Importance of written communication skills and business writing skills free essay sample

Communication as defined by the Merriam Webster dictionary is the act or process of using words, sounds, signs, or behaviours to express or exchange information or to express your ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc. , to someone else (Webster, 2013) . The communication process starts with the sender developing an idea that is composed into a message that is then sent to another party who interprets the message and receives meaning after which the receiver provides feedback. There are 2 forms of communication being verbal which can be divided into written and oral and non-verbal which is body language and gestures. There are many advantages of using written communication and one of them is that written messages can be altered as many times as needed before being sent. Moreover, written communication serves as proof of an event and provides a permanent record in case of a need for referencing in the future. Some information such as statistics is better conveyed to another person in written form. There are many ways how the study of written communication can improve and develop a persons’ business writing skills for the future. The audience must be identified before starting to write. When writing, it is important to use a professional tone. Moreover, the correct format must be chosen when delivering a written message. In addition, the information that needs to be imparted upon the reader should be arranged neatly. Grammatical errors should be avoided at all cost. Table of Contents Pages Summary i Table of content ii 1. 0 Introduction 1 2. 0 Communication 2 2. 1 Communication Process 2 2. 2 Forms of Communication 2 2. 3 Importance of Communication 3 2. 4 Effects of Poor Communication 3 3. 0 Written Communication 4 4. 0 How Written Communication Can Improve 56 Develop A Persons Business Writing Skills for the Future 5. 0 Conclusion 7 6. 0 Recommendations 8 7. 0 Reference List 91. 0 Introduction The main aim of this report is to explain â€Å"how written communication can improve and develop a persons’ business writing skills for the future†. The main body of the report is split into three parts being 1) Communication, 2) Written Communication and 3) How written communication can improve and develop a person s’ business writing skills for the future. In 1) Communication, a clear definition of what is communication and how the communication process works is explained. In addition, the various forms of communication is outlined. The importance of communication and effects of poor communications is also thoroughly analysed. 2) Written communication analyses in depth the various forms of written communication. Lastly, 3) How written communication can improve and develop a persons’ business writing skills for the future explain clearly the many benefits of using written communication and how it helps improve a persons’ business writing skills to be used in the workplace. 2. 0 Communication Communication as defined by the Merriam Webster dictionary is the act or process of using words, sounds, signs, or behaviours to express or exchange information or to express your ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc., to someone else (Webster, 2013). 2. 1 Communication Process The communication process starts with the sender developing an idea that is composed into a message that is then sent to another party who interprets the message and receives meaning after which the receiver provides feedback. Effective communication can only be achieved when all concerned parties have a mutual understanding of the subjec t at hand (Mindtools, 2012). 2. 2 Forms of Communication There are 2 forms of communication being Verbal and Non-Verbal communication. Verbal communication can be divided into 2 types which are Written and Oral. Written communication is any form of interaction that involves written words. Examples include books, e-mails and letters. Oral communication on the other hand is any form of interaction that involves speaking words. Talking face to face, talking on the phone and speaking with someone through teleconferencing are examples of oral communication. Non-verbal communication is any form of communication without the use of words such as pictures, symbols and body language. Eye contact and body language are important aspects of body language in non-verbal communication. 2. 3 Importance of Communication Clear communication is extremely important as without it, there will be no management (Hartley, 09/2000). Managers will have a hard time conveying what they expect of workers. Managers with great leadership qualities are always able to communicate clearly with their subordinates. The success of a presentation also hangs on how the presentation is organised and how the information is presented to the audience. Group work in which a number of people work together to achieve a common goal requires clear communication as without it, the members of the group will not know what is expected of them from other members. Each person is unique with a different way of thinking and so it is important that a message or thought is communicated effectively in a manner that everyone can comprehend. In short, it is about telling people your needs wants and expectation. 2. 4 Effects of Poor Communication Poor communication will result in inefficiency. If a message is conveyed wrongly, it can have disastrous effects on a company’s operation. Poor employee morale is another effect of poor communication as a worker might feel demotivated if he does not understand what is expected of him. Some workers are loathe to ask further after given a task for fear of being branded dumb or slow and this is an example of poor communication. Being forced to go through a drab presentation will demoralize employees as they are supplied with unclear instructions on projects causing confusion. Moreover, productivity can be affected leading to decreased innovation in a firm as what the manager wants and expects is not understood clearly causing workers to go in a different direction wasting time. Examples of poor communication are talking too fast, not listening to what the other person is saying and always assuming that you are correct. 3. 0 Written Communication Written communication is a very important aspect of business communication which is essentially communication practiced in the workplace (Krlshnamacharyulu, 2009). There are many advantages of using written communication and one of them is that written messages can be altered as many times as needed before being sent meaning the perfect message is delivered as opposed to talking face to face where you can say something that you did not mean to say. Moreover, written communication serves as proof of an event and provides a permanent record in case of a need for referencing in the future such as forgetting the contents of email and referring back to it. Misunderstandings are also reduced if the message is written clearly. Furthermore, some information such as statistics is better conveyed to another person in written form as it can be better understood and this also saves time as there is no need for explanations. Lastly, written communication when done well appears formal and this is a cause for action when read as it is authoritative.4. 