September 2, 2010
Writing: Don’t Take for Granted Too Much about Your Audience
How often have you perused an email or article and said “what on earth is this about?”. There’s a skill to writing, and also there’s lots of ways to do it wrong. Crucially, writing - particularly in the work environment - is all about communication. Nothing else matters if you fail to communicate your message intelligibly in your writing.
I’ve listed some primary points to ensure you put your point across succinctly in business communications.
Should your article be rather lengthy, begin with a short sentence summary of what the article is about so your audience can know if it’s relevant or not to their needs. Don’t take for granted too much about your audience. Simplicity is key and cut out excess words. Remember that your audience is devoting their time to your written piece or email so keep it brief and to the point. Don’t repond to an email hastily. It’s natural to answer in ire to an email that might misunderstand some words you said antecedently, or may be over-critical of your work. You can still write out your irate reaction without sending it - as a means to release pent-up frustration. But then go back to your draft and polish it as a poised, measured answer.
Finally, learn to use a pen rather than using the keyboard on occasion. A hand-written invite, for instance, has more weight than a typed document ever can. Purchase a quality pen such as a mont blanc pen with mont blanc refills - these will feel more comfortable in your writing hand and you will discover that your writing improves with such a writing tool.
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