Vaibhav recently completed his graduation and was waiting for the interviews, while being apprehensive about performing well in his interview as well as in his professional journey. He asked his uncle, Sivaranjan, who owns an esteemed position in one of the major corporations to help him get through the quest of a professional world.
Were you able to inculcate the things we have discussed till now in your run of the mill Vaibhav, asked Sivaranjan? Yes, uncle, I have been taking notes and getting mileage out of the learnings with my friends, said Vaibhav.
Good! Please help me remind Vaibhav, how far we are down the lane of professionalism, Sivaranjan looked at Vaibhav.
Vaibhav articulated the topics in his head and then uttered, so far we have discussed the myths and realities of professionalism, the power of effective communication skills, and the importance of nonverbal communication – body language, power dressing, and effective verbal communication.
Impressive Vaibhav! Seems like you can tell a hawk from the handsaw, exclaimed Sivaranjan. Now it’s time to unveil some new horizons.
Do you know that our brain scans show in peculiar detail what inveigles readers? Scientists have observed a group of midbrain neurons known as the “reward circuit” light up in response to anything from a simple metaphor to an unexpected story twist. What is the takeaway? You can write in a way that entices readers on a primal level, releasing pleasure chemicals in their brains, whether you’re writing an email to a colleague or an important report for the board.
Strong writing skills are required for anyone working in the business. You’ll need them to communicate effectively with colleagues, employees, and bosses, as well as to snap up ideas, products, or services you’re offering. So, we are going to board the plane of effective written communication in the workplace.
What Is Effective Written Communication?
Many people, particularly in the business world, believe that good writing is an art and that those who do it well have an innate talent that they’ve developed through experience, intuition, and a habit of reading widely and frequently. However, we’re learning more about the science of good writing every day.
Neurobiology and psychology advances show, with data and images, how the brain responds to words, phrases, and stories. And, contrary to popular belief, the criteria for making better writing choices are more objective than you might think. Good writing causes dopamine to flow in the reward circuit of the reader’s brain.
Great writing releases opioids, which activate reward hotspots. Just like good food, a relaxing bath, or a warm hug, a symphony of prose makes the words melt in your brain and keeps you glued to the write-up. Whether it is a complex argument in a report, a succinct declarative statement in an email, or a heart-warming concern in a letter, your writing has the flair to mitigate the neural net of your readers’ brains.
What Are The Characteristics Of Effective Written Communication? 
Given the importance of reading and writing comprehension in our virtual and actual lives, it’s time to remind ourselves what constitutes good communication. Reading carefully is the new listening, and writing clearly is the new empathy, as described in the book Digital Body Language. The magic happens when your write-up is a perfect blend of one or more of these characteristics or so to say the seven C’s being the hallmarks of compelling writing:
Concise
Scientists refer to this as the brain’s “processing fluency.” Short sentences, familiar words, and clean syntax ensure that the reader does not have to work too hard to grasp your meaning. If you write “Profits are loved by investors,” for example, rather than “Profits are loved by investors,” you’re flipping the verb and direct object positions. This can reduce comprehension accuracy by 10% and make reading take a tenth of a second longer.
Tsuyoshi Okuhara of the University of Tokyo collaborated with colleagues to ask 400 people between the ages of 40 and 69 to read about how to exercise for better health. Half of the group received lengthy, somewhat technical material. The other half received an easier-to-read version of the same content. The group that read the simplified version—which had shorter words and sentences, among other things—scored higher on self-efficacy: they were more confident in their ability to succeed.
Clarity
Your readers will benefit from more vivid, clear, and palpable language. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos did not say in a recent letter to shareholders, “We’re facing strong competition.” Instead, he strode for, “Third-party sellers are kicking our first-party butts. Badly.”
Clarity stimulates a wide range of brain circuits. Consider the terms pelican and bird, or “wipe” versus “clean.” According to one study, the more specific words used in pairs activated more neurons in the visual and motor-strip areas of the brain than the general ones, causing the brain to process indications more vigorously.
