Business Writing Video Tutorials

Watching video tutorials online is a popular method of learning business writing. Among the online tools for learning how to write for business is no small number of tutorials, many on video, and many free. This article will guide you through this forest of possibilities and clear a path to show you your options.

What is Business Writing?

Business writing is a specialized writing style for written communication, both internal (inside your own company) and external (as with a client.) It’s a very different discipline than academic writing (let alone any other writing in which personal style is paramount), substantially limited in the creativity department, and designed to make practical points as quickly and straightforwardly as possible.

The qualities upon which business writing today most depends are concision and clarity. Learning to express oneself within those confines is an invaluable workplace skill, given that email has become the preferred inter-office communication method. There’s no office worker who doesn’t have to read and write emails; a study quoted by GreggU calculated that the average businessperson has to deal with a whopping average of 80 emails daily. And that’s just email: there are business letters, memoranda, reports, and proposals that all need to be written in business language as well.

Read more about what business writing is and why you should learn to do it.

What Can You Do with Business Writing?

Business writing is, in today’s commercial landscape, inescapable. Consider its most frequently encountered application, the email. A generation ago, people made internal calls for quick inter-office communication. They used to have secretaries who could return calls at the recipient’s convenience. Today, those calls have all but been replaced by internal email. Whether or not you perceive that as faster or slower, it’s an inevitable fact of life. Suddenly, people must be able to write in the language of business.

Above and beyond, emails, memoranda, reports, and client proposals all call for business writing that can impress the recipient. Little can make you look better today than being able to write well in the idiom of commerce. Learning how to write a good piece of business English has several other advantages. It will teach you how to organize your thoughts, which, in turn, will help you when it comes to oral presentations. You’ll also become a better writer in general: your social media posts will improve in quality and correctness, and who knows? You may even be able to write a convincing love letter that will capture the person of your dreams.

Why Are Video Tutorials Helpful When Learning Business Writing?

Video tutorials can be a handy tool for learning business writing. They’re readily available, you’re used to learning from your computer, and, in many cases, the price can’t be beat. YouTube is loaded with business writing videos, many of which can be at least moderately helpful when learning business writing. Learning from online videos has many advantages. You can watch them as often as you like, pause them, double back and replay something that didn’t initially make sense. YouTube has become the go-to for how-to; why not turn to this platform for business writing as well? 

Although you’re probably not going to get a complete education in business writing from YouTube videos, these videos are a great way to test the waters and pick up some helpful information. You should be warned that these online videos have a few downsides. Some of them can be outdated (YouTube has been around since 2005, and what gets posted there, for the most part, stays posted), and, of course, a video is only as good as the person teaching it. 

Types of Business Writing Videos

Online video tutorials can be broken down into three basic categories: the ones that offer very quick lessons on how to write a memo or a letter (these are only a few minutes in duration), ones that go into the topic (or some aspect of it) in more depth (most of these run between a quarter and half an hour), and substantially lengthier videos, including the odd complete (or self-styled complete) course that can run to over an hour, or be in several parts.

Among the first category, you’ll find titles like “21 Phrases for Formal Emails,” “Phrases for business letters and emails,” and “Eight Email Etiquette Tips.” These are self-explanatory and the longest of the three runs for seven minutes. You can’t lose too much (except time) from watching one of these, and you might pick up a helpful tip or trick.

The second category covers broader topics, like “How to write a business email,” “English corporate language: 21 examples of jargon, buzzwords & corporate speak,” and “How to write a business letter.” Although you really need more than 14:33 to learn how to write an email, these mini-courses can get you up to speed for starting your business writing journey.

The third and lengthiest type of video has space to cover the subject in some depth and can be quite beneficial. Quite a few of these are introductory lessons to longer paid courses, which give you a good chance to evaluate what the paid course will be like. You can always look at the comments section (admittedly, that can be like watching a train wreck, but it can be an informative train wreck) to see which videos made a good impression on their viewers before choosing which one to watch. 

There’s obviously a more considerable investment in terms of time with these videos, but, on the other hand, they’re free, and you can always pull the plug on them before they’re over. On the other hand, some of these can be highly engaging, and may well have you considering signing up for the entire course, be it live or on-demand.

Why Learn Business Writing?

Learning effective business writing will help you in your career like practically no other skill. Ironically, written communication is more important to commerce today than it was a generation ago, largely because email is the preferred communication between businesspeople today. Every time you send one, you’re exposing your capabilities. Supervisors and managers will judge you based on what you’ve written, and you can make even a great idea look bad if you can’t write it up properly.

If, on the other hand, you get a reputation for being a good writer, you may find that it works like an Open Sesame to further opportunities in the workplace. You’ll find yourself entrusted with greater responsibilities and be asked to write things that are more important than just emails. You’ll come off as professional, educated, and capable, three characteristics that can only help earn you advancement in the workplace.

Read more about why you should learn business writing.

How Difficult is It to Learn Business Writing?

Learning to write for business can be relatively easy or relatively difficult. The question is what kind of a writer you are in the first place: business writing classes are generally brief affairs that don’t leave a lot of time for teaching the basics of English grammar and syntax. If you’re already an acceptable writer (and most corporate email hasn’t set that bar very high), you should be able to quickly pick up business English conventions.

On the other hand, if your writing skills aren’t all they should be, you will have to put some energy into improving them before you tackle a business writing class. There’s no shortage of resources for that, but it does mean you’ll have to put in some extra effort if you want to reach your goal.

Because business writing classes are generally brief, they will not set you back thousands of dollars. Given the pervasive nature of business writing in today’s workplace, they're also one of the best investments you can make in your future. Moreover, class tuition is pretty much the only expense you’re going to have. Of course, you need a computer with an email and a word-processing program, but that’s really all. That’s one more reason why business writing classes represent a good use of your education dollar.

Read about how difficult it is to learn business writing.

Learn Business Writing with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

An excellent way to learn business writing is to take an in-person course such as those offered by Noble Desktop, a tech and IT school in New York City that offers in-person and online classes. Noble provides its students with expert and experienced instructors who are always ready to answer students’ questions, whether they’re posed in the physical classroom or online. 

Noble Desktop’s classes offer several features, including small class sizes that guarantee you’ll receive ample attention from the instructor. The curriculum is hands-on, meaning that you’ll be making practical use of what you’re being taught while you’re still in class with exercises that allow your instructor to check on your progress. There is also a free retake option that enables you to repeat the class at no charge within a year of your first taking it. Far from just a means for those who fell behind to catch up, the free retake option makes it possible to cement what you’ve learned firmly in your mind. Classes are fast-paced, and you’re likely to discover that there’s some handy detail you missed the first time around.

Noble offers a Business Writing Bootcamp that begins by reviewing key points of grammar over which people are wont to stumble today. The course then delves into the hows and whys of written business communication in the contemporary world, be it for emails, reports, or other essential documents. And be aware that business writing is only one aspect of the business training classes offered by Noble Desktop.