6 Ways to improve your Writing Skills
Writing Skills: One skill that most people need in business is writing. Entrepreneurs working on their own will find themselves writing emails, proposals, blog posts, social media posts, on a regular basis. This is why developing your writing skills as an entrepreneur is essential. In this blog, I’ll share my top 6 ways to improve your writing skills.
Write Every Day
When it comes down to how to improve your writing skills it can be hard to know where to get started. The best way to refine any skill is to practice it. With writing, you should be practicing daily. Chances are, you already are as you are replying to emails and sharing social media updates. If not, then you need to start.
As you write more, you will find one of two things. You will find that the more you write, the easier it gets or you will find that the more you write, the more you need to polish your writing skills. If the latter is the case, definitely try the following.
Know Your Facts
You will lose credibility quickly if the information you communicate isn’t accurate. So don’t rely on any old source to give you the information you need. Many websites quote incomplete or incorrect information, and some even purposefully spread untruths. Focus on official institutional sites, like those run by government agencies, educational organizations or well-established businesses. If your source cites another study or report, find the original and interpret the data yourself. Don’t trust a stat just because it’s reported by a news outlet. Do your own fact-checking.
Look for Potential Misunderstandings
Once you’ve completed a draft, ask yourself, “How could this be misunderstood?” Take a step back from your writing and read it from the audience’s point of view. Look for words with multiple meanings and replace them with more precise alternatives. If you’re describing a process, use sequencing and transition words, like “first,” “second” or “next,” to help your reader follow along. Double check your work and make your writing as clear as possible.
Keep it Simple
KISS stands for Keep It Simple Silly. When it comes to writing, the simpler you make it, the better. Make your point and move on. You shouldn’t be focused on word count as much as you are focused on whether your reader will be able to get what you are saying and take value from it.
Read What You Write Out Loud
Even after you have done a full online editing of your writing, you should give it a final test by actually reading your writing out loud. There are some things that might be grammatically correct, but unnatural otherwise. If any portion of your writing is difficult to say out loud, then it might need to be rewritten for better clarity.
Alternatively, you can have someone else read your writing out loud to you. Being the recipient of your own writing could help you further improve it.
Use a Professional Online Editor
Most text editors and word processors like Microsoft Word or your browser have a built-in proofing tool that helps to correct basic spelling and grammar. But the problem with these built-in tools is that they miss a lot of mistakes and teach you little about the mistakes you are making.
Grammarly and Hemingway are the best alternatives to hiring a professional editor for your writing. They are online editors that can help you improve your writing by identifying specific writing errors, letting you know why they are errors, and helping you correct them.
In Conclusion
When it comes to writing, there is always room for improvement. Even if all you do after reading this post is invest in the professional online editor, you will have made a great investment in the future of your business through better writing.
