Empower Why communication matters
Link & Learn
Section One Write for Impact
Alumni Advice
“Communication is a huge part of my work. In my management communication course, I learned the art of being concise, clear, and influential in my writing and speech. These skills are crucial to having impact in any job.”
Cailey Akagi
Operations Analyst
Cisco Crisis Response Team
Write to Be Understood
Plain language is a term used to describe clear, concise writing. To revise traditionally dense, hard-to-understand text, many private and public organizations follow plain-language principles. Below is a public-sector example from PlainLanguage.gov.
FEMA’s Winter Preparedness Safety Tips
Before
Timely preparation, including structural and non-structural mitigation measures to avoid the impacts of severe winter weather, can avert heavy personal, business and government expenditures. Experts agree that the following measures can be effective in dealing with the challenges of severe winter weather.
After
Severe winter weather can be extremely dangerous. Consider these safety tips to protect your property and yourself.
Here is a corporate example from Infor, Inc.'s 2018 10-K filing.
Infor's Competitive Strengths
Before
Our customers are often reluctant to change enterprise software vendors because full enterprise software suite implementations are disruptive, time-consuming and require large initial outlays of financial and human resources. Our industry-specific software products are deeply embedded in our customers’ everyday business processes. Our continued investment in our products and services, our development emphasis on products that are versatile and adaptable to other software and platforms that complement our offerings, together with our focus on customer service and support, have resulted in high renewal rates. In addition, our business is not capital-intensive.
After
Our enterprise software renewal rates are among the highest in the industry. Customers like the versatility and adaptability of our platform, and we pride ourselves on customer service and support.
The Professional Audience
Your audience determines your writing style. When composing, keep the following points in mind:
- Your busy audience wants concise, no-nonsense information.
- Your analytical audience wants solid evidence and transparency.
- Your increasingly international audience needs language that does not create misunderstandings or confusion.
- Your decisive audience wants well-reasoned recommendations.
- Your decision-maker audience wants only pertinent, reliable, accessible information.
Section TwoBe a Top Hire
Hire the Best Writer
Employers are eager to hire good writers because clear writing demonstrates clear thinking. Read about bad business writing in this Harvard Business Review article:
Bad Writing is Destroying Your Company’s Productivity.
A 2020 survey reveals that written and verbal communication skills are in the top five attributes employers are looking for when hiring new college graduates (see the accompanying graphic).
Employers Want Good Communicators
Top responses employers gave when asked what attributes they look for when hiring new college graduates:
“If you are trying to decide among a few people to fill a position, hire the best writer. . . . Clear writing is a sign of clear thinking. Great writers know how to communicate. They make things easy to understand. They can put themselves in someone else’s shoes. They know what to omit. And those are qualities you want in any candidate. Writing is making a comeback all over our society. . . . Writing is today’s currency for good ideas.”
Jason Fried
Founder of Basecamp, author of ReWork
Section ThreeBecome a Leader
You become a leader by using your communication skills to learn from people, coordinate their efforts, share knowledge, communicate high standards, and inspire.
In their book The Extraordinary Leader, researchers Zenger and Folkman report that communicating “powerfully and prolifically” enhances other leadership competencies, including even seemingly unrelated ones like technical competence or strategic development. Powerful communication is a skill—and a habit—that enhances other leadership skills.
“Leaders are not just born. Sure, some people are born with strong competencies and strengths for leading in certain situations, but leadership can also be developed. That means everyone can strengthen their skills and abilities to lead and influence.”
—Dr. Susan Madsen
Bio
Hone your communication skills to contribute solutions to your workplace and enhance your own career.
Alumni Advice
John Lewis said, “If you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have a moral obligation to do something about it.” This sounds pretty weighty, but I have found that the first best steps toward leading lasting change are listening and communicating.
Anthony Bates
Managing Director
Sorensen Center for Moral and Ethical Leadership
Brigham Young University
Section FourStay Connected
In Conclusion
By practicing concise and direct communication, you’ll become more effective on the job, more employable, more influential in your organization, and more connected to others.
Let’s get started.
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Bold citations are referenced in the chapter text.
Articles
Bernoff, Josh. “Bad Writing Is Destroying Your Company’s Productivity.” Harvard Business Review, September 6, 2016. Accessed August 2021.
Jean-Etienne, Joullié, et al. "The Language of Power and Authority in Leadership" 2021. Leadership Quarterly 32 (4).
Burning Glass Technologies. “The Human Factor” (PDF file). November 2015. Accessed August 2022.
Harris, Lynda. “The Cost of Bad Writing.” NA Business + Management 29, no. 8 (2015): 15. Accessed August 2021.
Morgan, Blake. “Why Every Employee At Your Company Should Have Communications Training.” Forbes, January 24, 2018. Accessed August 2021.
NACE. “Key Attributes Employers Want to See on Students’ Resumes.” January 13, 2020. Accessed August 2021.
Plain Language: Improving Communications from the Federal Government to the Public. May 2011. Accessed August 2021.
Wiens, Kyle. “I Won’t Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here’s Why.” Harvard Business Review, July 20, 2012. Accessed August 2021.
Books
Garber, Peter R. 50 Communications Activities, Icebreakers, and Exercises. Amherst: HRD Press, 2008. PDF e-book. Accessed August 2021.
Hertz, Noreena. 2021. The Lonely Century: How to Restore Human Connection in a World That’s Pulling Apart. New York: Currency.
Strunk, William, and E. B. White. The Elements of Style. New York: Longman, 2000.
Zenger, John, and Joseph Folkman. The Extraordinary Leader. New York: McGraw-Hill Education, 2009.
Websites
sec.gov. "2018 Form 10-K for Infor, Inc." Accessed May 2022.