You don’t have to be a dissertation expert or journalist to want to boost your writing skills. Bettering your writing skills is something that can benefit anyone. It helps you express your ideas in a clear way and target a specific audience. This is useful in academics, as well as in business. By following these tips, you’ll be writing like an expert in no time.
#1: Outline Your Ideas
You do not have to create a formal outline every time that you write something. However, there is a major benefit of outlining your ideas. When you sit down to write, consider your intention. Do you want to inform or educate someone? Are you writing to provide entertainment? Once you have a clear idea of the direction you want to go while writing, jot down the main topics of your paragraphs. You’ll be surprised to find that even jotting down a few words can help you stay on topic while you are writing.
#2: Study Your Writing
Do you know what a major killer of productivity at work is? It is the obsessive need to look over an email, revise it, and over-analyze it again. There are many tools available that can help you save time at work while improving business writing skills. Instead of panicking every time you must send a business communication, download apps that help with readability and proofreading. You’ll find yourself writing emails with ease in no time at all.
#3: Get Practice
This might seem like something obvious. After all, it is not uncommon to here instructors, coaches, and parents saying things like ‘practice makes perfect’ when they are trying to convince their child to perform better. Getting practice is as simple as being sure you write every day. It does not matter what you are writing or how you are writing it. You can write while sitting by the beach or a river. You can journal first thing in the morning when you wake up. Do whenever it is convenient for you—but be sure you are writing.
#4: Deciding How Much Information is Appropriate
Some topics do not need to be explained as clearly as others. You can provide too much information or too little information. Think about what your target audience already knows about the topic. Then, consider any questions they might have. Your goal should be to answer all questions without over-explaining. Creating something that is too thorough is just as bad as not providing enough information.
#5: Eliminate Unnecessary Words
It is okay to be wordy unless the words are distracting from your message. Including weak adjectives and prepositional phrases adds to the word count, but does not add value to your message. If you have trouble with unnecessary words, have someone else look over your writing. Be aware of phrases beginning with ‘really’ or ‘very’. If the words are not necessary, it is sometimes best to leave them out.
Being a good writer is about more than just finishing your school assignments. There are many times in life where you will use your writing skills to succeed. They are useful when communicating ideas in business, when answering emails, and when giving a presentation. By following the tips above, you can develop these critical writing skills that will help you as you move through life.
