Reading and writing is something we all learn in school. It’s a skill that’s necessary and thankfully taught without hesitation in the education system. Yet many skills in life that are as important such as financial literacy, mental health and networking to name a few are ignored upon.
Without writing, we cannot do most things like express our voices and change the world but without basic financial literacy, we cannot stay alive.
Messed Up Writing
When we were taught how to write in Pre-K, usually quality > quantity and page limits were the standard. Persuasiveness and getting straight to the point in basic terminology to try to explain the information to a toddler was not the goal.
We weren’t asked to convey what we want to, we were forced to convey what someone else said in a book and elaborate on it. That’s why essays for school aren’t my jam.
This makes things confusing in the real world when people don’t care about sounding fancy, they just want to get the point across. This is done by using words through a stupidly simple, (KISS) short and sweet manner.
If an email is long and wordy, you are disobeying someone’s time.
Why Simpler The Better
Something as simple as a work email or text message to your boss needs to be well written and takes time to compose if you want them to understand it perfectly. In school, we were taught the opposite. Midterm and final essays need countless revision but homework should be done overnight.
Nobody wants to have to try and interpret a vague email. Sometimes you’ll get away with it because the person reading it already knows what you’re talking about but otherwise, it is taking a big risk and waisting more time for both.
Precision is one thing, but without your messages being concise at the same time you’ll soon find that your emails fall on deaf ears. You may think your 2 page memo that exhaustively covers every possible eventuality is just what you need but think about if you were to receive one from someone else.
What if you could cut down everything you wrote by half? Could you do it? Maybe that’s why LinkedIn and Twitter are so appealing. There’s a character limit so you can’t go on talking nonsense just to fit the page limit.
Everything can be said shorter you just have to try.
If it looks shorter, it took longer to compose.
Communication = Forever
By taking the time to develop your writing skills you’ll be able to quickly and efficiently get your point across. This will be invaluable if you want to convey information to your colleagues in a way that speeds things along as opposed to causing my confusion.
When your employer sees that you have a talent for writing they’ll be more than happy to look at ways of expanding your role. It is a gem to write well. Regardless if you are a business to architect student, writing is always necessary.
Without your voice, you always have writing. Keep it in check and practice through making your emails concise and use less words. This gives a signal to the recipient that you care about their time and know how to deliver a proper message.
Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect, Perfect Practice Makes Perfect
Not just in consulting but in any industry, writing will give you a leg up if your communication skills are honed. Business is all about selling/convincing someone to buy something and if you don’t communicate respectively and accurately than nothing can get done.
Communication can take many forms, such as video, speaking, phone calls, illustration, texting, email, signage, advertising, blogging, publicity and others. Doing any of these requires good writing skills.
It is impossible to write well without thinking clearly. You must understand what you want to say and be able to explain it. This has nothing to do with intelligence rather clearly understanding what you want to say. Don’t try to impress; stay simple and on the other person’s level.
How To Boost Your Writing Skills And Get More Out Of It:
-Stay Curious
-Develop a reading habit and read randomness
-Be simple
-Present
-Time yourself
-Shorter usually the better; Less = More
-Think about it from the other perons’s POV
Writing concisely and basic is an underrated skill. It is necessary in this world to be successful.
If you cannot write well , you will have a hard time in life. Guaranteed.
If you become a great writer, you will most likely excel at your day job since you have to sell yourself internally to get promoted. Write like you speak.
There are countless writers out there who’ve landed lucrative deals and jobs not because they graduated from a prestige Ivy League institution or had a 4.0 GPA, rather they became proficient writers able to negotiate time off, a larger salary and regain their lives back.
Do not underestimate writing and the power of words. The easiest way to make an impact on the world is through consistent content people want to read. You always have something new to bring to the table. Yes, there is most likely content already on the topic you are discussing but that doesn’t matter because no one has your personality and experience to uniquely shape it!
Who knows if BitCoin or social media is just a fad. I’m sure it is but writing is one of the few specialities that will never go away and will forever stay.
We are still citing quotes from ancient legends from 100BC and if you can write, your career, connections and presence will skyrocket.