The importance of getting it right when you write

Over the last few years I have attended a number of careers events to talk about my profession and raise awareness of internal communication as a future career choice. I love what I do and am keen to share that enthusiasm, particularly with university and school students who may not have encountered it before.

The two most common questions I hear are ‘what’s a typical day like?’ and ‘what qualifications do I need?’ My answer to the first is that there’s no such thing – variety is certainly the spice of the internal communicator’s life – but the second is a little trickier.

Whilst there are now internal communications qualifications available and these are becoming more important for new entrants to the profession, if I were recruiting, I would be looking for attitude and skills. One of the fundamental skills you need as a communications professional is to be able to write and – crucially – to be able to adapt your written style for different audiences and different purposes. Whilst it is undoubtedly true that with the rise of digital channels everyone is becoming a content generator and flawless prose is no longer always the aim of the game, having the skills to produce clear, simple, easy-to-understand copy when it is needed is still going to be very handy.

I’ve blogged before about the training my mum gave me and my sisters by giving us random titles to write about during long summer holidays and I am forever grateful that she did. I love writing and I am good at it. I enjoy the challenge of taking complex, sometimes muddled, organisational content from others and turning it into clear, concise writing that achieves their aim. Getting the tone of business communication right is not always easy – too formal and stuffy and it puts people to sleep, but too informal and it can misrepresent how professional you are.

To me, the selection of words that fit together and flow smoothly across the page is a joy. I know that is not the case for everyone and that’s why writing is one of my core service areas for my clients. If this is something you need help with, please get in touch for a chat.

Until next time
Sarah

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