Correct
Vaibhav, your words should be as solid as concrete, and facts are the essence of a concrete write-up. Fact-checking and re-checking before presenting them is a critical component of effective leadership. Be wary of framing opinions as facts. Your team and colleagues may take what you say as law, so make it as factual and true as possible.
Concrete
Great leaders can rally their troops simply by opening their mouths (cue the reel of speeches in the sports locker room). The key to engaging people is the language used. Instead of general explanations, use descriptive words and phrases. Words should evoke images in the minds of the recipients.
When you integrate stories into your communications, you can reap significant benefits. Consider Melissa Lynne Murphy’s research at the University of Texas on business crowdfunding campaigns. She discovered that participants in the study had more favorable impressions of pitches with richer narratives, giving them higher marks for entrepreneur credibility and business legitimacy.
Participants in the study also expressed a greater willingness to invest in the projects and share information about them. The implication is that without stories, there will be no significant funding success.
Courteous
Vaibhav you have to make sure that you write the way you would like to read. Being polite and showing your audience that you respect them can help you improve the effectiveness of your communications. Your messages should be formal, open, welcoming, considerate, respectful, and truthful. To help ensure that you are courteous, always use empathy and consider your messages from the perspective of the audience.
The late Max De Pree, founder, and CEO of Herman Miller, had a talent for speaking to employees in this manner – “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality,” he wrote in Leadership Is an Art. The final step is to express gratitude. The leader must become a servant and a debtor between the two.” That is sound advice not only for business executives, but also for parents, teachers, coaches, and anyone in a position of authority.
Considerate/Coherent
A coherent conversation is one that makes sense and flows logically. Consider the order of your points and how you can present them in an understandable manner. When delivering multiple forms of communication, it is also critical to maintaining consistency in style and content.
How can you write so that your readers have an aha moment? One approach is to make new distinctions. Ginni Rometty, the former CEO of IBM, provided one with this future description: “It will not be a world of man versus machine; it will be a world of man plus machine.”
Complete
Make sure you jot down everything needed in your write-up beforehand, like an overview or write-up structure. As Marwin Swift said, “Clear writing means clear thinking.” You might have all the great ideas and thoughts in the world, and if your write-up doesn’t make sense or leave your readers astray, there is a fair chance that the readers may lose interest. Effective written communication is not a gift you are born with, it is a skill that you cultivate to keep moving forward.
Complete communication ensures that the readers have all of the information they require and can easily reach the desired conclusion. Among the many ways to be complete are
- Including a “call to action,” or what you want your audience to do after receiving the message.
- Incorporating hyperlinks into the written content to ensure that all information is available.
The seven C’s can be your secret weapon when it comes to writing well. Since they elicit the same neural responses as other pleasurable stimuli, they are effective tools for engaging readers. You probably recognize their worth intuitively because millions of years of evolution have conditioned our brains to recognize what feels right. So feed those instincts. They’ll lead you to the writer’s version of the Golden Rule: Reward readers in the same way that you would reward yourself.
Vaibhav, I hope you understand what glues written communication together, asked Sivaranjan. Yes, I do uncle, it is something we indulge in every day, yet it is a mystery we discover by working at it consistently. That is why it is the real work of leadership, and you have collected these gems by investing time in learning the skills meticulously, said Vaibhav grippingly.
Sivaranjan laid back in his chair with a smile in his eyes, when the thought struck him again of writing the book to set the tone for millions of freshers like Vaibhav. He thanked Vaibhav for his kind words. I am enthralled to show you the path to your success, yet the journey is yours to tread, so tread lightly and wisely.
Today we have gone through the introduction to written communication. Next, we will discuss email etiquette, report writing, and letter writing, said Sivaranjan.
I am looking forward to it, uncle, uttered Vaibhav.
https://hbr.org/2021/07/the-science-of-strong-business-writing
https://www.professionalacademy.com/blogs/the-7-cs-of-communication/
https://quotesgram.com/written-communication-quotes/
https://worldofwork.io/2019/07/the-7-cs-of-communication/
https://in.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/written-communication
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Written By: Jimmy Jain
Edited By: Afreen Fatima
Society of Design Thinking Professionals
