Why do some people write better than others at work? Is it because they won the genetic lottery or went to the best high schools or colleges? Did they pay closer attention in the 7th grade? Or is there another factor, one that makes the difference between the greats and the just-okays?
Innate talent counts, of course, but there is another, more important factor: Putting the time and effort into consistent learning and practice. The writers we admire most have typically invested thousands of hours honing their craft and refining their voices.
Let’s face it—some people are born with superior language skills and get early exposure to literacy that enables them to use their inborn capacities to their advantage. These people might become the glittering literati of their generation. Yet even they put hundreds of hours into developing their craft before they gain the limelight. If they write at work, their reports are the ones that get kudos from top management, while other docs languish in the “unread” pile.
What about those of us who may not write the great American novel or even the great American email? The good news is that writing isn’t an all-or-nothing game. Each of us can improve our communication abilities, regardless of where we start. The question isn’t whether you can become the next Hemingway, but rather how much you can make the most of the talent you have through training and preparation.
Of course, no law says that you have to become a better writer. If you decide that putting in the hours to become your best writing self is not worth the effort, that’s your choice. However, if you are not improving your skills, you are losing ground. You might have to resign yourself to a lifetime of emails and phone calls asking you, “What did you mean?” or saying, “I didn’t understand what you wrote.” Or prepare to be ignored. The price of poor writing is a painful one.
Great athletes put in thousands of practice hours before TV commentators call them “naturals.” When you persevere in the effort to be a better business writer, you, too, can feel like “a natural.” By sharpening your skills, you will gain these advantages at work:
- People will be happy to hear from you.
- People will understand you the first time they read your words.
- People will be more likely to agree with your proposals.
- You are more likely to be promoted to ever more significant positions of responsibility.
If you decide to invest in superior writing, many resources are available to you — books, classes, blogs, apps, AI algorithms. You simply need to open the treasure box of tools to take the next step in your writing journey. Good luck!
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Did you miss last month’s Writamin on The Human Advantage: Improving Business Writing in the Age of AI? See it here.
To read my recent Inc.com columns:
This Strategy Helps Humanize Your AI-Generated Content
Include a Call to Action to Get the Results You Need
4 Ways to Tame the Email Tsunami in 2025
3 Essential Writing Tasks that AI-Assisted Writing Programs Cannot Do For You
Read my article in Harvard Business Review about how to move your business writing from “average” to “great” by using the Three P’s.