Business Language Update Guide

If the language you use is out of date, out of favor, or out of left field, your business communication fails to hit the mark. Whether you are presenting to an important client, writing a prospecting letter, a follow-up letter or a proposal, you need to update and upgrade your business language to stimulate a positive response.

Avoid Low Information Content Words

INSTEAD OF:	USE:
a majority of	most
administrate	administer
advise or inform	tell or say
as per	regarding/according to
as per your request	as you requested/as you asked
at the rate of	at
at this point in time	now
attached herewith	I have attached
attempt	try
avail yourself	use
basic principles	principles
by means of	by
check in the amount of	check for
consensus of opinion	consensus
construct	build
despite the fact that	although
due to the fact that	because
during the course of	during/ while
enclosed please find	. . . is enclosed/I have enclosed
equitable	fair
facilitate	help
fact of the matter	fact
first of all	first
for a period of	for
for the purpose of	for
further to our discussion	since our discussion
give encouragement to	encourage
I apologize	it is regrettable
inasmuch as	since/ because
in connection with	about
infrequent	rare
in accordance with	according to
in the event that	if
in the nature of	like
in reference to, in regard to	about
in order that, in order to	to
in view of the fact that	since/because
involves the use of	uses
is designed to be	is
large number of	many
make an adjustment in	adjust
meet with your approval	if you approve
not in a position to	cannot
occurrence	event
orientated	oriented
personal opinion	opinion
past history	history
please find enclosed	please find enclosed
please do not hesitate to contact us/the undersigned	please contact us/me
please be advised that	(eliminate, just begin)
preventative	preventive
provide assistance to	assist
pursuant to	since
requisite	required
same (as in "copy of same")	copy
still continues	continues
take into consideration	consider
terminate	end
the writer	me or I
the undersigned	me or I
to my attention/to myself	to me
utilize	use
usage	use
we regret to inform you	(eliminate)
we would ask that	please
wherein, herein, the foregoing	(eliminate)
with the result that	so
Yours Truly,	Sincerely,