Skills in professional writing are an important tool for students in Actuarial Science and other related fields. These different tools will assist in setting those with quality business communication apart from those who lack it. When responding to interview questions regarding communication with colleagues, recruiters are always looking for candidates to provide examples and evidence of their abilities. Most ASRM coursework does not explore the uses of professional writing. However, the Actuarial Science Club will assist any student who wishes to learn and develop their communication.
Business writing style differs significantly from academic writing style.
Business writing is used to propose plans or recommend actions that will benefit the company as concisely as possible.
To develop an effective business writing style:
Use shorter sentences.
Divide longer sentences into shorter ones.
Use simpler sentence structures.
Use parallel structure, particularly within lists.
Use an active rather than passive voice.
Write more univocally. (The voice of the company is always already a social voice).
Select words in an appropriate register for your reader.
Use the imperative voice for recommendations.
Write from the point of view of the company.
Avoid personalizing pronouns, and therefore personalizing problems.
Identify the agents of actions unless there is a good reason for hiding the agency.
Avoid nominalizing verbs. (changing verbs into nouns, i.e. "decide" into "decision.")
Use verbal rather than nominal forms of words.
Recommend action rather than refer to individual mental states.
Avoid qualifiers that weaken recommendations or express doubt.
Avoid self reference and references to individual states of mind.
To promote effective communication
Be prompt in your response
Write in a timely manner to demonstrate availability
When making a request or asking a question, write within reasonable time periods when the recipient will be available to communicate
Timing indicates urgency or importance of the communication being made
Be thorough in your writing
Do not leave out elements of an email that should be included
Ask follow up questions
Present your own ideas for next steps and desired consequences
Leave writing open ended to invite further dialogue
Remain polite and respectful
Keep the tone of your writing polite and avoid emotional language
Gauge the level of professionalism expected when addressing specific members of an organization