0 How Written Communication Can Improve Develop A Persons Business Writing Skills for the Future There are many ways how the study of written communication can improve and develop a persons’ business writing skills for the future. The audience must be identified before starting to write. Different people have different jobs, ages and backgrounds. A work written professionally might not b e understood clearly by children. On the other hand, too simple a work which children can enjoy might be judged childish and immature by an older audience. Therefore it is of upmost importance to consider all of the facts above when writing so that a message can be understood clearly by the intended audience. When writing, it is important to use a professional tone as you will be judged by whomever who reads the work. Simple direct language should be used that is as straight to the point as possible to prevent any confusion arising (Herta A. Murphy, 1997). The focus should be on the one who is reading your work and not the writer to convey a sense of sincerity towards the reader. There are times when unpleasant or undesirable information has to be passed on which requires more attention and the art of diplomacy. For example when someone requires you to do something that you are not agreeable to such as working late for 7 days in a row. The â€Å"no† response must be made crystal clear for the other person to understand so that it will not be misunderstood. If possible, instead come up with suggestions to the problem and be helpful towards any potential queries. Basically, writing in a professional tone will help attract the attention of the intended recipient which is an important business writing skill. Moreover, the correct format must be chosen when delivering a written message. E-mails, books, letters and journals are different examples of a variety of formats that be used whereby each of them has its own unique use. When a worker wants to deliver a message to a boss for example, an e-mail should be used as this is the standard accepted method. On the other hand, if a friend wants to ask another friend out for dinner, a simple text message exchange between their phones is sufficient as an informal method of communication is satisfactory. In addition, the information that needs to be imparted upon the reader should be arranged neatly. Building on the motive of the correspondence, the information should be organized well so that it can be understood easily without much fuss. For example, an instruction manual on how to use a washing machine. The manual will clearly explain step-by-step to the user how to operate the machine to what the user expects safely to prevent damage to the machine and injury to the user. In business, people are busy and do not have time to read long winded articles or messages and so it is important to arrange the information neatly so that it can be easily understood. Furthermore, visual elements should be used wisely as this can make or break the message that you wish to deliver. When writing e-mails and official letters which are essentially formal documents, it is important to come across as professional and so a font such as Times New Roman is preferred as opposed to a â€Å"social† font such as AR BLANCA which is hard to read and usually only used in invitation cards. In short, the most suitable computer-text font should be used depending on the purpose, formality and audience. Bulleted lists and underlined texts are useful in highlighting main points and helps your message understood more easily. Font size is also important as too big a font can make your document seem like it was made for kids but too small a font size can make a correspondence crowded and almost impossible to read. A boss for example will not be impressed when presented with work that he cannot read and will most probably ask for it to be redone and so it is important to get it right the first time Grammatical errors should be avoided at all cost as it will make a person or firm look unprofessional. It is important to learn grammar and its use properly and the best way of achieving this is through reading and writing. The more you read, the better your grammar and the more you write the better your writing will be as practice makes perfect. Reading a lot will also help expand a persons’ vocabulary whereby you will have a larger choice of words to use from to make your writing more interesting to read. No one would want to purchase a product which has wrong spellings as this conveys cheap and prospective customers will be put off when looking at a business’s website which has a lot of spelling mistakes as they will deem it dubious and fraudulent. It is also important to consider the emotions of other people when writing. Words of encouragement should be shown to someone who has suffered a misfortune while a positive achievement should be praised. That is why it important to have background knowledge of the intended recipient of the message so that it will strike a chord with the person and makes him more interested in reading what you have to say. For example asking about the intended recipients’ family to sound friendly and to show that you know the person on a personal basis. 5. Conclusion It can be concluded that there are many forms of communication which constitutes an integral part of our lives and there are many factors which contribute towards communicating effectively. Communication is used in everyday life in by every person be it friends, family and in the workplace and there many ways to communicate such as talking face to face, on the phone and through the use of written forms of communication such as e-mails and letters not to mention non-verbal communication in the form of gestures and body language. It is important to pick a correct form of communication to effectively convey a message to prevent misunderstanding and to show the intended recipient of your sincerity and seriousness. Writing skills are an important aspect of modern day society and in the business environment as it certainly a requirement. There are many ways to improve one’s writing skills but none more important than to read and write extensively as practice makes perfect. Great communication and writing skills also gives a person confidence to pursue a great career which will lead to a happy and successful life. 6. 0 Recommendations There are a few recommendations that can be followed to improve and develop a persons’ business writing skills such as: i. Extensive background research on the subject matter. This will help give a clearer idea on the topic and makes it easier to write as you will have the necessary knowledge. ii. Read a lot Reading is a way to increase general knowledge and by reading different mediums by different people will give you an idea of how to write and help you to write. iii. Write a lot There’s only one way to improve one’s writing and that is to write. There’s no harm in practicing your writing and always comparing with professional work as this will elevate your writing skills iv. Study great authors By analysing works from other authors you can get an idea of how to write effectively and how to attract an audience to keep on reading. rite a lot