Leadership Turn

Four Quick Steps to Improve Your Writing

by Miki Saxon on April 12th, 2008

Post from Leadership Turn Image credit: stugstug

Everybody knows that leadership requires superb communication skills, both verbal and written. In fact, the better your ability to communicate the more likely you are to move forward and upward. Sadly, skilled writing is as rare as hen’s teeth and even adequate writing is getting harder to find.

Combine the poor writing skills with how often email is used (not that it should be) to communicate entire projects, instructions, even visions and corporate culture and you have the makings of disaster.

So I asked Anne Wayman from The Golden Pencil to guest post some guidelines to help you improve. And before you tell us that “you don’t have time for this,” tell us why you have time to clean up the messes made when your communications are misunderstood.

From Anne…
There’s something about a blank Word file that causes some of even the brightest people to freeze. Then, when they write, the result is often stiff, awkward and sometimes totally un-understandable.

You can avoid this kind of writing, even if you’re sure you don’t know how to get words on a page. Use these steps that professional writers often use:

• Just write whatever you need to write down as quickly as you can. This is called a rough draft by pros, and it’s likely to be just that - very rough, which is fine.
• Read what you wrote, making changes as you go. Chances are you’ll find some things you left out and some things you want to take out.
• Take a break - go get a cup of coffee, check your email, or, if it’s truly an important document and you’ve got some time, print it and hide it in your desk drawer for a day or a week.
• After the break, read it out loud to yourself. You may have to go out to the parking lot to do this well, but it’s worth it.

Sure you’ll feel awkward and you probably will want to find a place where no one can hear you, at least until you get used to the process. Be sure you take a pen or pencil along. I can guarantee you you’ll find things you want to change. It’s absolutely amazing what your ear will hear that your eye will never ever see.

This probably won’t turn you into a Pulitzer Prize winning author, but your memos and other writings will be understood and even, once and awhile, appreciated.

What do you do to give clarity to your writing?

Your comments—priceless

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POSTED IN: About leadership, Communication, Leadership Skills, Management