A Memo Requesting a Workshop on Writing Skills

As you are well aware by now there was a memo circulated recently that was a very poor reflection on our company. Unfortunately the memo was seen by a client and those on the sales force has been suffering from very low morale. I'm requesting your support in starting a workshop on improving individual writing skills. At this point in time I don't think that there is a more important project. It is extremely clear that we need to help our coworkers learn how to communicate more effectively. As unfair as it may seem, we are judged by the way we communicate, the words that we use, and the way we use them.

I plan on breaking the workshop into three main categories; Content in Context, Back to Basics, and Making the Most of Your Tools. These categories will be able to give each person a very strong foundation in written communication. They'll be able to walk out of the program and feel very confident with their newly honed writing skills. With that renewed sense of confidence morale through out the company will once again be at an all time high.

Additionally, this will have a drastic impact with our clients and partners. Upon completion of the course these collaborators will notice a drastic difference in they way we are communicating. They'll feel more comfortable working with us just knowing that we, as a company, care enough about ourselves to correct our own short comings. Not to mention that we are an organization that is willing to go the extra step for personal growth.

Content in Context:

Simply put, know what you are talking about! It's not enough to know what a couple of buzzwords. You need to understand what they mean and why those buzz words are creating a stir in the marketplace. When you care enough to educate yourself it projects outward. People will see that you are the type of person that will go the extra step to make sure you are in the know. If it takes a little time to research your topic before writing about it, than do it. It's worth it in the end. Nothing sounds more foolish then someone writing about a topic that they don't understand. It will come across in your writing.

Know your audience. This is a major first step in the writing process. You will write very differently for the CEO then you would for the guys in the IT department. The type of audience will dictate if the tone, the type of information, and the way it's presented, not to mention the terminology. It has an affect on all aspects of your memo. Once you know the audience the tone will start to present itself.

Make sure you are using the proper terminology. As I stated earlier, it's not enough just to pick up a couple of buzz words out of a trade magazine. When you are talking to someone that lives and breaths their work, they'll know very quickly if you really understand what you are talking about. Many times small departments use their own taxonomy in dealing with a certain projects. Take the time to talk to those departments and find out why they are referring to those items in that manner. It will go a long way in gaining respect from your peers. Plus it could very well impress those potential clients when they see how effectively the company communicates.

Lastly, keep it simple. Unfortunately people don't like reading when they don't have to. Stick to the topic at hand. When you know the subject at hand quality beats out quantity. "Short, sweet and to the point" never meant as much as it does today.

Back to the Basics:

Punctuation; make sure you know what you are doing. Believe it or not, there are actually rules to punctuation. The correct punctuation will help set the appropriate tone. Not to mention that it will help you from looking like a fool. I know it has been a long time since we actually had a class on punctuation, so this should be a welcomed refresher. Here are just some of the rules;

Rule: Use an apostrophe and an -s to form the plural of an

abbreviation that contains periods.

Example: R.N.'s who wish to further their education will like our

evening program.

Rule: Use a semicolon to show a close relationship between two complete

statements when a period would be too much of an interruption.

Example: We should go shopping today; Macy's has a sale.

Rule: Underline or place in italics the titles of movies, videos, plays, television

and radio programs, operas, long poems, long musical works, works of

art, and published speeches.

Example: Saving Private Ryan was a popular 1998 movie.

We all know how to write in complete sentences, yet we all fail to do it consistently. We have fallen complacent in reducing ourselves to accepting "emailese". The following