How Is Writing Learned?

Writing

Business writing is only effective if it fulfills its readers’ expectations. A court brief aims to convince the judge that certain points of law apply to the given case. A newspaper editorial aims to persuade its readers, whereas a news article aims simply to report the facts without bias. Ad copy aims to drive consumers to make a purchase. When you sit down to write one of the above forms of business writing, or any other, first ask yourself: what are your readers’ expectations?

When you are first starting out in business, you may be given clerical tasks like filling in forms, populating a database, or coordinating appointments. Or you may be assigned to do research that involves reading, interviewing, and note taking. Don’t underestimate these parts of the writing process; instead, recognize that writing for business often involves tasks that a novelist might not even recognize as “writing.” Even these simple tasks are critical to the overall job, and are an opportunity for you to learn.

When given a writing task, make sure you understand what you are being asked to do. Read the directions and try to put them in your own words. Be careful, however, not to confuse what the directions say with what you think they say. Just as an audience’s expectations should be part of your consideration of how, what, and why to write, the instructions given by your professor, or in a work situation by your supervisor, set expectations. Ask the professor or your supervisor to clarify any points you find confusing, in order to better meet their expectations.

As you start drafting a document, you may wish to make a list of the main points you want to express. These points may become the topic sentences in a series of paragraphs. You should give considerable thought to whether your word choice, your tone, your language, and what you want to say is in line with your understanding of your audience. The full writing process was introduced in Week One of this course, and will be covered in more detail later.

Constructive Criticism and Targeted Practice

Mentors can be important in your growth as a writer. Your instructor can serve as a mentor, offering constructive criticism, insights on what he or she has written, and life lessons about writing for a purpose. Never underestimate the mentors that surround you in the workplace, even if you are currently working in a position unrelated to your desired career. They can read a rough draft and spot errors, as well as provide useful insights. Friends and family can also be helpful mentors—if your document’s meaning is clear to someone not working in your business, it will likely also be clear to your audience.

Be open to criticism; no one ever improved by persisting in bad habits. Only when you know what your errors are—errors of grammar or sentence structure, logic, format, and so on—can you correct your document and do a better job next time. Writing can be a solitary activity, but more often in business settings it is a team effort. Where possible and appropriate, seek outside assistance before finishing a major business document.

Learning to be a successful business writer requires practice. Targeted practice involves identifying your weak areas and specifically working to improve them. This is especially valuable. In addition to reading, make it a habit to write regularly. Especially focus on writing documents like the ones you are called on to produce regulThe more you practice writing, the more naturally you will write—even when you are writing under pressure.

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking, sometimes known as meta-cognition, means becoming aware of our own thinking processes. Through it, we can step outside what we are writing and ask, “Does this really make sense? Are there other, perhaps better, ways to explain this idea?”

Sometimes our thoughts on a subject only becomes clear through getting ideas down on paper - through brainstorming, free-writing, and drafting. As E.M. Forster said in Aspects of the Novel, “How can I tell what I think till I see what I say?” (1976, p. 99). Did you really write what you meant to, and will it be easily understood by the reader? Successful writing forms a relationship with the audience, reaching the reader on a deep level that can be dynamic and motivating. In contrast, when writing fails to meet the audience’s expectations, you already know the consequences: they’ll move on.

Learning to write effectively involves reading, writing, critical thinking, and hard work. Great writers often make it look easy, but it only becomes easy through practice. The good news is that everyone who practices can become better at writing. Capitalize on your strengths as a thinker and writer, and work on your weaknesses, and you can be a success at business communication.