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As more business communications are conducted through email, instant messaging, PowerPoint presentations and other written forms, writing ability can help technology professionals set themselves apart. Just as today's techies must demonstrate an in-depth understanding of their industries and the broader business environment, the ability to write clearly in reports or white papers, often aimed at nontechnical readers, is necessary to advance.
"Rightly or wrongly, people judge their colleagues based on their writing ability," says R. Craig Hogan, director of the Business Writing Center and author of Explicit Business Writing. "Those who write poorly are viewed as less intelligent, less educated and less competent. Those who are articulate are seen as intelligent, educated and capable."
In fact, business professionals may not realize how much poor writing skills can impede their careers. "It's a silent killer," Hogan says.
Why Writing Matters
Of course, techies aren't necessarily the only ones with weak writing skills. A College Board survey of business leaders found widespread concern about employees' writing ability. Consider these findings:
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About half the companies surveyed said writing ability is considered when promoting employees.
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Nearly all companies said they would hold poorly written job application materials against candidates.
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American companies spend more than $3.1 billion each year to remedy writing deficiencies.
The fast-paced, technology-driven world in which techies work further complicates matters. New communication mediums, such as text messages and instant messages, lead techies to use their abbreviated style in more traditional communications. "They're transferring that shorthand to general business correspondence," says Salvatore J. Iacone, who developed the American Management Association's "Effective Technical Writing" course.
Iacone, author of Write to the Point, says many techies in his classes have been sent by their managers, who want them to be able to communicate with a wide variety of audiences, rather than just acronym-wielding technology pros.
Tips for Better Business Writing
Writing instructors and authors of the College Board report agree: Good writing is a skill developed and honed over years, not with quick fixes. Even so, these tips can help improve your writing, especially if you're a techie just starting to view your writing as a career-enhancing skill:
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Determine Your Writing's Objective or Goal: Are you seeking a consensus on a project plan? Asking a client to clarify a concern? Knowing your goal will help you determine how to approach a piece of writing.
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Identify Your Audience: Is this for your boss? A colleague? Or, as sometimes happens, colleagues with both technical and nontechnical backgrounds? Your tone and message will likely differ depending on your audience, and you may need to revise your writing to address specific audiences. Iacone recommends crafting different summaries for different readers.
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Consider Your Readers' Level of Technical Expertise: What's clear to you isn't necessarily clear to them.
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Spell Out Words: Shorthand may be appropriate when IMing a colleague, but it's not in a client email.
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Edit: Read and reread your messages, especially those to managers and clients.
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Define Technical Terms in the Document: Placing definitions in parentheses, rather than in a separate glossary, will help maintain your document's flow.
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Use Headings, Subheads and Bulleted Lists: These help you organize your writing and guide readers.
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Get Help: Professional associations may offer writing courses for techies, while community colleges and universities often provide business-writing classes suitable for tech pros. And business writing references can help you learn the basics of syntax, grammar and good business writing.
Finally, when putting pen to paper, remember this adage, Iacone says: "If the writer doesn't sweat, the reader will."
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