3 tips to make your writing more professional
In your professional career, no matter what you do, writing is inevitable. It can also be make or break in determining how professional you appear. It’s imperative to put your best foot forward and sound knowledgeable when representing yourself and your company. Throughout this article, we’ll examine three tips that you can implement today to your elevate writing.
Tip #1 - Use tools
The first tip is to utilize your resources. There are many great tools out there but one specifically I would recommend is Grammarly. If your spell check isn’t on in your email you can start with that, but Grammarly goes a step further. Spell check only catches spelling errors, whereas Grammarly will show you if you're not using a word correctly or if your punctuation is incorrect. The program integrates with all your platforms (Word docs, Google docs, etc.), even with just the free version. If you’re looking to take it to the next level, Grammarly does have a premium version. This upgrade offers enhanced features to improve phrasing and conciseness within your work, which might be a valuable investment to save yourself from sounding unprofessional in front of a client or coworker.
If you find speaking easier than writing, you might benefit from using a talk-to-text feature. This tool can help you articulate your thoughts more naturally. For example, by connecting your notes app to your Mac computer, you can talk into your phone and the text will upload directly to your desktop.
There’s also a new age of AI tools coming to the professional world. We’ve tried a few platforms including ChatGPT for help with initial drafts and searching for information, but it always needs a human touch and a bit of editing.
Tip #2 - Read out loud
Another helpful trick is to read your work back to yourself out loud. When just simply looking at your final product you tend to miss mistakes. Your brain processes information differently when reading from paper compared to a screen, and when listening to spoken words. Although writing is generally more formal than just speaking, reading it out loud allows you to identify awkward phrasing or clunky sentences. This auditory-visual connection helps you catch more mistakes and smooth out your writing.
Tip #3 - Reduce repetition
One last quick tip for enhancing your writing is to eliminate repetition. While this may seem obvious, it can impact the professionalism of your work. Repeating the same words too closely together, such as within the same paragraph, can make your writing appear redundant. Try to change up your word choice and avoid using the same terms in nearby sentences. By finding synonyms in a thesaurus allows you to easily swap words that you may have repeated. This will also help expand your vocabulary, making writing easier in the future.
To wrap up, effective writing is a crucial skill in any career, and it can significantly impact how others perceive your level of professionalism. By implementing the tips discussed, you can enhance the quality of your writing and ensure it reflects well on both you and your organization. Utilizing tools, reading your work aloud to catch mistakes, and avoiding repetition are all practical ways you can easily improve your writing. These steps will not only enhance your current skills but also contribute to your ongoing development as a professional.
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