appropriate choice of words in business wiring plays a vital part in achieving the writer s anticipated effect. the diction you choose should therefore reflect your sincerity and objectivity. equally important, the words should be tailored to the situation in order to arouse and maintain the reader s interest in the message.
to accomplish this objective, it is desirable for you to strive for a simple, direct, and natural writing style. good writings in business sound like an informal conversation between the writer and the reader. two reasons justify this simplicity in business writings.
first, many people are inclined to write at too difficult a level, using big words and complicated structures for fear that others say they lack intelligence and literary talent. winston churchill once made an excellent remark when referring to this tendency: "little men use big words. big men use little words." we would do well to follow the example of this big man.
secondly, the writer is in rarer cases more informed about the subject of the message than the reader. thus, the two are not equally equipped to the communication on the matter. only by reducing the message to the reader s level could the message be smoothly communicated.