TEN Tips That Can Instantly Improve Your Effective Written Communication

Описание: In some ways, effective written communication is even more important than spoken communication. Written communication is a record, and people may refer back to it later. This means that you need to consider the lasting impact of what you write. Effective writing allows the reader to understand everything you are saying. Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation are the basics of good writing. Poor writing skills create poor first impressions and many readers will have an immediate negative reaction if they spot a spelling or grammatical mistake.
Written communication forms a connection between the reader and the writer.
Effective written communication is clear and easy to understand.
The cause or reason for writing needs to be clear to both the writer and the reader, including any specific actions you need from your audience.
Conciseness. Sticks to the point and do not meander around or include lots of extraneous information.
Use the correct tone, inoffensive language, and appropriate grammar.

Tip 1. State Your Goal Clearly
Good writing skills allow you to communicate your message effectively. Effective written communication has a clear purpose, and that purpose is communicated to the reader. Either you want a response from the reader or you want the reader to do something for you or to take action, or you just passing along information. In all cases you must explain in clear terms what you want the reader to do.
Tip 2. Decide about the Structure of your writing
Structuring your work is a key aspect of effective writing ensuring that similar points and related sections are linked together and that the ideas and arguments progressing smoothing in a logical and orderly manner.
Tip 3. Use Simple Language.
One skill that many people lack, is the ability to write in plain English. You want to make it easy to the reader to understand what you’re saying. Do not overuse expressions and do not try to impress with big words. It is important to remember your audience and always write with your audience in mind. This will help you to decide whether you need to write in a formal style or a more informal one, and will also help you to decide on a suitable structure.
Tip 4. Be Concise and Stay on Topic
Avoid information that is not relevant to your topic. Keep sentences and paragraphs short and concise and Leave out words that do not contribute to the main focus of the topic.
Tip 5. Use the Correct Tone
Certain forms of communication, like memorandums and proposals, need a formal tone. The kind of tone depends on the audience and purpose of the writing.
Tip 6. Use Active Voice
Active voice will engage the reader and keep his or her attention. It is easier to understand sentences that are written in the active voice. Using an active voice will strengthen your writing. An example Active voice is "I called the Agent," and a passive voice is "The Agent was called by me."
Tip 7. Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation
Correct grammar, punctuation and spelling are key in written communications. The reader will form an opinion of you, based on both the content and presentation, and errors are likely to lead them to form a negative impression. Do not assume that spelling and grammar checkers will identify all mistakes as many incorrect words can indeed be spelt correctly or entire words may be missing. Remember that our brains work faster than our fingers can type, and accidental typographical errors inevitably creep in.
Tip 8. Have Someone Proofread Your Writing
All written communications should be re-read before sending to print as it is likely that there will be errors. Good grammar and punctuation are very important. Even if you know spelling and grammar rules, you should still double-check your work. One trick for checking and improving your work is to read it aloud or have someone else proofread before you send it. Reading text forces you to slow down and you may pick up problems with the flow that your eye would otherwise skip over.
Tip 9. Words and images
Sometimes we need to use few, well-chosen words to communicate our message across. A picture however is worth a thousand words, so consider if an image is more appropriate than many word. Consider what words come to mind when you see these a picture. Give some thought when selecting a picture, that it does not contradict your words, and vice versa.
Tip 10. Practice
There are many types of written communication, including emails, memos, business letters and more. Practice writing different documents to improve your written communication skills. As you read you pick up new vocabulary and engage with different writing styles.