How to Write Effective Business English: Excel at E-mail, Social Media and All Your Professional Communications (Better Business English)

Great book!

I was hoping this would provide a useful framework for me to help an EFL student with writing business English. The ‘tips’ are mostly just common sense and a lot feel like padding just to get the book up to a decent number of pages. E.g. In the email section: Read your email carefully before you send it. Very uninspiring and I think it doesn’t live up to the blurb on the back at all.

Very useful

Very similar to the other reviews I found this book really useful. A lot of business writing can get lost in translation and perception especially in e-mails. Even if you are a native English speaker the message and content is critical when trying to make a good first impression and to standout from the competition. Even the basic suggestion of checking your e-mails before sending them isn't always a given especially when you are under time restraints with work load etc. I would say this book helped give me more focus on areas that sometimes we can naturally forget to focus on. It also relayed and reminded me of the importance of these areas as consistency is the key.

Whether you are a native English speaker or a foreigner with English as a second language, there is no shame in wanting to check your English language skills. There is always scope to improve how you communicate, especially when you are using it for business purposes. A book like this may help! The method in which you communicate can vary. Sometimes you need a powerful, concise message written in an upbeat, positive tone. Another time you may need a detailed, nuanced and precise nuanced tone. Far too many schools teach, if you are lucky, a middle ground that focusses on the technical aspects of writing, yet they invariably fail to teach the art of writing and skill in selecting the right writing “tool” for the job. One feature that positively stood out in this book and deserves special praise is the use of case studies that briefly focus on an element of writing and communication and help bring a particular element or point in focus. The case studies could be worth the price of this book alone, especially if you believe your language is in tip-top condition. Although it is a brave or foolish person who would definitively state their language might not benefit from a bit more polish… People in glass houses should not throw stones! The book is full of handy, useful writing tips for everyday business and features many aide memoires for those who should know the subject yet inexcusably manage to forget bits of it from time to time. It can offer something for everyone, so there is no excuse not to at least look at it and see if you can improve upon anything.