Today we will talk about a competence of interpersonal intelligence that we have already dealt with on previous occasions, such as communication, but today we will focus on written communication.
We can say that written communication is about the ability to transmit ideas, knowledge and arguments in writing in a clear, rigorous and convincing way, using the necessary graphic resources and means correctly and adapting appropriately to the situation and the audience.
As well as oral communication, written communication is an essential skill for professionals today, as it enables the transmission of knowledge, emotions and experiences in an appropriate way to be able to connect and build relationships with other people.
This competence is related to other competences seen above such as results-oriented, (identifying what the objective of my message is), adaptability, active listening and empathy.
HOW CAN I DEVELOP MY WRITTEN COMMUNICATION?
I suggest that you take pen and paper and reflect on the following questions about written communication:
To be taken into account in the written communication
• It is important that the written message has the following aspects clearly identified:
or What do I write for? It is necessary to identify the clear and concise objective of my communication.
This is the starting point. I need to establish what is the purpose of what I want to achieve.
For example, informing, raising awareness about a topic, inviting people to take action, achieving a change of mind, etc.
What you want to convey
What is the most important thing I want to convey? What is the idea I want you to remember?
This purpose must be clear from the first lines of the text, to capture attention and make the receiver interested in continuing reading.
Who am I addressing
o Who do I address? I have to define who is going to be my receiver of the message, how much information or previous knowledge they have about me and about the topic I am going to discuss, what previous disposition they have about the subject, the language, the cultural level, the degree of formality in the relationship.
For example, if they don’t know me, I will need to present myself in an appropriate way to create a base of credibility about myself and the message I want to convey to them. Also in my presentation I must make clear what my role is, if I write in a personal capacity, or represent a third party, (client, company…), or I am just a transmitter of information.
That will influence the tone, the language and the responsibility for what I write.
For example, if I am representing my company in that message, I will need to use language and tone in line with the values and culture that the company wants to promote, as well as the image it wants to project.
What format should I choose?
o What format should I choose? The format is chosen based on the objective, the audience and the answer to the previous questions, to take care of the formality, tone and credibility that I want to guarantee with my message.
The vocabulary, tone, expressions, must be adapted to the audience I am addressing.
If I address a very experienced and technical audience, my language may be more technical, but if my audience is heterogeneous, I will have to adapt to the level of the recipients who know less about the topic I am going to discuss, to use an inclusive language with everyone.
If I need to present details or summaries I can attach them in the message, but it doesn’t have to be in the body of the email, if that makes the message too dense.
It is interesting to use journalistic technique, using headlines, subheadings and spaces to make the text more understandable to the reader.
Rules in written communication
o What golden rules should I keep in mind?
- Simplifies: Read the text several times and make it as simple as possible, because if the terms are very technical, not everyone will understand them, even if the audience is technical, it is best that it is easily understood.
- Use a “hook” to grab attention: it can be a rhetorical question, a photo, a graphic, or some other visual medium.
- Avoid repetitions of expressions and/or words. Look for synonyms.
- Organize the different ideas into separate paragraphs. Don’t overuse subordinate phrases.
- Important! Use spelling, grammar, and punctuation correct. Take care of the tone of the message. In written communications, it is very important how we say things so as not to cause negative reactions in the receiver.
I encourage you to enhance your reading habits as much as possible. This will help you continue to take care of your language, expand your vocabulary and be able to remember the spelling and grammar rules of the language.
Remember the 5 keys to written communication:
1. UNDERSTANDABLE
It’s important that you’re clear about the goal of your message. Give enough detail to avoid confusion and ambiguity.
Use simple language and use a recognizable and common format for your audience.
For example, if you’re calling a meeting, use the 24-hour format. A meeting at 12:00 is not the same as at 24:00
2. CONCISE
The message must be concise and concrete, written precisely, avoid the unnecessary.
- Avoid overly technical vocabulary or jargon that is only known in your company or department.
- Use simple, short sentences.
- Use short paragraphs, with one idea per paragraph.
3. SPECIFIC
You must focus on the topic you want to communicate. Avoid beating around the bush by talking about other things that divert attention.
4. STRUCTURED
You should be especially careful of spelling and grammatical mistakes.
The message has to be structured with a logical order of ideas, data or information.
5. EDUCATED
All written communication should be polite, respectful, and kind.
Greeting, writing “please” when you request something, saying “thank you” and saying goodbye are basic rules of politeness, both in oral communication and, of course, in written communication.
“Remember to keep developing your talent to reach your best version.”
