Writing skills are an important skill for business development.  You may hire specialists to create promotional materials, write your business plan and prepare other business information.  However, the ability to present your thoughts and ideas on paper is important for thinking through concepts and communicating with colleagues.

For more information on this topic, see the links listed below of articles posted on related Web sites.

Types of Writing

• Writing Features – University of Missouri Extension -- A good feature writer is imaginative, curious, nosey, attentive, unconventional, witty, and usually is not above "borrowing" a good writing idea from someone else.
• Writing Columns – University of Missouri Extension -- What is a column? A column is not a news article, but it is news.
  
• Selling Yourself: A Guide to Writing Effective Resumes – University of Florida Extension -- This paper will guide the reader through the basics of resumes and cover letters and provide comments on frequently asked questions.

Skill Development

• Clear Writing – University of Missouri Extension -- Ten Principles of Clear Statement.
• Guidelines for Effective Professional and Academic Writing - University of Florida Extension -- The purpose of this document is to provide a few tips to keep in mind while composing professional documents. Specifically, this article will address the level of formality you will need to use, the use of third person in your writing, and how to improve the quality and structure of your writing.
• Take the Fat out of Your Writing – HBS Working Knowledge – Is your writing wobbly? Next time you take finger to word processor, think clarity, relevance, sincerity, concision and transparency.