Written Communication (WC)

Written communication is characterized by the ability to articulate thoughts through words. For
written communication to be effective, thoughts, ideas, arguments, must be presented in a clear,
concise, and coherent manner, unless the guidelines demand otherwise.

Like all communication, WC is goal-oriented. The reader must therefore be kept in mind while the
message/report is being drafted. It must be adapted to the comfort and linguistic level of the person
for whom it is intended. It’s easy to adapt when there is only one reader, but trying to do the same for
a diverse group, with varying cultural and educational frameworks, is the real task. Effective WC then
attains the level of a skill that must be actively cultivated and honed. Since there is no instantaneous
feedback in WC, as opposed to oral/verbal communication, it is important to get it right in the first
instance.

Types of Writing
Writing can broadly be classified into two types:

a) Expository/Informative Writing
It refers to the style of writing that expresses an idea or elaborates on facts. This type of writing
usually aims to give information and focuses on a particular subject. It is written logically,
objectively, and therefore does not seek to persuade, but rather relies on establishing facts.

- Focus on subject
- Logically present viewpoint
- Be clear, complete, and informative
- Give authentic information

b) Persuasive Writing
Contrary to expository writing, persuasive writing is most clearly differentiated by its objective.
The aim of persuasive writing is to convince the reader using arguments in support/or against a
certain matter. Usually, it is therefore used when the topic is debatable: the writer picks and
presents their opinion on one of the sides. Eg. Op-eds, reviews, etc. are subsumed under this broad
category. The argument, however, like expository writing, should be constructed logically and
substantiated using facts. The ultimate aim is to not just present information, but to align the
reader’s thinking with the writer’s ideological stance.

- Be reader-centric (more than a)

- Logically presented
- Convince
- Factually substantiated

Principles for Effective Writing (Words)

1) Choosing the right word

- It is important to pick words that best encapsulate the writer’s intent, keeping in mind the
nature and purpose of the communication.

- Avoid a barrage of complex words unless required by the context.

- Use familiar words to facilitate better understanding. Except in certain specific instances,
prefer conversational words in formal communication.

- Technical words should be used carefully: when all parties would grasp the relevance and
meaning of those phrases.
- Where possible, use single word substitutes for longer phrases. This makes the writing crisper.
Eg.
Melancholy – Very Sad
Petrified – Very Scared
Enclosed – Enclosed herewith please find

- Use concrete terms instead of vague terminology, especially in official terminology. In

imaginative writing, however, abstract words are still useful.
Eg. Anisha, you have 88% attendance is preferable to saying something as subjective as good
attendance, which can be different according to different people. Numbers are a useful way of
lending a substantive character to the communication.

- Words that convey the same meaning (double entry words) should be avoided. They add
unnecessary verbosity to the communication.
Eg.
End result – Incorrect
Result – Correct
Actual fact – Incorrect
Fact – Correct

2) Active voice is always to be preferred over passive voice. It lends immediacy and liveliness to
the writing. Active voice sentences are also shorter, and the tense is easier to maintain. Passive
voice should be used when the doer is either unknown, or the writer is unwilling to name the
doer of the action.
Eg.
Nikita did the job. – Active Voice
The job was done by Nikita – Passive Voice

3) Idioms help enhance the communication by supporting ideas through commonly understood
phrases. However, idioms must be correctly and contextually used otherwise it may compound
confusion. You must ensure that the receiver understands the figurative/metaphorical
meaning of the idiom.
Eg.
Cost me an arm and a leg – At great personal risk
Let the cat out of the bag – Revealed a secret

4) Be aware of the specific usage of certain words and ensure that you are using them correctly in
written communication.
Eg.
Farther – Geographical Distance
“Let’s go a little farther down the road”

Further – Figurative Distance

“If you complain further, I will hit you!”

5) Avoid using sexist and insensitive vocabulary.

Eg.
Lady lawyer – INCORRECT (Suggests that lawyers are by default men)

Mankind – NOT PREFERABLE

Humanity – More Inclusive

Retarded – Insensitive
Mentally Challenged – Sensitive

Old man – Passable

Senior Citizen – Preferable

From Words to Sentences

General Principles

• Be brief and clear – Short sentences are easily retained as compared to longer ones. If
the sentence is too long then it has to be read multiple times and the possibility of
missing important information is magnified. Though simplification is the key to
effective communication, complex structures may be used if the situation demands it.
To make sentences shorter, don’t try and compress more information into complex
words, but rather opt for breaking up sentences instead.

