of the pack. Writing is important in customer relations, marketing, human resources and more. Let's look at some ways you can be sure your writing doesn't look sloppy and amateurish.

I wish they had told us all, in high school and college, how important our communication skills were to our future. Want to stand out from the crowd at work or in business? Polish your writing skills and I can assure you, you will be ahead of the pack. Writing is important in customer relations, marketing, human resources and more. Let's look at some ways you can be sure your writing doesn't look sloppy and amateurish.

One of the best things you can do to improve your writing is to read more frequently. Many people don't enjoy reading for pleasure. If this is the case, at least spend some time reading business books or magazines. Pay attention to sentence structure, punctuation, grammar and style to improve your own writing. While you are improving your writing, you are getting increased business knowledge as well.

Spell check is a fantastic tool for those of us who are spelling-challenged. Do use it, but don't rely on it or grammar check to catch all your errors. Better to use the tool and then proofread after or pass off to someone in your office you trust to proofread for you.

Most important documents and letters require several revisions before they can be considered done. The best writers know that what sets good writing apart from bad is often the editing. If you want a document that is polished, persuasive and powerful, you will want to revise it several times which also improves your writing skills.

There are plenty of words that people commonly struggle with. So many, in fact, that there are numerous web sites that will list these for you. Some common ones are its vs. it's, affect vs. effect and lose vs. loose. Save one or more of these sites in your favorites so you can refer back to it when needed.

Professional writers keep a style/grammar book on hand. Why shouldn't you? Keep this as a reference and use it frequently. It is impossible to do professionally prepared business writing without one. Many bookstores also sell laminated grammar cheat sheets that come in handy.

Be brief! Ernest Hemingway recommended using short sentences. Say what you need to say without filler. Edit your sentences and see just how short they can be while still being clear and effective. Don't tell people what you are going to tell them ("in this article, we'll discuss"). Just tell them. Watch out for filler phrases like "of course" and "however").

Different parts of the country make different mistakes with the English language. The Midwest struggles with "I seen that" versus the correct "I saw that" while the northern regions tend towards "Can I go with" versus the correct "Can I go with you?". Be aware of these common mistakes so that you can prevent making them while speaking and writing.

Writing communicates much more than the message you are intending to convey. Many people hate to write because they don't trust in their own abilities. Writing is a skill that deserves practice. If it is sloppy and weak, that is the impression people will have about you and your business. Take some time to improve this basic, but crucial, skill.