Developing your effective written communication

Writing can be quite a task. And many do not realize this until they have to write.

I’ve seen a lot of corporate executives struggle with writing memos, proposals, and reports. The problem most of the time is how to put the information they have together to make complete and coherent sense as well as achieve their intent.

With this post, I want to put across some tips and steps you can implement to succeed with all your written communications.

Preparation

It is essential that you prepare properly before taking up a pen to write or typing the first word on your computer, especially for a business communication. This is the first step.
- At this stage, you determine exactly what you want to achieve with that email, or memo, or proposal. When the purpose is clearly define, the idea-flow will be coordinated, saving you time and stress.
- The next thing is to assess your reader[s]. This will help you to avoid using words and grammatical constructions that are above their head or confusing to them.
- Then, determine the scope of your coverage of the subject. You need to know where to stop so that you do not include useless facts in your write-up.

Research

When you are done preparing, it is then time to go fetch the information that will make up your write-up. This may include putting down the facts you know; interviewing people; checking printed sources; and browsing the Internet.

Organisation

After gathering enough information, you have to organise them in a way that will be comprehensible by the reader. Here you decide what method of development best suits the purpose of your article. For example, if you are writing the history of your organisation, you might have to make it sequential, starting from the beginning to the present. Other methods of development include: comparison, cause and effect, division and classification, spatial, chronological, etc.

Writing the Draft

Now it’s time to produce your rough draft. Just write. Quickly put down all the information that you’ve got, according to the method of development that you have decided to use. At this point, you don’t care about proper introduction or grammar. Just let the information flow until you are done.

Revision

This is the point where you edit your draft. You check for unity or coherence, flow and transition from one idea to the next, clarity, etc. This is when you check spellings, punctuations, and remove unnecessary words and phrases. You generally polish your write-up at this stage.

When you are done, read through again and again. You can also give it to other persons to proofread for you [that’s if you have the time].

Mind you, your written communication represents you. Don’t make yourself look bad.

Don't Bore your Audience

I got bored. I would have left; if not that I had to report on the event. The Compere or Master of Ceremony as he called himself, did his best. Apparently he was trying to impress with many words, but it proved counter-productive. It bored not just me, but us; at least over a dozen people who were seated near me.
What is wrong talking a lot while hosting an event? After all, that’s why you were hired – to talk and engage the audience during transitions in-between items in the agenda.

It will be okay if:

1. The event was organised because of you. Probably, they all came to hear you talk. You can talk all day and they will be fine.

2. You are a super star stand-up comedian. Besides, it’s becoming a norm in my country, Nigeria, for comperes to double as stand-up comedians. So every master or mistress of ceremony wants to make people laugh at all cost, even at funerals.

3. The organiser commissioned you to make the delay the next performance, maybe while they wait for a late-coming ‘guest of honour’.

A few words of advice:

1. Few words, does it. Nobody wants to stay forever in an event, I mean, it gets boring.

2. Stick to the assignment. The assignment is to introduce the next performance. Just do it. Don’t border us with stories that are off-point. Really, jokes should relate to the theme of the event and be palatable to the predominant composition of the audience.

3. Speak clearly. Wrong pronunciation [like Shareman instead of Chairman], and mumbling to yourself can badly damage your brand as a professional compere. I recommend speech training.

4. Be Yourself. There is no need trying to fake accent. If you don’t have it, you don’t. If you have it, there is almost nothing you can do to erase it. Don’t act on stage. Just be yourself.

Don't Speak like Patrick

Patrick Obahiagbon is a Nigerian federal lawmaker. But what’s more important about him is that he gets tonnes of applauds whenever he speaks. Reporters stumble over one another to get their midgets, recorders, microphones and cameras to his face. Patrick speaks. However, his audience are usually concerned about his use of words.
One day a reporter asked Patrick why he speaks the way he does. This is what he had to say:

“Sincerely speaking, I want to tender an unreserved apologia to my colleagues and all those who feel that my language is obscurantist. The truth is that I do not set out deliberately to mystify my audience, to deposit my audience in a portmanteau of indecipherability or in portmanteau of conundrum. No, no, no, no! Far from it. The cosmic force would not allow me to do that.

But, you see if you ask homo sapients who have interfaced with me for close to twenty years now, they would tell you that I no longer speak high sounding language. I have reduced it radically. If you have the opportunity to listen to my speeches or debates ten, fifteen years ago, then it would have been a different kettle of fish all together. So, I am convinced that I’ve tried, I am trying and I will continue to try to ensure that my language or my idiolect is as limpid and as diaphanous as possible.”

These days, the lawmaker causes more laughter than skilled stand-up comedians. His speech is often a bunch of entertainment, but little communication. Though he has become popular as the man with the big words, an orator maybe, he is a poor communicator.

The message is the most important element of communication. It’s like the goal in a soccer match, the other elements matter less.

Most times, simple does it. However, some audience might prefer a Patrick. The fact is that not so many of us have dictionaries in our heads.

So the next time you speak, whether during a one-on-one conversation or a graduation speech to over a thousand people, consider the makeup of the audience.

Communication is the essence.

Getting your message across

All we do all the time is communication. Whoever we are, wherever we are, or whatever the activity, we constantly strive to get our messages across. It might be through a seminar presentation, email to a friend, husband and wife interaction, or coach to team charge session, whichever way, it ends in understanding or misunderstanding.
If a communication process ends in understanding, it means that the message was properly transmitted and received with little or no distortion and elicited the appropriate feedback.
If it ends in misunderstanding, it means that the message was not properly transmitted. It shows that the message was ambiguous, distorted and shrouded with noise – signals that interfere communication processes.
However, the desired end of every communication process is shared understanding. And the goal of every communicator is to get the right response from the receiver of the message.
A message – visual, audio or body signal – can achieve the desired goal only when it is clear, concise, concrete, correct, coherent, complete, and courteous.
Clear – means that the communicator is certain of his goal or message and expresses it with simplicity,without undertones, 'big words' and unfamiliar idioms.
Concise – means that the communicator sticks to his point and keeps his/her message brief. There is no need to use three sentences when one will do.
Concrete – means that the communicator paints a vivid picture of his/her message. It is tangible, the audience can feel it. Anecdotes, facts, and pictures work well for this.
Correct – means that the communicator tailors his/her message to fit the need and the level of education of the audience. It also means that message is void of grammatical and spelling errors.
Coherent – means that the communicator ensures consistency in the message. All the elements must add up and flow into the theme.
Complete – means that the communicator includes everything in the message that the audience need to be informed and to take action.
Courteous – means that the communicator is friendly, open, and sincere with the audience. He/she understands the audience and is not insulting whether in words, gestures or tone.
Notice: the communicator is responsible for the outcome. He/she is the one to make amends when the message fails to hit the target.