Written communication skills

Written communication skills. Communication is an essential component of daily life. We must communicate. It is one of the most important and integral parts of our existence, and its absence can lead to a slew of problems and misunderstandings. Effective communication skills must be developed in order to have an effective dialog. Communication can be classified as verbal or nonverbal.

Verbal communication refers to any form of communication that involves spoken words or sounds. Nonverbal communication refers to any form of communication that does not rely on oratory media. Nonverbal communication encompasses written communication. Today, almost everyone requires good written communication skills.

Related: Nonverbal Communication Skills: 2022 Comprehensive Guide

What is Written Communication Skills?

The act of sending, receiving, and sharing information via various forms of media is referred to as communication. It is an important life skill to cultivate in order to increase understanding and comprehension across a wide range of subjects. Good communicators can speak, listen, and write clearly, which is useful when interacting with others in the business world. Written communication is one of the most important types of communication that professionals in a workplace or career field should strive to master.

What is written communication skill? Any type of message that uses written words is referred to as written communication. It is the most common form of business communication and has grown in importance over the course of the information age. Written communications can occur on paper or, more recently, on an electronic device, such as an email or electronic memo. They are an efficient means of transferring information within a company. Written communication is critical in any situation involving more than one person. Oral communication, or messages delivered orally, is the other major mode of communication.

How to Improve Your Written Communication Skills

1. Recognize why you’re writing

Begin by defining your writing’s purpose and target audience. Having specific goals helps you stay focused and improves the quality of your writing. Next, communicate your reason for writing early in your message to provide context for the reader.

2. Make an outline

An outline is a document that assists you in organizing your thoughts before beginning to write your first draft. It emphasizes important points and ideas in your message.
First, sketch out your outline and determine its structure. Then organize your thoughts into categories. Explain the main points first, then add details later. This method of organizing your writing benefits both careful readers and those who may skim through your message.

3. Go over your writing again

After you’ve finished writing, make sure to go over it again before you deliver the message. Aside from catching basic grammar and punctuation errors, read your message aloud to hear how it sounds. You can also begin at the end and work your way back.

Also Read: Visual Communication Skills: 2022 Comprehensive Guide

4. As a reference, use examples of effective writing

Documents, emails, memos, and other forms of written communication that you receive should be saved. Then, use these documents to help you write. For example, you could save a memo from the United Nations General Assembly to use as a reference when writing your next memo.

5. Write some drafts and solicit feedback

Write about topics that interest you in your spare time and have someone review the documents. Inquire whether they clearly understand your message. Receiving feedback from a career coach, a trusted friend, or a family member can assist you in determining which written communication skills to improve.

6. Attend workshops and online courses

Another way to improve your written communication skills is to take online courses and workshops. Connect with more experienced professionals to learn how they create effective memos, reports, and other types of written documents.

Written Communication’s Five Cs

Written communication skill is more important than verbal communication in some ways. It allows you to record information and refer to it later. It establishes accountability and a powerful channel for engaging your audience. Several factors influence effective written communication. You can remember them by using the five Cs.

• Connection

It is how you connect with and engage your readers or audience through written communication.

• Clarity

While writing, you should think clearly and concisely so that your reader is not confused.

• Cause

Before you write anything down, consider what you want to convey. Your goal or purpose should be obvious to both you and your reader. If there are any actionable items, they should be clearly stated.

• Conciseness

When written communication skill is direct and to the point, it is effective. You must be clear and concise in your presentation.

• Correctness

When communicating, always use proper grammar, inoffensive language, and the appropriate tone. Always go back and proofread your work.

The Benefits of Written Communication Skills

• Written communication skills aids in the establishment of clear principles, policies, and rules for the operation of an organization.
• It is a constant mode of communication. As a result, it is useful in situations where record keeping is required.
• It aids in the proper delegation of duties. In the case of oral communication, it is impossible to fix and delegate responsibilities on the basis of speech because the speaker can retract or refuse to acknowledge.
• Written communication skill is more explicit and precise.
• An organization’s image is developed and improved by effective written communication.
• It offers ready-made records and references.
• Legal defenses can rely on written communication because it provides accurate records.

The Drawbacks of Written Communication Skills

• Written communication skill does not save money. It is extremely expensive in terms of stationery and the manpower required to write/type and deliver letters.
• Furthermore, if the recipients of the written message are separated by distance and require clarification, the response is not spontaneous.
• Written communication skill takes time because feedback is not immediate. Message encoding and transmission take time.
• Effective written communication skill necessitates exceptional language and vocabulary skills. Poor writing skills and quality have a negative impact on the reputation of the organization.
• There is an excessive amount of paperwork and e-mails involved.

