This is an article “Why Writing More Regularly Can Make You A Better Business Person” by Marc Primo
Most individuals who nurture top-notch business principles also know how to write and gain a lot from its practice. Jotting down your thoughts on a piece of paper makes things more straightforward, and we all know that ideas turn into actions that generate results. It's also known that entrepreneurs across industries achieve success by striving to gain personal satisfaction, good ROI, profit motives, prestige, and the innate virtue of taking care of their employees. Writing contributes to all of these, and more.
For some business people, developing the skill to write efficiently in various forms can be challenging. Where do you start? How should you construct your drafts? Can you share something original?
These questions usually come up before you can type in the first letter of an article, letter, or memo. However, being original is never better than simply presenting your take on familiar concepts. The secret is to get the most out of writing by offering something readers can learn or take an interest in while helping you become more self-aware in finding your professional center in the process.
Here are five insights about writing in business to get you motivated:
It improves the way you communicate
Whether you are jotting things down on your organizer or addressing your board of trustees via an official letter, the purpose of why you write is to communicate your thoughts clearly. What can be pretty challenging is how writing can sometimes be limited to a few things vis-a-vis verbal communication.
Writing letters or memos addressed to others only gives you a linear or one-way method that often doesn't elicit immediate feedback. You can't explain things on the fly when the people you address suddenly have questions, so you'd better try to make things clear and understood in one sitting.
Think of writing as to how you would prepare for a public speaking gig. You'll have to take a moment and think about what you want to convey in the shortest and simplest way possible.
One good way to do this is to focus on one idea at a time and make sure each point hits the target. If several points are related, you could combine them into one paragraph or bullet points, rather than resort to fluff. This way, it can be easier to digest from the reader's perspective.
Intrapersonal writing is good for self-improvement
Intrapersonal communication means communicating with one's self and is very effective in clearing your thoughts and improving your cognitive abilities. Writing daily in your journals or even doodling can provide you with a better understanding of how your mind works and how patterns form.
There are three aspects of intrapersonal communication: Self-awareness sets your beliefs, values, and ideas; perception helps you judge yourself and others based on observations; and expectations which usually pave the path from thought to actionable and manageable results.
However, did you know that some people have limited intrapersonal communication skills, particularly those who can't hear themselves think?
Not being able to access internal narration puts writing in front and center, as practicing your pen and paper skills helps you create an outline or mind map into your inner self.
Thought leadership makes you the man
Thanks to practically everything being accessible digitally these days, thought leadership articles are being read far more in the present than in recent years. People online want to learn, and if you have some excellent lessons or tips to offer them, the more you can raise your brand reputation to boss levels.
Of course, you'd want to choose topics where you can demonstrate your expertise. After determining which topics you want to write about, you can categorize them into Jordan Petersen's seven writing levels:
Levels one to three are limited to paragraphs with only one idea and have clear sentence structures;
Level four integrates your paragraphs into one coherent concept;
Level five is your essay or article as a whole, which should offer creativity, original thought, and grammatical prowess; and
Levels six and seven relate to addressing the reader and the concerned culture, respectively.
These well-written articles can allow you to express your credibility among readers who can potentially follow you and your business. The best thing about it is that you can easily tap an engaged audience for your articles and share your insights that have real value.
Writing helps you build audiences and networks that can boost your career
Every business person who strives to go up the corporate or industry ladder needs audiences and networks to push brand reputation and have walking ambassadors on their behalf. You can gain their support by regularly communicating with them and giving them a sense of transparency that develops trust and reliability.
Writing blog articles or comments on social media posts relevant to their concerns and addressing their pain points is always a given. However, the key to better audience communication is being keen on acknowledging their feedback and expressing your genuine interest.
You can write clearer articles by defining their purpose and setting the right tone, style, and message structure. Construct it using the inverted pyramid method wherein essential information is expressed first and the least further down. Write like a person with an active vocabulary rather than a post graduate who typically resorts to jargon (unless you are writing a technical paper).
Being a relatable writer who throws in bits of humor here and there makes your writing more compelling and an easy read. Lastly, cap it off with a call-to-action to encourage feedback or further discourse because audiences always like an open conversation.
Writing from your readers' perspective seals the deal
Remember to consider both yourself and your audience when you write. This practice helps you link your thoughts to theirs in a more fluid manner. You can improve your writing communication skills by simply reading from mentors or prominent business individuals who have mastered the craft then putting your own spin on how they write things down.
And that's how writing as a form of communication works. Those you read and learn from first consider the right tone to get the information they want to share exactly how their target readers wish to receive them.
Pay particular focus on how you deliver both style and tone by making sure you can anticipate your readers' point of views. They won’t want to read a torrent of negative terms like 'problems' or 'crisis,’ so consult your nearest thesaurus for more appropriate words.
Even though most writing is linear, the joys of doing it in business is a two-way street wherein you can give both yourself and your audience some good ideas to ponder.
Now it's time to pick up a pen and paper and scribble what you've just learned from this article.
Happy writing!