Writing in Business Rough Draft

Writing in the Business Field

Writing is not only a powerful form of communication, but also a necessary skill in today’s world. Whether an individual writes for high school, college, or in their profession, having quality writing skills is imperative. Finance majors communicate with companies, clients, and coworkers on a daily basis. As a freshman business student, I rarely thought about the types of writing that I would be required to do in my future jobs. In order to find out just how much finance graduates have to write in my intended career field, I interviewed my aunt, the Vice President at City National Bank in San Diego. She graduated with a Finance degree at the University of Illinois, and I plan to graduate with a Finance degree from Tippie College of Business in four years. After interviewing Sarah Smith, I analyzed six texts in order to conclude how important communicating through writing is in the business field.

My aunt never fails to mention how much she loves her job as well as all of the people she has met and opportunities that she has been given in the business world. Because of the way she talks about her profession, my perception of being a finance major solely included personal meetings and phone calls. However, after dissecting her responsibilities through an interview, I realized that she deals with countless writings every day. Throughout our interview she stressed how significant emails are in the business world, because “concise emails are mandatory if you are expecting a certain outcome.” In fact, National City Bank is connected mostly through emails, something that applies to banks worldwide.

Emails can be clarified as “nonacademic,” a type of writing that ultimately controls communications in the business world. Nonacademic writing is the most popular type of writing in the business field because it allows an individual to convey instructions quickly and clearly in order to receive specific outcomes in business projects and deals. Many times, emails are the preferred form of communication, because it is more effective than phone calls and letters.  For my aunt, a normal day of work consists of writing “sixty plus emails” to her external clients and internal colleagues. Internally, she needs to be as specific as possible in her writings so that her coworkers know exactly what they need to do. Externally, she needs to confirm that any information that she is conveying is factual. Whether she is writing internally or externally, she comments that business emails should always convey the message as succinctly as possible, and should avoid using elaborate language because everyone has to read numerous emails a day.

After analyzing two emails that my aunt has written, it became apparent that the nature of the email changes depending on who she is communicating with. She tailors her emails based on how well she knows the individual she is writing to, the person’s style, and their position in the organization. If she is emailing someone with a higher position than her, such as the president, she puts more effort into the email and she displays a more professional tone. If she is emailing someone that she is the authority of, she keeps her professional tone consistent; however, she uses a more demanding tone because she is required to tell them what to do. When talking to external clients, the nature of the email depends on the tone of the individual she is working with. Her writings are always professional, but she responds either more formally or casually after initially speaking with a prospective clients.

Although emails are used most commonly, other writing also greatly impacts the process of making deals. Before meeting with a company, a banker researches the company that they plan to work with in order to be more more convincing by having knowledge on that company’s products. After making a deal with a company, a credit recommendation is then composed. Internally, if this writing does not convey convincing reasons to do a deal, the loan may be declined. Externally, if the written information that a banker is presenting is inaccurate, the company would lose credibility with a prospective client and lose a deal. Writing can make or break deals in a company.

My studies show that school does not prepare one for the types of writing that business graduates have to do in their profession. My aunt’s ability to write improved as her job position changed and as the amount of writing she was required to do increased. She experienced many different deals and had to learn from her authority in order to respond to her coworkers, something that school never taught her. She often refers to professional documents in business, or “academic writings.” Academic writings differ from nonacademic writings because they are solely written by professionals in the business field.

Although non academic writing is a lot more common in the business world, I found that it is equally as important as academic writings. I analyzed “Spring- Clean Your Finances,” a professional journal published through Money Adviser. Professional journals such as this one are formatted with numerous headings and written in columns. They typically give advice to interested persons about how to manage money. It is common to include photos, such as money, to appeal to the reader. Sections such as “Save it or Shred it?” give professional advice on paperwork and how to deal with overwhelming financial responsibilities. This article also includes steps and checklists. There are many professional business journals published both on paper and online to aid and convince consumers to rely on certain tactics and companies.

After researching and analyzing six texts and conducting an interview with Sarah Smith, a Finance graduate and the Vice President of National City Bank in San Diego, I was able to gain knowledge and distinguish the similarities and differences of the nature of writings in the modern business world. Nonacademic writings such as emails are used daily as a Finance graduate. Although academic writings are equally as important, they are used less often. For example, professional journals are read a lot more than they are written. Writing not only has great control over business in a communication aspect, but also reflects how credible a company is in deals. Whether academic or nonacademic, writing in the business field is the most common form of communication and a vital part of working in a bank.