Everyone is a writer. We write emails, tweets, meeting agendas, presentations, chat conversations — most of our day goes in writing. But very few of us think of it as an actual skill.
Go on, tell me in 1-2 sentences what you do for a living?
You’ll be surprised how few people can manage this without hiding behind a jargon-armour. It’s typically because very few of us speak or write deliberately. Most often our choice of words are a natural — somewhat sub-conscious — function of the environment we’re in. The tighter the workplace-cult, the more obscure the language.
As a writer myself, I believe that clarity of communication — not rightness of grammar or usage, mind you — is fundamental to doing all our jobs better. And clarity comes from giving a fuck.
So, next time you feel like obscuring your answer behind big words, ask yourself this:
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If you were in a safe and open environment, is this how you’d say it? If not, write again.
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If you’ve had the chance to think about it a wee bit, is this how you’d say it? If not, think about it and write again.
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If you were speaking in person to the recipient of your communication, is this how you’d say it? No? Try again.
You’re going to be writing a whole lot in your career, my friend. Write like you mean it.