Dear Seniors,
I am working as an Assistant Manager - HR in a construction company. Being in HR, I am responsible for writing emails and various correspondence. However, the trouble is, I am not very skilled at drafting emails and letters. It takes me a lot of time to think. Could you suggest any books or sources for improving my writing skills?
Thank you.
From India, Gurgaon
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11I am working as an Assistant Manager - HR in a construction company. Being in HR, I am responsible for writing emails and various correspondence. However, the trouble is, I am not very skilled at drafting emails and letters. It takes me a lot of time to think. Could you suggest any books or sources for improving my writing skills?
Thank you.
From India, Gurgaon
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Hi,
At the outset, let me tell you that you are not alone in having difficulty in drafting written communication. For many people, drafting written communication is a challenging task. Parveen Singh has shared a few ready-made communication drafts which should hopefully address your immediate problem.
As a long-term measure, I am sharing a few tips to enable you to draft effective communications quickly and meaningfully:
1. Clearly outline the subject matter of the communication. This is the MOST IMPORTANT step in any form of communication, particularly written communication. In my view, the most important element in any form of communication is the clear understanding of what, how, and why you are communicating. This can be clearly understood by ensuring that you write the subject line of your communication even before you begin writing anything else.
2. Your contents should then be broadly enumerated in the following sequence:
- Background of the subject matter
- Your inputs if any on it - the action you are taking, your observations, additional inputs you seek, etc.
- The suggested course of action and time frames if any
3. Next, ensure you follow the rules of good drafting, editing, and proofreading. These could include one idea per paragraph, flow of thoughts, use of punctuations, following the 5 C's of effective communication, etc. Ideally, I recommend that all communication be typed in WORD, thereafter proofread, and then as required cut and paste.
As a habit/practice, ensure that for all forms of communication, including casual communication, the content is well-drafted, the sentences and paragraphs are constructed using all the rules of grammar and effective drafting skills. You would notice that more and more people are using the SMS language, using short forms, jargon, liberally tossing out the rules of grammar when they post matter on this site. If one gets into this routine, the quality of formal communication would suffer in the long run, and this would be evident in the letters, reports, emails, inter-office communications, circulars, etc., that one generates.
4. You may also note that one must be more positive, proactive, and prompt in your communication. This can come about if your own attitude, behavior, and interactions always reflect these traits. Try to minimize the use of negative words like no, can't, difficult, etc., even in everyday communication.
5. Keep the communication short, crisp, and to the point. Avoid the use of adjectives as the communication is intended to be informational or focused on getting some action. In the case of email communication, keep in check the temptation to mark copies to one and all; instead, limit it to only those actually concerned. Revert to incoming emails at the earliest. If a phone call can get the work done faster, speak to the concerned person, and only if required summarize the talk in writing through an email. Needless to say, being polite, courteous, and well-mannered in style and content would be the icing on any form of communication, including emails.
I would also invite you to visit the following inspirational and motivational blogs which could also give you a flavor of effective drafting skills:
- www.actspot.wordpress.com - Over 165,000 views and 940 followers
- www.poweract.blogspot.com - Over 51,000 views and 230 followers
Best Wishes
From India, Mumbai
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
At the outset, let me tell you that you are not alone in having difficulty in drafting written communication. For many people, drafting written communication is a challenging task. Parveen Singh has shared a few ready-made communication drafts which should hopefully address your immediate problem.
As a long-term measure, I am sharing a few tips to enable you to draft effective communications quickly and meaningfully:
1. Clearly outline the subject matter of the communication. This is the MOST IMPORTANT step in any form of communication, particularly written communication. In my view, the most important element in any form of communication is the clear understanding of what, how, and why you are communicating. This can be clearly understood by ensuring that you write the subject line of your communication even before you begin writing anything else.
2. Your contents should then be broadly enumerated in the following sequence:
- Background of the subject matter
- Your inputs if any on it - the action you are taking, your observations, additional inputs you seek, etc.
- The suggested course of action and time frames if any
3. Next, ensure you follow the rules of good drafting, editing, and proofreading. These could include one idea per paragraph, flow of thoughts, use of punctuations, following the 5 C's of effective communication, etc. Ideally, I recommend that all communication be typed in WORD, thereafter proofread, and then as required cut and paste.
As a habit/practice, ensure that for all forms of communication, including casual communication, the content is well-drafted, the sentences and paragraphs are constructed using all the rules of grammar and effective drafting skills. You would notice that more and more people are using the SMS language, using short forms, jargon, liberally tossing out the rules of grammar when they post matter on this site. If one gets into this routine, the quality of formal communication would suffer in the long run, and this would be evident in the letters, reports, emails, inter-office communications, circulars, etc., that one generates.
4. You may also note that one must be more positive, proactive, and prompt in your communication. This can come about if your own attitude, behavior, and interactions always reflect these traits. Try to minimize the use of negative words like no, can't, difficult, etc., even in everyday communication.
5. Keep the communication short, crisp, and to the point. Avoid the use of adjectives as the communication is intended to be informational or focused on getting some action. In the case of email communication, keep in check the temptation to mark copies to one and all; instead, limit it to only those actually concerned. Revert to incoming emails at the earliest. If a phone call can get the work done faster, speak to the concerned person, and only if required summarize the talk in writing through an email. Needless to say, being polite, courteous, and well-mannered in style and content would be the icing on any form of communication, including emails.
I would also invite you to visit the following inspirational and motivational blogs which could also give you a flavor of effective drafting skills:
- www.actspot.wordpress.com - Over 165,000 views and 940 followers
- www.poweract.blogspot.com - Over 51,000 views and 230 followers
Best Wishes
From India, Mumbai
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Dear All, Please help me drafting mails for opening in our company for senior level position Regards Sweta
From India, Jaipur
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From India, Jaipur
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