SKILLS 101: ON WRITING

How can you write for busy people in the crispest, briefest and clearest way possible? 

“The Trinity of Effective Communication”:

  • Good Reading Habits

  • Effective Listening

  • Mindful Note Taking

“The ABCs of Effective Communication”: 

  • Accuracy

  • Brevity

  • Clarity

The Truth About Writing Well

The ‘Trinity’ provides a solid foundation for all good writing and public speaking.

What are the Basic Skills for  Writing Persuasively?

Good, mindful reading is all about sifting and retaining information, saving and bookmarking information, and curating key resources for judicious use in your writing/ presentations. Read well and widely, variedly. Active Listening is, quite simply, being in the moment.

Why are these Important Prerequisites?

No amount of classwork or instruction can replace good reading habits. Reading widely and variedly. Listening actively. In fact, being a good listener is the very first step toward being an effective communicator. To do both of the above effectively, and mindfully, taking crisp, useful notes makes up the third part of this trinity of good habits. All three involve a few crucial steps / stages that add up to good communication. Then there is responsible reading, note-taking, bookmarking and citing all your reading and resource material when used in your own writing. How to do it well and responsibly, so as to avoid plagiarism and always give the original content creators their due is the focus of the second part.

The Objectives of Effective Business Writing

  • Understanding and mastering all forms of written business/ workplace/ formal communication – both internal and external

  • Mastering the ability to put ‘The ABCs of Effective Communication’ © into practice: Accuracy, Brevity, Clarity

  • Writing to meet business goals, by writing clearly, concisely and consistently well

  • Understanding and appreciating the role of business writing as a form of personal branding

What are its Key Elements of Good Business Communication?

  • To quickly generate, summarize, organize and synthesize ideas and information to convey complex information clearly, persuasively and effectively to any audience, in any format and via any media

  • Building a personal toolkit for all forms of written business/ workplace communication (including social media, networking profiles, resumes, outreach) + a personal brand

  • Creating usable templates for various forms of time-sensitive written communication

  • Appreciation and practice of effective written communication, across all business activities

  • How to tell a good story – incorporating storytelling in business writing

What can be some of your Key Learning Goals?

  • Writing a clean, clear and cogent copy to competently achieve your business goals

  • Writing to/for busy people – getting noticed and heard

  • How to revise, proofread and edit your work and give/ receive feedback to others

  • Choosing the right words: concise and compelling messaging to elicit responses/ action

  • Appreciating & practicing the differences and nuances between written and verbal communication

  • Adapting your words, style, tone and point of view – to deal with different situations/ audiences