ART OF WRITING
Writing is a method of representing language in visual or tactile form. Effective
Writing is writing which has a logical flow of ideas. Writing effectively is a skill that
can be learned.
“Writing skills are specific abilities which help writers put their thoughts into words
in a meaningful form.”
For effective writing you should know the purpose of writing and your audience.
Write so readers enjoy it
o Write from the reader’s point of view. What's in it for the reader? Keep the
reader in mind and answer the questions and objections that might arise.
o Use positive language. The reader will be more receptive to what you have to
say.
Minimize use of negative language, especially toward your readers. Use
positive language instead. Emphasize what readers can do instead of what
they cannot do:
Instead of writing: “You are not allowed to the use the meeting room without
reservation,”
Write: “Please reserve the meeting room in advance to avoid conflict and save
time”
o Be natural. Write the way you talk. Imagine the reader sitting in front of
you—and two of you are talking.
o Be polite. Politeness is achieved by using proper language when addressing
the reader. The appropriateness of the language used is really a factor of the
relationship that exists between writer and reader.
If the writer and reader do not have a personal relationship, then, in most
situations, courtesy titles are used, such as Mr., Mrs., Ms., or Dr. .These titles
should be used if the communication is external--the writer is communicating
with someone outside his/her organization. If the writer and reader are part of
the same company or organization, then polite language depends upon their
respective positions in the hierarchy. Superiors can more easily address
subordinates on a first-name basis, ignoring courtesy titles. Subordinates
should have a personal relationship with superiors before addressing them
without using courtesy titles.
o State facts instead of assigning blame
Instead of writing, “You did not include a check for your credit card bill
payment”
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Write: “We did not find a check in your recent Credit card bill payment.”
Organize Your Writing
Whether you are writing a memo to your co-worker or a report for your boss, you
should decide what information you want to convey. Here is how to do this:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
List each item you need to discuss
Put them in order — from most to least important
Write a brief summary — this will be your first paragraph.
Expand on each item listed in step 1.
If any action needs to be taken by the recipient, state that in your closing
paragraph.
Some Tips
Avoid too many word Say out loud what you are trying to write. Listen to how the
words sound. For example, the sentence, "I found out that I should take a look at our
past sales figures in order to come up with a plan to help us re-evaluate our sales
technique" could be more simply stated as "I must take a look at our past sales
figures to re-evaluate our sales technique."
Avoid complex language. You should not try to impress your reader with your
huge vocabulary. Chances are you will confuse your reader instead. Example)
Instead of using “His gregarious nature and superlative wisdom will serve him well
for the job,” could be simply stated as “He will do well in the job because of his
friendliness and good knowledge”.
Stay away from technical terms your reader may not understand. For example if
you are a financial consultant and advising your client to buy share of company XYZ
. The following sentence in a memo to your client will make no sense: "Buy the
shares of XYZ because the P/E ratio is less as compared to its competitors" Anyone
proficient in accounting knows that P/E ratio is Price/Earnings ratio.
A cliché a day keeps the reader away. Because we hear clichés(overused expression
or idea) often, we tend to overuse them. Rather than saying "Come hell or high
water, submit the report today" in a memo to a subordinate. Simply say, "Submit the
report today, no matter what happens"
When possible, use the active voice. The active voice makes your sentence stronger
and usually shorter. For example- Passive voice: "Sales increased due to the
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increased Customer satisfaction." Active voice: "Customer satisfaction increased
sales."
Too many passive sentences should not be used in business writing. An analysis
reveals that about 80 percent of the verbs are active in well-written business letters
and memos. So, only one out of five sentences should be passive. If your writing
contains more than 20 percent of passive sentences, revise the sentences using active
verbs.
In general, the active voice is more effective in business communications than the
passive voice for two reasons:
(1) The sentences are usually more concise.
(2) The writing is more interesting because the subject of the sentence is taking
the action implied in the verb.
Passive: The decision was made by the manager at the last moment.
Active: The manager decided at the last moment.
Using the active voice makes the sentence shorter and how the subject (the manager)
is doing the action (decided). With the passive voice, the sentence is longer and the
subject (decision) is not doing the action (made). To make passive verbs active, ask
yourself who or what did the action. Move that person or thing to the beginning of
the sentence as the subject and change the verb as necessary.
Also, if the subject of a passive sentence is a nominalization (sometimes called a
camouflaged verb), consider using the verb form of the nominalization for the verb
of your sentence. For example, in the passive sentence example, decision is a
nominalization and is the subject of the sentence. In the active sentence, decided is
the verb.
Nominalizations are created from verbs by the following word endings: -ion, -ment,
-ance, and -ence. Even when a nominalization is not the subject of a sentence, try to
revise using the verb, as shown in this example.
Please let us know the time when we can have discussion with you.
Revision: Please let us know the time when we can discuss with you.
Replacing assistance with assist makes the sentence shorter and more actionoriented.
However, the passive is often used to improve the tone of a communication and to
de-emphasize who took the action if that is not important.
Poor: You did not submit the report on Monday.
Better: Report was not submitted on Monday. (Better tone)
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Poor: The shipping company delivered the goods on Friday.
Better: The goods were delivered on Friday. (This example is better, assuming that it
is not important or it is implied who finished the work.)
Don't be redundant. It is not necessary to say "4 p.m. in the evening" or "the
expectant pregnant woman." Saying "4 p.m." or "4 in the evening" or "the expectant
woman" or "the pregnant woman" all convey what you want to say and are less
wordy.
Pay attention to grammar. A good dictionary should be nearby, along with a
thesaurus. A thesaurus will allow you to keep your writing fresh by helping you
find a variety of words to use.
Proofreading is one of the most important things you can do. Since most of the
writing is done on a computer these days, you have access to automated spelling
and grammar checkers. Caution — some words, used in the wrong context may be
missed by computerized spell checkers. For example the sentence "To employees
attended too meetings two learn about the gnu software," would pass through the
spell check without any misspellings being detected. Have someone else proofread
your document, if possible.
Effective Communication Criteria - 7Cs
o Clarity: Apply the KISS formula—“Keep it Short and Simple.”Use Simple
Language
o Completeness: Answer all questions asked. The writing must have all the
information requested/desired.
o Conciseness: Shorten or omit wordy expressions.
Avoid unnecessary repetition, long sentences, relative pronouns, expletives,
abstract subjects, and passive verbs.
o Correctness: Use the right level of language. Correct use of grammar, spelling
and punctuation. Include only accurate facts, words, and figures.
o Concreteness: Be definite, vivid and specific. Use specific facts and figures.
Put action in your verbs.
o Consideration: Consideration demands to put oneself in the place of receiver.
Focus on "you" instead of "I" and "we."
Take an interest in the reader; show how the reader will benefit. Emphasize
positive, pleasant facts. Avoid negative words.
o Courtesy: Remember Courtesy brings goodwill. Be sincerely tactful,
thoughtful, and appreciative. Omit expressions that irritate, hurt, or belittle.
Apologize good-naturedly.
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Key Point
 Good writing skills are essential for effective communication
 Write from reader’s point of view- know the purpose and know your
audience
 Organize your writing
 Always apply seven Cs for effective communication i.e.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Clarity
Correctness
Completeness
Conciseness
Concreteness
Courtesy
Consideration
Further Reading
1. Empower you writing: A Manifesto by Farnoosh Brock
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