We communicate in lots of ways, sometimes without having to say anything at all! We’ve covered communication, body language and presenting skills too but we want to spend some time on written communication skills this week.
Don’t all roll your eyes at once as we take you through the basics, you know all about grammar, proof-reading and writing for your audience right? Would you be surprised to know that poor spelling, grammar and tone are still one of the biggest reasons that CV’s are binned, the reason that emails go unanswered and what employers wish their newest employees had!
We often get emails from young people asking us for support with a project, help with their next step or a general enquiry and 99% of the emails we receive still fall victim to the basics, so get comfy and let us tell you one more time.
Written communication involves expressing yourself clearly and appropriately to your audience it might be a CV, an email, a text message, an essay or perhaps a letter.
Spelling, punctuation and grammar
Whilst you might have heard and read these things many times, taking the time to check your spelling, grammar and punctuation is vital before you send any written communication.  Sending communication without checking shows that you aren’t paying close attention and can leave the reader thinking that you don’t care much about the topic, this is particularly damaging when you make these mistakes in job applications.
Remember:
- Double check your work: print it out or read it aloud to check it
- Computers aren’t king: computers do not pick up all mistakes (like writing form instead of from)
- Our brains can often trick us into reading what we think it says, take a break and look again with fresh eyes before sending.
Structure, style and tone
We can break written communication down into three segments.
- (the way the content is laid out)
- (the way it is written)
- (what you are writing about)
Structure:
Thinking about your structure will make sure that you get your message across and make sure that your audience read and understand what you have to say.
Top tips:
- Be clear – clarify what you want to say and the purpose of your communication before you start.
- Key points – identify the key points, facts or themes
- Order – make sure you are explaining yourself in a logical order
- Start – make sure you have a clear introduction, one that encourages people to keep reading
- Ending – make sure you finish by summarising and making sure it is clear what any next steps should be
- Easy reading – make paragraphs and sentences short.
Style:
is the way you write, not how swirly your font might be (but do consider that too) but that you have thought about who is reading and asked yourself these questions?
- Who is this for?
- How much information and detail will they need?
- How formal or informal should your writing be?
- Jargon – will the person reading understand everything you mean?
Content:
this is what you are actually writing about, the subject. Style and structure will make up part of this but you should consider that you know the topic you are writing about and have done your research. Research isn’t just for essays, it’s for job applications and emails in work too. It is very easy to spot someone who has planned and structured a CV or email without really researching and relating the words to them.
Avoiding common mistakes
We know you’ve read these tips before and think you follow them but remember :
- Double (or triple) check before you send anything
- Pay just as much attention to the email you attach your CV or application form to
- Be polite! We get emails asking us for information or requests often without any pleasantries and very often never get a thank you back
One common mistake we also see is people emailing what appears to be generic account without giving the care and attention they would normally. When you are messaging what appears to be an info, recruitment or customer service account make sure you are emailing with the care and attention you would any other email.
The challenge:
- Find a job on line and practise writing a cover letter for it:
- Think about the content, structure & style
- Do your research on the company and the job and plan your letter to make sure you are writing a compelling covering letter
- Send it – ok, so you might not be looking for a job but this doesn’t mean you can’t send it to a friend, parent or teacher.
