By Dana P Skopal, PhD
The workplace requires staff to communicate – both internally and externally. Communication can occur through a range of media, but some information needs to be recorded in documents. Hence writing is a necessity and good communication means writing effectively.
How would you define effective writing? Does this mean the written text is clearly understood – so the message is conveyed effectively? Or do you think of the writing process as being effective, so a document is produced efficiently? Effective writing means both – good planning with efficient writing processes and a document that is clearly understood by its readers.
From the questions that we hear in our workshops, it appears that writing in the workplace often creates tension and writing effectively maybe a pipe dream. However, good writing skills can be learnt; writers need to understand the value of planning. Good writers usually have a plan – whether it be writing at work, writing at university, or even writing a novel. Further, as you are writing to get your message across to your reader, an effective writer understands their audience and can adapt the principles of plain language.
In the workplace you may need to use a template or adapt a genre (eg a report, letter, business case etc). To write effectively, you need to know your key message that you want a reader to understand. Set aside time to plan by:
- clarifying the purpose of the document (to inform or persuade)
- understanding the readers’ requirements (who is the final reader?)
- organising the ideas logically, with clear nouns and/ or headings
- placing key information first so a reader know what they need to do
- drafting a one page summary (even a mind-map).
Know your information, think, plan, draft and revise your text. Effective writing means knowing your material and articulating your main message in less than a page. Remember, you can include facts/ data to persuade your reader in logically ordered sections after stating your main message.
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