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Summary.
We’re all writers— whether we write emails, reports, blog posts, articles, or books. Our success at work depends on how well we’re able to communicate our thoughts through these mediums. Mastering the art of writing can help us persuade people more impactfully and be perceived by others as smarter and more insightful. Here are five ways to get better at it.- Read your work out loud. As you read, you’ll begin to realize which sentences can be edited for brevity or clarity, or where you’ve said too much when one sentence is good enough to explain a concept.
- Edit other people’s work. While editing, ask yourself why something was written the way it is or why was a certain word used, for example. This will help you be more intentional in your own writing.
- Ask yourself whether you are adding value or saying something new. If you are simply repeating advice or ideas that already exist in the world, you might want to think more deeply to ensure the work you publish is adding new value.
- Clear your metaphorical throat. When you are editing your own writing, try this trick: Delete the first couple of paragraphs and see if that makes your piece sharper.
- Retype your work to get into a flow. Type out a rough draft of your work, print it out, and then type it back onto your computer. This will get you in a flow where you’ll make changes almost unconsciously.
Whether you like it or not, you are a writer. Every day, your success at work is in part determined by how well you can communicate your thoughts through email, reports, instant message, and perhaps even blog posts, articles, or books.