Good Writing Skills a Must

SUBJECT: Good writing skills are essential in the business world

Summary

It is clearly evident through research and interviews that good writing skills are a very important asset to managers and all other business professionals in the world today. Business professionals must exercise good writing skills daily in the form of memos, reports, e-mails, business letters, proposals and a number of other formal documents.

While the use of e-mail in the workplace may lead many to believe writing has become less formal, this is not true. All business writing must remain professional and be presented clearly to the audience.

If professionals are unable to communicate effectively and efficiently through their writing, the effects can be costly. For example, a proposal will not be accepted, a decision for funding will be denied, a deal will not close or an opportunity for promotion will be lost.

A survey conducted by the National Commission of writing supports that being able to present oneself “persuasively and articulately on paper is a big part of individual opportunity in the United States ”. Those individuals who continue to develop their writing skills are destined for success.

Research proves written communication a must for employees

“A 2002 study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers ranked communication skills, both verbal and written, as the top quality employers seek ”. Employers are looking for job candidates who know how to clearly and concisely present information. From the very start, employers begin to analyze writing skills based on a candidate’s cover letter and resume. A single mistake in either document will force an employer to move on to the next applicant.

Upon hiring, maintaining quality-writing skills is essential to increased wages, promotions, and other advances in one’s career. An inability to write effectively will force most employees to lose their positions, miss out on advancement or even be forced to seek training to improve their weak writing skills. “Without good writing skills, your printed documents may very well undermine the professional image you work so hard to achieve” .

Employees must learn to develop good writing skills early on and maintain them throughout their professional careers. Research proves that “Writing skills rank second only to management skills in businessiii”.

Interviews reveal importance of good writing among managers

Bruce Hoosier, one of many business professionals in the mortgage industry, agrees that good writing skills are “a must in the workplace”. Mr. Hoosier is branch manger at Sunset Mortgage of Towson, a leading mortgage lender. He is forced to exercise good writing skills everyday in the form of developing advertisements or sales letters, formulating proposals for prospective borrowers, and writing business letters to other professionals in the industry.

Mr. Hoosier estimates that he spends about two hours of his workday writing or typing documents. Overall, he states “Writing is highly important to me in my day-to-day work, I am forced to communicate effectively with my clients throughout the funding process to ensure that they are well aware of all aspects. One false communication can be a major set back in this industry”.

Mr. Aziz Kanaan, general manager at Piney Branch Golf Course, believes that “the ability to write clearly and concisely” has been an important element in reaching his career objectives. Mr. Kanaan has held various mid-level management positions throughout his career, but was recently given the opportunity to advance to a general manager position at PBGC with the development of a written proposal. “Thanks to my written communication skills, I was able to advance up the career ladder and convince leading executives I was well suited for this position”.

Mr. Kanaan is continually forced to exercise good writing skills in his daily