Becoming an effective communicator through writing

¶ … Effective Communicator Through My Writing?

In the information age, technology has opened up numerous channels of communication. While this provides us with an unlimited opportunity to get our message across, it also underlines the vital importance of effective communication skills without which we would be unable to benefit fully from the information revolution. Writing skill, although just one of the aspects of communication, is arguably the most important to get our message across. In this paper I shall look at some of the key aspects of communicating effectively through writing.

Brainstorming

Before starting to write anything, whether it is a business letter, a written report, or an essay, it is always useful to "brainstorm" in order to generate some creative ideas. This would help in overcoming the number one nemesis of all writers -- "the writer's block." Brainstorming is most useful when a group of people indulge in a freewheeling discussion of a subject in an informal setting. It can, however, also be done alone by reading what others have written about a subject. The ideas that a brainstorming session generates would form the building blocks of our writing. ("Brainstorming," UNC Writing Center)

What is the Message?

One of the first things to consider before organizing an effective piece of writing is to analyze our message, i.e., to ask ourselves what we want to convey. For example, whether the message we intend to send is a "sensitive" or "non-sensitive" message; whether it is formal or informal, urgent or routine? This is important since each type of message has to be organized in a different way. The type of message would also affect our choice of formatting, structure, style, tone and language.

Who is the Audience?

The type of audience that we are addressing must always be kept in mind. In a business setting, it is important to consider the direction in which we are writing: up, down, or lateral. Writing "upwards" means when we write to someone who is higher in the hierarchical ladder or to those who have power over us

(our boss, or a superior, someone of a higher rank); writing downwards means when we write to people below us (our subordinates, to people of lower ranks); writing laterally means writing to people who are at the same level as us. It is also important to consider whether the audience whom we are addressing, or writing to, is friendly, hostile, or neutral. Finding out the education, age, race, income of the audience, and adjusting the readability level of one's writing is also a good idea. The important point to remember in this context is that "one size fits all" type of writing will not prove effective; it has to be custom-made to the demands of an audience. (Dulek and Fielden, 9; Leach, 27)

Formatting

Formatting refers to the way, parts of a written communication is put together. For example, where the inside address, the return address, and the typed signature is placed in a business letter.

Apart from the specific rules of formatting that apply to different types of writings such as business letters, memos, and formal reports, it is important to remember a general rule: effective writing must have a high-impact appearance. This can be achieved by:

1. Making the paragraphs short as shorter paragraphs are easier to read.

2. Indenting and itemizing multiple ideas in paragraphs.

3. Allowing plenty of white space, e.g., small margins look unattractive.

4. Use headings wherever possible. (Dulek and Fielden, 169)

Very often, an organization has a designated format for the letters, memos, and reports, which leaves little choice for the writer. However, there are standard rules of formatting, which, if violated irritates a reader. Hence, an effective writer must be thoroughly familiar with the rules of formatting and should follow them except in exceptional circumstances.

Organizing

This is, perhaps, the most important part of a written communication. It covers the structure, style, tone and language of the writing. For example, if my message is of the non-sensitive type, and a majority of messages fall in this category, I would do well to "bottom line" it. Bottom lining means a direct presentation of what we have to say and revealing the purpose of our writing at the beginning. This principle of "bottom lining" applies to almost types of writing except when sending a "sensitive" or "bad news" message. It is always better to prepare the grounds for conveying bad news instead of hitting the reader in the face by bottom-lining it.