Master a Skill..... Written Communications

Effective written communication is a skill set that most people have not mastered. We all know how to write but is our writing effective?

Written communication is conveying a message to others clearly and concisely via a written format. Effective written communications are when the sender and receiver recognize the message and have the same understanding of the message.

What if the Constitution of the United States of America had started out like this, "Hey dudes, we need to form a purfect union and have more justise in cuntry. We need ta make shure we have a lil more calm in the cuntry and a dafense sistum. We wanna make sure evryone lives good and keeps the blessings we have here. We have decided to right out our plan on how this wheel work and call it the Constitushun for the USA."

Ineffective written communication happens when the sender does not convey a message clearly. The sender's thoughts and ideas are not reflected in the words which; in turn, leads to a communication break down between the parties. This type of ineffective written communication is shown above in the example of the Constitution of the United States. This breakdown will ultimately roadblock the sender's success and will cause the goal of the communication to be missed. If the receiver does not understand the communication, the goal of the sender will not be accomplished.

When a person master's successful written communications, their thoughts and ideas will be conveyed successfully and the receiver will understand the intended message. You may be wondering how effective written communications affect our day-to-day lives.

According to a recent survey conducted by the University of Pittsburg Katz Business School, shows that written communication skills were the single most important deciding factor when companies choose managers. Even though you are an individual contributor in the workplace, the need to communicate effectively with your boss, colleagues, or customers is a large part of your daily work requirement. In the fast-paced technologically profound society we live in, most communications are done in some form of writing.

Many individuals continue to struggle with written communication, although there is increasingly importance placed on this skill set in the business environment. The inability to communicate clearly and effectively makes it nearly impossible to compete in the workplace and stands in the way of career development. Companies will not tolerate an ineffective communicator; it takes too much time and effort on the receiver's part trying to understand the message. A person whom has mastered the art of written communication will excel.

Everyone should rise to the challenge of improving their own written communication skill set with the following five steps:

Define writing skills: Writing is the form of putting words and thoughts into a logical written format.

Concept: What are the basic concepts of writing? Excellent vocabulary, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure.

Develop the skill: The skill of writing is knowing the proper combination of letters to make words, words to make sentences, sentences to make paragraphs, and paragraphs into the final body of the writing. Proper spelling and sentence structure are imperative in developing writing skills.

Strategy: In business written communication the strategy is to know the difference in a memo, business letter, and e-mail. These are the basics of business written communications and the writer must know when to use the various forms, who their audience is, and what tone to use; to be successful.

Efficiency: When you have mastered the skill of written communication, you will never be asked "What did your (memo, letter, e-mail) mean?" by a co-worker or boss.

Our forefathers were master's of written communication and as a result of that skill, the Constitution of the United States reads like this, "We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our prosperity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

The Constitution of the United States of America, there is no miscommunication; the reader fully understands the intended message. The message was clear and concise with the proper spelling, vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure.

Effective written communication is the basis for social acceptance and career advancement. Mastering the skill of written communication may take time studying and practicing, but it is a wise investment in a person's future.

Sources: The Constitution of the United States of America, University of Pittsburg Katz Business School, tuvelli.com