Recommended for you: Visual Communication Skills: 2022 Comprehensive Guide

How to Improve Your Written Communication Skills

The significance of effective written communication skills cannot be overstated. Written communication is extremely important, especially in the business world. As a result, having good written communication skills in the workplace is critical. Following the guidelines provided below can make business writing or any other form of written communication very simple.

• Readers

Before you begin writing, consider your audience/reader. The audience is primarily responsible for determining the content to be written. Once you’ve determined who the intended audience is, you can determine what other steps are required to ensure the completion of the communication cycle, which is, after all, the goal of any piece of communication.

• Information

Your written communication skill should cover the fundamentals of communication. Your piece should include the 5 Ws and 1 H – Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How (either completely or at least the ones that are required). This is almost all of the information you want to give the reader. These points must be covered regardless of how the data is presented; only then will it be an effective mode of communication.

• Tone

The tone of your written communication skill is heavily influenced by the audience. You must be able to judge the appropriate tone to ensure maximum comprehension and retention by your audience. For example, you cannot use a condescending tone with a coworker who is in a higher position than you. You also cannot use an arrogant tone when attempting to reach a large number of people at once. Another example is letter writing.

If you’re writing a letter to a customer to remind him (for the third time) to pay his bills, your tone will be slightly sterner than it was in the first or second letter of notice. Depending on who you’re communicating with and what you want to say, tones can range from casual to semi-formal to formal.

• Language

This is one of the most important aspects of written communication skill that one must master. This does not imply that you must be a natural writer. It simply means that you must be fluent in the language’s fundamentals. Grammar, spelling, figures of speech, parts of speech, punctuation, and so on are examples. Following the fundamentals of the language is more than enough to become a competent writer. Of course, this is only true for formal writing. In the case of creative writing, such as copywriting for advertisements or storytelling in general, you must have a flair for writing as well as a creative sense.

• Length

Knowing when to stop also applies to written communication skill. You can’t just go on and on when it’s not necessary. The presentation of effective written communication skill is beautiful. How well and concisely you manage to include all of the information that you need to provide demonstrates how proficient your written communication skill is. As the old adage goes, the key is to be “clear, concise, and correct.”

However, this does not necessarily imply that you cut something that needs to be explained in detail short. In short, you must be able to estimate how much time it will take you to write about something. If you think something is getting too long, divide it into sections. This makes it easier for both you and the reader.

Examples of Written Communication Skills

• Employee manuals

• Memos

• Bulletins

• Instant messages

• Postcards

• Faxes

• Advertisements

• Brochures

• News releases

• Emails

• Text messages

• Blog posts

• Business letters

• Reports

• Proposals

• Contracts

• Job descriptions

Great Websites for Writing Communication skills

• Grammarly

  Grammarly is one of the best websites for improving your writing abilities. Grammarly’s proofreading and plagiarism detection tools examine over 250 grammar rules. Grammarly premium is a paid upgrade that includes over 400 different kinds of checks and features. It checks for grammatical errors, suggests vocabulary enhancements, detects plagiarism, and suggests citations.

• BloggingPro 

Looking for new freelance opportunities? BloggingPro provides a weekly breakdown of newly listed freelance opportunities. This resource is invaluable for content writers; it may just put you in touch with your next great professional gig.

• Ginger Software

The Best Writing Tool Provides Everything You Need to Write Excellent English
The Ginger software is the best online tool for improving English writing skills and checking grammar errors. With this tool, you can check for writing errors, spelling errors, and much more. The tool can be downloaded and installed for free. However, the tool is limited to a certain number of checks per week. You can check and correct all of your mistakes with a single click. However, once you reach the limit, it requests a subscription fee, which you must pay.

Ginger can help you improve your writing and communication skills in English. To perform more checks per week, you must purchase a subscription. You can correct your errors within your browser by installing a free Chrome extension.

You can use ginger to correct subject-verb agreement, singular/plural nouns, misused words, and contextual spelling. Use Ginger software to efficiently perform your checks.

• Cambridge English Write & Improve

If you want to practice your written English online, this service can provide you with feedback in seconds. Simply select a task, write or upload your text, and submit it for review. Then try again, this time using the feedback to improve. This is also beneficial to English language learners. They correct your errors and improve your writing skills in a matter of seconds.

• NaNoWriMo

The National Novel Writing Month blog provides aspiring novelists and creatives with tools, inspiration, and a supportive community. Every November, NaNoWriMo hosts a creative challenge for those who need an extra push: Participants compete to finish 50,000 words of new writing.

FAQS on Written communication skills

Conclusion

Effective written communication skill is required when creating valuable promotional materials for business development. Writing came after speech. However, writing is more distinct and formal than speaking.
Effective writing communication skill requires the careful selection of words, their organization in the correct order in sentence formation, and the cohesive composition of sentences. Furthermore, writing is more valid and reliable than speaking. However, unlike speech, writing causes delay and takes time because feedback is not immediate.