What Everyone Needs To Know About Writing

The future of professional work belongs to those who write well.

Email, Twitter, presentations, advertising, formal reports, technical reports, and memos are just a few of the various places you can expect to need to use your written communication skills.

That begs the questions: how well do you write? Do you practice regularly? Or do you think you do it “well enough”?

In today’s day and age, gurus like Tom Peters yell loudly at us, the workers of today and tomorrow, to get our butts in gear and write, write, write, and write even more! The reason? Poor communication in all forms, most especially the written form, is and will continue to be a SERIOUS strike against professional job candidates applying for jobs.

According to a Report of The National Committee of Writing For America’s Families, Schools and Colleges, 85 % of those professional jobs in finance, real estate, as well as, 80% of the professional jobs in the service sector will require high quality writing skills.

The report claims that America’s biggest area of job growth will be in the service sector (20.5 million jobs expected over the next few years).

That’s a lot of jobs. 80% of those jobs will require you to write well. The National Committees report states that company’s will begin requiring writing samples for consideration. Many of today’s companies require on the spot writing tests.

Again, how strong are your writing skills?

Do you know how to consider the purpose of your writing?

Do you know how to construct an argument? To support your main point?

Do you know how to organize material in an essay, a paragraph?

Do you know how to form a proper sentence?

This is not to make you feel stupid. It is a very true fact that many people graduate university without proper knowledge of how to write a sentence, a paragraph, and especially an essay. Yet these people think they are often entitled to a job.

Strong writing skills almost guarantee long term employment.

Why?

Good writers generally equal good thinkers. Good writers are logical, and are usually capable of the kind of rhetorical skills often necessary in professional communication.

Good writers are clear. They make meaning. They make concepts and ideas easy to understand.

Good writers know how to learn. To be able to communicate anything effectively, you must first understand. To write effectively, a greater depth of understanding is often required.

Good writers know how to give. They know how to teach with their essays. They know how to convey the information in a way that answers the readers question: “what’s this got to do with me?”

Good writers know how to grab attention and sell!

Do any or all of these descriptions coincide with your belief about your own ability? Do your beliefs match reality? If not, it’s time to get busy. Procrastinating on improving this skill is not going to help. Only action will.

I recommend all of you think of a general topic you find interesting. Choose something you are passionate about. Choose something you want to know more about. Choose something!

Now make a blog and begin writing different articles about it. Teach yourself different and various ways of writing, while keeping on the same topic. Learn how to write from various angles about your topic. Practice, practice, practice. Being an expert is not required. Being a student who is willing to learn and practice and make an ass out of themselves over the internet is. Do it do it do it.

Practice giving something new to your readers each and every day. Or at least once a week.

Research, write. Research, write. Practice, practice, practice.

Denying the necessity of a high aptitude for writing is unacceptable. Blocking yourself from becoming a hot commodity through the improvement of your writing is unacceptable. Begin today to hold yourself to the goal of steady improvement of your writing skills. The result….only the future knows.