CIS

Effective Writing Skills

 Goals & Objectives
 To acquire generally useful techniques for effective
writing.
 Understand written communication

 Understand the importance of possessing good

writing skills
 Know about different types of documents used for
business writing
 Reviewing, Analyzing & Suggesting organizational
improvement in written communication

Effective Writing Skills

 A
Challenge
Please
Please write
write aa One
One Sentence
Sentence
Definition
Definition of
of ::
WRITING
WRITING EFFECTIVELY
EFFECTIVELY

Effective Writing Skills

Definitio
n

To
To communicate
communicate specific
specific
information
information oror ideas,
ideas, utilizing
utilizing the
the
formats,
formats, language,
language, and
and content
content
relevant
relevant to
to the
the workplace.
workplace.

Effective Writing Skills

Relevant Quotes (1 of 2)

“A writer doesn't solve problems. He or she

allows them to emerge.”
- Friedrich
Dürrenmatt

“Authors who never give you something

to disagree with never give you any-
thing to think about.”
- Michael LaRocca

Effective Writing Skills

 The ABC’s of Writing
 Verbal communication is aided by
nonverbal cues, like hand movements and
facial expressions.
 Writing has to be much clearer than spoken
language because it lacks these assisting
cues.
 Objective, factually-based writing is
stronger and more persuasive than writing
that relies on opinion and hearsay.

Effective Writing Skills

The ABC’s of Writing
 Writing aims to capture a thought or
idea, to transfer it to a permanent
format, making it tangible.
 The responsibility for that transfer
falling squarely on the writer’s
shoulder.
 If communication is the ultimate goal,
write for your audience, not for
personal style.

Effective Writing Skills

The ABC’s of Writing
 Any idea can be conveyed through writing.
If you can think it, you can write it.
 Great care is required to ensure that your
message is accurately interpreted by its
audience.
 Nearly any statement can be shortened
while retaining its full content; concise
wording is less likely to be misinterpreted.

Effective Writing Skills

The ABC’s of Writing
 There is always more to say about a
topic.
 Good writing is composed of many
ideas, all connected by a single
purpose (e.g. a thesis statement).
 Every sentence should relate to the
central goal of the paper.

Effective Writing Skills

 Writing?
 One of the best methods to communicate
 Writing is one of the oldest known forms of
communication

Effective Writing Skills

 Why Written Communication?
 Creates a permanent record
 Allows you to store information for future
reference
 Easily distributed
 All recipients receive the same information
 Necessary for legal and binding
documentation

Effective Writing Skills

 Writing Skills?
 A career requirement
 More than a “nice thing to have”
– a necessity
 Your Writing = Your Personality
 As a professional, it is crucial to write well

Effective Writing Skills

 Writing Skills?
 The ability to write does not require a unique
talent or an outstanding mental ability
 Everyone has the basic skills necessary to
write well
 A basic understanding of writing and a
commitment to writing well in all situations is
needed as a professional

Effective Writing Skills

 Questions a writer asks
 How do I begin?
 What is my purpose?
 How do I make my point clear?
 How do I create a logical flow?
 How do I say what I mean?
 How do I avoid grammatical errors?
 How can I make my message brief?
 How can I create a visual effect?

Effective Writing Skills

 The Writing Process

 Planning
 Writing
 Quality Control

Effective Writing Skills

 The Writing Process
Planning

 Keep objectives in mind and research the topic

 Think about the audience
 Outlining helps organize thoughts

Effective Writing Skills

 The Writing Process
Writing

 Follow your outline, use your handbook

 Inspiration is acceptable but must be carefully
reviewed
 Use the interview approach to supplement the
outline (who, what, where, when, how)

Effective Writing Skills

 The Writing Process
Quality Control

 Reread your work

 Be critical of your own work

Effective Writing Skills

 Considerations while writing

 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Why?
 Where?
 How?

Effective Writing Skills

 Effective Writing
 Completeness: all information needed is provided
 Correctness: relevant and precise information
 Credibility: support your argument
 Clarity: should not be vague, confusing, ambiguous
 Conciseness: to the point
 Consideration: anticipate the reader’s reaction
 Vitality: use the active voice rather than the passive
voice

Effective Writing Skills

General Writing Tips
The Ins and Outs of Paragraphs:
 Be conscious of paragraph size and
structure. Keep each appropriate for
the paper’s purpose.
 Open each paragraph with a
statement, and then follow that
statement up with evidence.

Effective Writing Skills

General Writing Tips

 Do not present new points at the

ends of paragraphs. Make a claim
first, and then go about supporting it
before moving on.

Effective Writing Skills

 Business Documents
A good business document should always answer the
following questions:

 What is this document about?

 Why has it come to be?
 Who wrote it?
 How is it organized?
 What is it trying to accomplish
 What supports the conclusion?
 What problem or opportunity does it address?

Effective Writing Skills

 Spelling and Grammar
 It is important in written communication to use
proper grammar and correct spelling
 What you write and how you write could
reflect a positive or negative image
 Sloppy and/or poorly written communications
could be perceived as a lack of caring

Effective Writing Skills

 Spelling and Grammar Tips
 Proofread communications before sending
 Use spell and grammar check if available
 Make sure to have subject, verb and tense
agreement
 Ensure proper word usage:
affect/effect there/their
among/between shall/will
can/may than/then

Effective Writing Skills

 Types of Writing
 E-mails
 Letters and Memos
 Agendas
 Reports
 Promotional Material
 Academic Documents
 Research (scientific) manuscripts

Effective Writing Skills

 “The greatest problem in
communication is the illusion
that it has been accomplished.”
- George Bernard Shaw

Effective Writing Skills

Have you hit your target?

