The leader/manager is expected to be an effective writer. Forms of written communication include memos, letters, minutes of meetings, proposals, and reports. The leader/manager must be able to convert his or her thoughts into a readable form. In addition to achieving understanding on the part of the reader, the manager often is attempting to motivate the reader to take certain actions. Therefore, effective writing, which produces results, is an essential skill for the manager.
A number of barriers are associated with written communication. The most common is lack of clarity. The reader simply does not understand what the writer is trying to say. Another is lack of focus. The diversity of ideas in the document prevents the reader from grasping the central message. Still another is dullness. The written material is uninteresting and boring.
A concerted effort on the part of the manager, which includes planning the writing and rewriting preliminary drafts, can help overcome these barriers. Even though written communication is different from interpersonal communication, the writer nevertheless can focus on dialog.
Here are 3 practical guidelines for effective writing:
1. Write in the language of the reader. More than 2,000 years ago Aristotle suggested that, When talking to the carpenter, use the language of the carpenter. This bit of advice is as valid today as it was then. Before you begin the writing, think about the reader. Reflect on the person's education, experience, and interests. Then write accordingly.
2. Focus on the key idea. Whether it is a one-page memo or a 20-page report, your written material should have one central idea. Perhaps there are a number of secondary ideas, but these should be in support of the main idea. In planning your writing, give attention to the one principal idea that you want to convey to your reader audience. Then organize the entire document to support this idea.
3. Organize your material in coherent manner. Readers will understand your material better if it is organized in chunks. According to the information scientists, the maximum number of chunks that most people can grasp is seven; for many kinds of writing, however, the number of chunks, or major points, should be limited to three or four. These major chunks can then be subdivided into smaller chunks. Once you have identified the major points and the supporting points, arrange them in a logical order. Here is where you will realize the importance of outlining the material before you begin the actual writing. This will give your document coherence: there will be a logical flow.
Establishing a living mutual relation through written communication is no easy task, but it can be done. It requires that you visualize your reader during the process of writing, to form a mental image of your reader sitting on the other side of your desk. Moreover, it requires that you put yourself into your writing; to write as though you are talking to the reader. Such an approach will help your writing come alive. It will read as though one living human being is addressing another living human being.
Below are 4 additional tips when writing for your subordinates:
4. Choose a style and stick to it. It is important to appreciate that your style of writing will have an impact on the reader and may communicate as much as the content. The style is your mode of expressing your thoughts in language; it is your tone. Style includes choice of words, sentences, and paragraph format. It should be appropriate to the situation and to the parties involved. The important thing is to select an appropriate style and do not deviate from that style.
5. Make the paragraph the basic unit of composition. If you can write a good paragraph, then you have mastered an important part of writing. The paragraph should hold together: it should be all of a piece. Typically, each paragraph should contain one idea. This idea is reflected in the first sentence of the paragraph, the topic sentence. As you write the paragraph, you are developing the idea. The next step is to then connect the paragraphs through good transition sentences.
6. Use definite, specific, concrete language. There is a story about a man who wrote to an insurance company in search of his long-lost cousin. He knew that his cousin at one time had a life insurance policy with this company and thus thought that the company might know his whereabouts. The man's initial letter of inquiry brought this reply: ''We are sorry to inform you that your long-lost cousin failed to achieve the expectations delineated in the actuarial tables. The man wrote back with the question: What does your letter mean? And this was the reply: He's dead.
7. Use the active voice rather than the passive voice. The active voice has more impact and more punch than the passive voice. Grammatically, this sentence written in the passive voice is acceptable: My first visit to Geneva will always be remembered by me. But much better is one written in the active voice: I shall always remember my first visit to Geneva. Rather than say, I was in receipt of your letter, you should say, I received your letter.
A number of barriers are associated with written communication. The most common is lack of clarity. The reader simply does not understand what the writer is trying to say. Another is lack of focus. The diversity of ideas in the document prevents the reader from grasping the central message. Still another is dullness. The written material is uninteresting and boring.
A concerted effort on the part of the manager, which includes planning the writing and rewriting preliminary drafts, can help overcome these barriers. Even though written communication is different from interpersonal communication, the writer nevertheless can focus on dialog.
Here are 3 practical guidelines for effective writing:
1. Write in the language of the reader. More than 2,000 years ago Aristotle suggested that, When talking to the carpenter, use the language of the carpenter. This bit of advice is as valid today as it was then. Before you begin the writing, think about the reader. Reflect on the person's education, experience, and interests. Then write accordingly.
2. Focus on the key idea. Whether it is a one-page memo or a 20-page report, your written material should have one central idea. Perhaps there are a number of secondary ideas, but these should be in support of the main idea. In planning your writing, give attention to the one principal idea that you want to convey to your reader audience. Then organize the entire document to support this idea.
3. Organize your material in coherent manner. Readers will understand your material better if it is organized in chunks. According to the information scientists, the maximum number of chunks that most people can grasp is seven; for many kinds of writing, however, the number of chunks, or major points, should be limited to three or four. These major chunks can then be subdivided into smaller chunks. Once you have identified the major points and the supporting points, arrange them in a logical order. Here is where you will realize the importance of outlining the material before you begin the actual writing. This will give your document coherence: there will be a logical flow.
Establishing a living mutual relation through written communication is no easy task, but it can be done. It requires that you visualize your reader during the process of writing, to form a mental image of your reader sitting on the other side of your desk. Moreover, it requires that you put yourself into your writing; to write as though you are talking to the reader. Such an approach will help your writing come alive. It will read as though one living human being is addressing another living human being.
Below are 4 additional tips when writing for your subordinates:
4. Choose a style and stick to it. It is important to appreciate that your style of writing will have an impact on the reader and may communicate as much as the content. The style is your mode of expressing your thoughts in language; it is your tone. Style includes choice of words, sentences, and paragraph format. It should be appropriate to the situation and to the parties involved. The important thing is to select an appropriate style and do not deviate from that style.
5. Make the paragraph the basic unit of composition. If you can write a good paragraph, then you have mastered an important part of writing. The paragraph should hold together: it should be all of a piece. Typically, each paragraph should contain one idea. This idea is reflected in the first sentence of the paragraph, the topic sentence. As you write the paragraph, you are developing the idea. The next step is to then connect the paragraphs through good transition sentences.
6. Use definite, specific, concrete language. There is a story about a man who wrote to an insurance company in search of his long-lost cousin. He knew that his cousin at one time had a life insurance policy with this company and thus thought that the company might know his whereabouts. The man's initial letter of inquiry brought this reply: ''We are sorry to inform you that your long-lost cousin failed to achieve the expectations delineated in the actuarial tables. The man wrote back with the question: What does your letter mean? And this was the reply: He's dead.
7. Use the active voice rather than the passive voice. The active voice has more impact and more punch than the passive voice. Grammatically, this sentence written in the passive voice is acceptable: My first visit to Geneva will always be remembered by me. But much better is one written in the active voice: I shall always remember my first visit to Geneva. Rather than say, I was in receipt of your letter, you should say, I received your letter.
