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Communication tip
Business writing: How to write better and faster
By Jacques Adam, Corporate Sponsorship Specialist (Central), DComm, Ottawa, (613) 995-0321, adam.jacques@cfpsa.comPhoto: Lyndon Goveas |
I recently had the opportunity to attend an accelerated training session on writing techniques given by Rockhurst University. I will share with you some of the ideas that might help you if you ever have writer’s block and time is of the essence.
To quickly put your ideas to paper, use the following 5 tricks:
First, identify the purpose of your letter. There is no sense in keeping your reasons for writing secret. The people who will read your letter want to know from the start why they should continue reading.
Even before you start to write, go ahead and do some brainstorming and link your ideas together. If you don’t worry about grammar and spelling, you will be able to express more clearly and faster all the ideas important to the message you want to have come across.
Now you can write freely, without stopping. You will have all the time you need later to come back to your text and polish your document.
When all your ideas are on paper, you can read your text and make sure you have developed your topic in the right order (with your brainstorming). Now is the time to check your grammar and ensure the format of your letter meets the criteria. Your sentences need to be short and the paragraphs must be no longer than 3 or 4 sentences.
Finally, you have to make sure that the text is error-free. It is even recommended to read by starting at the end. That way, your eyes will stop at each word and you will be able to see any single mistake.
Remember that your written correspondence reflects the image you give to the outside world. It is often the only contact they will have with you.
| Editor’s note: Using these techniques, Jacques completed this article in 20 minutes! |