 In written
communication most
confusion & frustration
are caused by failing to
be specific

 Make it clear, brief

and concise

Effective Writing Skills

 Reports
 Define the main point
 Define the goals and objectives
 Collect the evidence needed to support the
main point
 Organize the report
 State the conclusions and recommendations

Effective Writing Skills

 Common Errors & Tips
 Company name usage
 Shortened words (thru, condn, mgmt, ref, lib)
 Repetition of words
Example: file the file in the file folder.
 Use of ampersand (&)
 Use of bold
 UPPER CASE

Effective Writing Skills

 Common Errors & Tips
Punctuation
 Use commas to separate elements in a series, and to
separate ideas or clauses.
 Use correct punctuation in abbreviations; e.g., for
example i.e., that is etc., et cetera
 Do not use multiple punctuation marks, for
example: !!! ... ???, etc.
 Punctuation of lists and tables

Effective Writing Skills

 Common Errors & Tips
 Hyphen and dash usage
 Confusion between its and it's
 Use of apostrophe
 Abbreviations and acronyms
 Use active voice
 Do not switch tenses very often
 Proofread for accuracy

Effective Writing Skills

 10 Commandments
1. Know what you want to say before you say it.
2. Keep it simple.
3. Use bullet points.
4. WIIFM (What's in It For Me?)
5. Don't get bogged down
6. Call to action
7. Edit
8. Spell check
9. Take your time before hitting send
10. Follow up

Effective Writing Skills

 Tips for Effective Writing
 Rule 1. Use concrete rather than vague language
.Examples:
Vague: The weather was of an extreme nature on the west
coast.
Concrete: California had very cold weather last week
.
 Rule 2. Use active voice whenever possible. Active voice
means the subject is performing the verb.
Examples:
Active: Barry hit the ball. 
Passive: The ball was hit by Barry.

Effective Writing Skills

 Tips for effective writing
 Rule 3. Avoid overusing there is, there are, it is, it was,
and so on. 
Example: There is a case of killers that was reported in the
newspaper.
Correction: A case of killers was reported in the newspaper.
Even Better: The newspaper reported a case of killers
(Active voice)
Example: It is important to signal before making a left turn.
Correction: Signaling before making a left turn is important.
OR
Signaling before a left turn is important.

Effective Writing Skills

 Tips for effective writing
 Rule 4.To avoid confusion, don't use two negatives
to make a positive. 
Incorrect: He is not unwilling to help.
Correct: He is willing to help

 .Rule 5.Use similar grammatical form when

offering several ideas. This is called parallel
construction.
 Incorrect: You should check your spelling, grammar,
and punctuating
Correct: You should check your spelling, grammar, and
punctuation.
.
Effective Writing Skills
 Tips for effective writing
 Rule 6. If you start a sentence with an action, place
the actor immediately after that.  
Incorrect: While walking across the street, the bus hit her.
Correct: While walking across the street, she was hit by a
bus.
OR
She was hit by a bus while walking across the street.
 Rule 7. Place modifiers near the words they modify.  
Incorrect: I have some pound cake Mary baked in my
lunch bag.
Correct: In my lunch bag, I have some pound cake that
Mary baked.

Effective Writing Skills

 Tips for effective Writing
 Rule 8.Comprehendible
Eliminate words that are non-
essential to meaning or mood.
Example:
Words that weakly
emphasize adjectives include:
very, really, terribly, and awfully.
Effective Writing Skills
 Tips for effective writing
 Rule 9. Easy to read
Combine short sentences to
consolidate ideas, but don't ramble. Consecutive
lengthy sentences burden readers.

.Example:
 ineffective - I dropped an egg and it landed on my
dog. The egg was boiled and it did not crack open.

 effective - When I dropped a boiled egg, it landed on

my dog without breaking

Effective Writing Skills

 Tips for effective writing
 .ineffective - The boy had orange hair color
and freckles. Because of these traits, he looked
very much like his mother.

 effective - The boy, with his orange hair and

freckles, strongly resembled his mother.

Effective Writing Skills

 Tips for effective writing
RULE 10. Exhibits a clear voice
Reword redundant or wordy
phrase
Example:
ineffective - He is a man who [plays baseball].
effective - He [plays baseball].
ineffective - She is a woman who [spends
most of her time in the office].
effective - She [spends most of her time in the
office].
Effective Writing Skills
 Tips for effective writing
Rule 11. Interesting throughout
Vary the structure of your sentences.

Example: dull - We own seven barns in

that town. We also own forty-two horses
there. We like to ride horses in that
countryside.

 intriguing - Riding horses is enjoyable for

us in that country town. We own seven
barns and forty-two horses there .
Effective Writing Skills
 Conclusions
 Utilize full potential of written communication
 What you write will ultimately define you as a
professional to your colleagues and superiors
 Match the appropriate communication method
to the recipient
 Eliminating excessive or unnecessary
communication will improve your workflow
 Mastering these skills will improve your
ability and enhance your career
Effective Writing Skills