YOU MUST WRITE

We barely logged in to the online class when the faculty demanded we quickly do an exercise: Why I am in the MBA program. We had only five minutes. You can imagine as most of us had our hearts over our heels, quickly opening MS word while thinking of what to write. For me, I didn’t even have time to think, let alone be able to write. I can’t remember if I wrote my name or registration number on the document I submitted.

No doubt, I am not the only one who do not see writing as a hobby, I just wouldn’t wake to say ‘I feel like writing today’; I write mostly when I need to not because I like to. It, therefore, wasn’t surprising that more than half of the class didn’t raise their hands when the faculty asked that those who would write without being forced should raise their hands.

Why must we write?

As managers, we aim to influence people to action to achieve a purpose and the only way to do that is through communication either orally or in writing. It is not enough to be an expert in a particular field of work, it is important to know how to write too. Of what value is your expertise when you cannot write out your thought for others to understand? It is like winking in the dark, an effort in futility. You must, therefore, learn to write in the best possible way.

Furthermore, there are instances, where the only means of communication is through writing. How do you weather the storm in such instances if you are the manager who never wants to write?

More importantly, writing develops you. You would become more confident as you keep writing over time. The more you write, the better you become.

Tips for writing

To help us make writing pleasurable, we must do the following before you write:

1. Prepare and think about the topic before you write. This would mean doing research on the topic, state the purpose of writing, write out your thoughts; make a checklist and arrange them logically. Following this process would undoubtedly bring clarity to your writings.
2. Have a background knowledge of your audience. This will enable you to know your choice of words, what illustrations or example to use and so on.
3. Avoid clutters in your writing. Clutter is a big problem. You do not have to use ambiguous words while writing, using big vocabularies doesn’t make your writeup more understandable, it can instead leave your readers helpless. Simplicity is key, it will never fail you. Meanwhile, you must build your bank of vocabulary though, as you wouldn’t want to overuse a particular word.

It might interest you to know that you will be judged by your writing, especially in instances where your readers do not know you or can’t see you. Your writing will stand in your place; a good writeup could be the key to unlock the door to many opportunities for you, so, do not just write, write clearly, correctly, completely and in concise manner. Remember, you must write.