Three Ways to Be a Better Writer for Work

Posted on Tuesday, June 27th, 2017

No matter what kind of industry you’re in, writing is important. In today’s world, email is our primary mode of communication. Some estimates suggest we write upwards of 40,000 words in emails a year—the length of a novel.

Because of this, the ability to effectively communicate your ideas and thoughts in writing is paramount. But what if writing isn’t your strong suit? How do you establish yourself as professional through your writing? Here are three tips to do just that.

1. Know Why You’re Writing

No matter what kind of writing project you have—whether an email, blog post, Tweet, report, etc.—you will always have an objective in mind. What is the goal of this interaction?

By knowing what your main goal is, you can ensure that you keep your focus on that goal throughout your whole message.

For example, if you’re writing an email and you need someone to fill out the attached form, you will know to make that extra clear in your email (and maybe give them a time by which you need it signed).

When you know your objective, you can stop yourself from getting distracted from your goal or giving so much detail that your goal gets lost. Instead, you know to keep your writing simple and on-target.

2. Don’t Get Fancy

Speaking of keeping it simple—clear and concise writing is the best writing. When you’re communicating in business, you aren’t writing the next great novel or book of poetry. While there is a place for flowery, beautiful language, a business communiqué isn’t it.

Instead, stick to simple language. Stay away from jargon (industry-specific language), buzzwords (fancy words that don’t actually mean anything), and unnecessarily long words (such as utilise instead of use).

3. Use a Formula

If you have trouble getting started, or are unsure how to phrase something, you may find having formulas super helpful. Formulas can keep you on track and help you make sure you don’t leave out anything important.

For example, a really helpful formula for emails is to answer these questions:

  • Why am I writing this?
  • What do I want you to know?
  • What do I want you to do?

By sticking to these questions, you’re ensuring that you get your point across to the recipient, and won’t get too far off topic in your email.

If you need to send the same kinds of messages every day, building your formulas into a template and saving them is a great way to save time and make sure that every message you send out is excellently written.

 

In a professional environment, you don’t need to worry about making your writing exceptionally artistic or creative. Instead, your goal is to make your message as clear and concise as possible. By keeping these three things in mind, you can make your work-related writing stronger and convey your professionalism through your communications.

If you would like to learn more about the Algonquin College co-op program, please visit our website at https://www.algonquincollege.com/coop/, connect with us at coop@algonquincollege.com or call us at 613-727-4723 Ext.7623. You can also follow us on Twitter @AlgonquinCoop.


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