Now that email and texting are vital forms of communication, people write more than ever before. And because of email and texting, people complain about everyone else's writing more than ever before. Better writing skills are like public transportation in Los Angeles. Everyone thinks everyone else should be using it. As with all things, the only person whose behavior you can change is your own. So let's discuss ways you can write more effectively.
I'll start with a disclaimer. We've discussed repeatedly in this book that communication skills are not about “right and wrong,” but rather about a “spectrum of effectiveness.” Of course, when communicating either orally or in writing, we have to follow rules of grammar or our communication becomes less clear and possibly inaccurate. There are, in fact, right and wrong ways to write or say something. This section is not about grammar rules. We have included a brief grammar guide at the back of the book for easy reference. This section assumes you understand correct grammar and want to improve the clarity and impact of your writing. If you are a grammar geek, as I am, keep it to yourself. I am working on another book on how to politely and effectively correct the grammar of family, friends, colleagues, and the general public. It's tentatively titled, “How to Lose Friends and Alienate Everyone You Meet.”
The core concept of this book—focusing less on yourself and more on the other person—applies to writing as much as it applies to oral communication. The good news is that with writing, compared to oral communication, you have time to proof your work, decide whether the content and tone convey the right message and spirit, and reflect on what you're saying and why you're saying it. To help you do so, here's an overarching strategy to put you in the right mindset when writing: Start with the reader. Your writing isn't about you or your content. Your writing is about the audience members and what knowledge they need, or what action they need to take. Always ask yourself:
If you start with those basic questions, you'll instinctively write shorter, clearer documents based on the needs of the audience. That's it for strategy. I wish we had a complicated 73-point plan on how to be a better writer, but from a strategy perspective, that's all there is: Focus on the other person.
The rest of Section Three has tactical steps that will make it easy to achieve this strategy.
Chapter 8 Challenge Every Word: Editing for Clarity
Chapter 9 Form Follows Function: Structuring Your Documents
Chapter 10 Make It Easy: Creating Reader-Friendly Documents
Chapter 11 Hit Send with Confidence: Writing Emails That Resonate