“Give me one good reason why I should put valuable time and effort into developing my writing skills.”
That was Jake’s challenge in an email that landed in my box over the weekend. Jake’s ambitious and he’s trying to figure out where to put his attention and resources. I’ve got, not one, but two good reasons why improving his writing skills will pay dividends.
Writing well will sharpen your thinking
When we simply think about an idea or proposal, it’s easy to imagine that we’ve worked out the details. That often leads to mid-meeting embarrassment when we’re asked for details that we haven’t considered.
If you write out your ideas or proposals in full sentences, you will sharpen your own thinking. Writing will show you the gaps in your knowledge or reasoning, so you can correct the problems in your next draft. As Francis Bacon said, almost 400 years ago, “writing maketh an exact man.”
Writing well will help you inform and persuade
Leaders communicate well. Pick any great leader from history. One thing he or she did well was communicate well. People followed those leaders because they understood what the leader wanted to accomplish and why. Writing well will help you do that.
Bottom Line
Writing well will help you sharpen your thinking so your ideas and proposals are the best they can be. The, writing well will help you convince others to go where you want to go.
Extra Reading
From Brad Hoover: Good Grammar Should Be Everyone’s Business
“Companies looking to hire top talent should consider grammar as one predictor of a candidate’s aptitude and success. Good grammar is simply good business.”