Explicit Writing

What is Explicit Writing?

Explicit writing is a fundamental technique in business writing. It is essentially the creation of statements that explain their purpose and leave the reader with a clear and concise understanding of the context of a statement.

Learning to ask “why” when putting a statement into a report, email, or any informative piece of writing is critical in creating an effective and persuasive document. When placing yourself in the reader’s shoes and asking “why,” you can better formulate effective explicit writing.

Business writing differs from academic and informal writing in several ways, and explicit writing is one of the key differences found in effective business communications.

Explicit Writing in Action: Asking Ourselves, “So What?”

Why is Explicit Writing Important?

Explicit writing is important because it helps to convey information and elicit a response. When properly included, it can inform the reader and gain valuable insight and feedback on what is being stated and presented.

When using explicit writing, it is important to 1) Identify who your reader is, what do they do, and why is it important they understand what you are saying, and 2) What do I want to tell my reader? What do I want them to learn and know? Explicit writing is also knowing what not to include.

Information that confuses the reader, that isn’t relevant, or that otherwise overwhelms the reader are some examples of how business writing can suffer. Being concise and direct while at the same time effectively informing your reader requires the ability to edit thoroughly and communicate to your desired audience.

The ability to edit a document properly is one of the pivotal components of explicit writing. The editing process can allow you to effectively string together ideas and concepts in a way that can be more easily understood by the reader. Editing can help make a document that is confusing and hard to understand clearer and more concise. It can turn confusing open-ended statements into ones that are examples of explicit writing.

Understanding Your Target Audience: Explicit Writing Success

Understanding who your target audience is one of the most crucial parts of practicing effective explicit writing. Sometimes, it can involve market research tactics to understand who your potential customers are. Their education level around the subject is key to tailor statements and create effective examples properly.

Different examples of a target audience can include company executives, shareholders, or potential consumers. Potential consumers who are being sold a product that may be complex may wish to understand the product’s features and understand the “why” behind the marketing material. Effective explicit writing can help clearly convey the meaning and importance of your product and the problem it is trying to solve.

Communication and marketing often go hand to hand in effective business writing. Without communicating a message properly, you will invariably run into difficulty in selling the “why” on your product or service. Utilizing and harnessing the tactics behind explicit writing effectively can help you broaden your customer base and appeal to your intended end user. It can help you and your company appear more professional and give the tone that you are speaking on the topic from authority with the ability to make concise, thorough statements.

More Resources

CFI is the official provider of the Commercial Banking & Credit Analyst (CBCA)™ certification program, designed to transform anyone into a world-class financial analyst.

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