Writing Skills: Not Just for Writers Anymore

In a previous post, I covered the importance of proofreading and the questionable reliability of spelling and grammar tools built into word processing programs. As much as I hate to beat a dead horse, I can't emphasize enough how important basic writing skills really are. Technology is making writing an increasingly larger proportion of all verbal communication.

No matter what your job title might be and regardless of how many letters of the alphabet you can list at the end of your name, if you cannot string together a complete, coherent, grammatically correct, properly punctuated, accurately spelled sentence, you are setting yourself up for disaster.

Written communication skills have become a universal requirement in job descriptions. In any field, your professional reputation can easily be destroyed by an inability to write effectively. Poor writing skills can make you look incompetent at best; at worst, they can make you look like an idiot.

I realize that is a bit harsh, but unfortunately it is true. Don't worry though. If your writing skills are less than stellar, you aren't doomed and you don't have to go back to school and start over. There are tons of ways you can improve your writing skills:

• First and foremost, read! Reading is the easiest way to improve your writing skills. Our blog is a great place to start (of course). If your writing skills are very poor, what you read may be less important than simply reading often. But even if your writing skills are somewhat advanced, reading is still crucial. For an excellent article on the importance of reading to effective writing, check out this blog post from the pros at Seliger + Associates.
  
• Practice spelling words correctly. No, you don't have to sit down with a pencil and paper and write the same word over and over like you did in elementary school. Instead, if you aren't 100% certain how to spell a word correctly, look it up (as opposed to letting the spell checker find it). Looking up the correct spelling of a word before you type it may seem a bit outdated, but if your spelling really is atrocious, this is a great way to clean it up. Looking up the spelling and typing it correctly will improve your chances of remembering it next time. Spelling words correctly and not relying on spell check to correct you will also decrease your chances of forgetting to run spell check and sending out an embarrassing document full of spelling errors.
  
• Remember what a dangling participle is? Unsure how to punctuate a parenthetical remark? Have no idea what I'm talking about? Check out these great sites for brushing up on your grammar and punctuation skills: GrammarBook.com; Grammar Girl; and, for the hard core G & P geek, NASA's Grammar, Punctuation and Capitalization: A Handbook for Technical Writers and Editors.