• Avoid information overload – The best way to do this is to try and have each new
thought in a fresh sentence. If the thoughts are too closely related to be broken, use well
crafted and grammatically correct long sentences with properly used colons and semi-
colons.

• Use less words – Try and use less words to transmit maximum information. Replace
phrases with word substitutes. Avoid roundabout ways of saying something
(circumlocution), address the matter directly.

• Eliminate tautology – Repeating the same point in different ways makes the writing
look unclear and unstructured.

• Stress the right words – You must frame your sentences in such a way that the right
words (i.e. the words that are central to the ideas being communicated) are adequately
highlighted.
• Sentence unity – There must be a coherence of ideas in a sentence, presented in a clear
and grammatically correct manner. Illogical constructions and needless exaggerations
should be avoided.

• Follow rules of grammar – Incorrect grammar can completely disrupt the intended
meaning of the sentence.
Eg.
Helping your Uncle jack off a horse.
Helping your Uncle Jack off a horse.

Meaning is transformed across the two sentences due to the change in capitalization.

We invited the strippers, Washington and Lincoln.

We invited the strippers, Washington, and Lincoln.

In the first sentence, the Washington and Lincoln modify the group strippers due the
conjunction ‘and’ which unites and qualifies them as the strippers.
In the second sentence, due to the presence of the oxford comma (before the and) the
strippers, Washington, and Lincoln are made into three different groups.
 Words combine to form sentences and sentences combine to form paragraphs.
You must ensure that your paragraphs are adhering to the unit of ideas – each
paragraph should be clear and manageable. The abstract (a brief overview of your
argument) should be placed at a suitable position at the discretion of the writer. Usually,
the abstract is placed at the beginning of the report/thesis.
Keep your paragraphs short, avoid unnecessary details and demonstrate a clean (and
clear) movement of thought from one paragraph to the next.
These are a few things to keep in mind for effective communication in the
organizational context.

Some Guidelines for Non-Organizational Writing (SOPs, Essays, Research Papers)

Some Key Pointers:

• A4 size.
• Font: Times New Roman 12/ Cambria

Writing Advice:

1. Title of your work – A title is indispensable since it creates a “horizon of expectation” in the reader.
A catchy title, then, does wonders for any essay.
Eg. If I’m working on ‘How I Met Your Mother’, a title could be something like “The Blue French
Horn Vs. The Yellow Umbrella”. You get the idea.

2. First Paragraph – The first paragraph in good essays is usually a concise summary of the content of
the rest of your work. It introduces the theme that will be dealt with. It prepares the reader for what is
to follow and lends structure.

3. Paragraph Breaks – Do NOT randomly break paragraphs. Paragraph breaks must follow some
formal logic. Similarly, all paragraphs needn’t be the same size. It is okay if one paragraph is 8 lines,
and another one is of 17 lines.

4. The Importance of Flow – Flow is something that has to be consciously cultivated with constant
writing. But, try for some flow i.e. non-jarring exposition. Paragraphs must follow seamlessly from
one another.
If you’re talking of something in the last paragraph, do not use pronouns to begin the next paragraph.
That is a basic rule.
Do not use text talk in your writing.
Do not use multiple exclamation points in formal writing.
Consult a thesaurus for synonyms – Eg. Very sad is better written as melancholy, very scared –
petrified/terrified. (For more information, consult ‘Dead Poets Society’).
If you have used ‘she says’ in one sentence, it is always cleaner to avoid using ‘says’ again, for at
least the next four sentences. A sign of clumsy writing is the same words being used repeatedly in
successive sentences.

5. Please write grammatically correct sentences. I will penalize you for this, as this is an English
Communication class and grammar, syntax, are important facets of good writing.

6. Avoid using a lot of ‘I feel/think’ in your answer. Good answers project your views without
selfishly singling you out. Consequently, avoid first person essays.

7. Maintain the same tense across the essay. This is a very common mistake in assignments. Pick a
tense, and stick to it please.