Defence

Human Resources

In defence of good writing

It's one word, with five syllables. It's been happening ever since mere mortals first trod this earth... Communication - it's simple, but it's not easy. Karlene Sargent explores the nature of the beast...

Effective communication, whether written or oral, starts with sending your target audience a message that promotes understanding and triggers a response. In Defence, too often we send and receive communication that fails to deliver the intended message, or fails to stimulate the desired reaction. Neglecting to communicate effectively can result in any number of consequences, including frustrated customers and stakeholders, ill-informed decision making, compromised deadlines, breakdowns in working relationships... the list goes on. In 2005, Defence needs to refocus attention on the fundamentals of effective communication - starting with writing.

Do you ever stop to ask yourself if a piece of writing you have drafted serves its desired purpose? Do you actively consider its format? Are you a stickler for editing spelling and grammar? Do you question whether it conveys respect for the reader through its tone and style?

Improving our writing skills in Defence is essential - and striking a balance between technical excellence, formatting and strong, clear messages is the key. What good is a piece of writing that is beautiful in prose, with all the i's dotted and t's crossed, but fails to answer the question at hand? And of what use is a piece of writing that is technically brilliant but three weeks late? Should adherence to some stipulated template or another come at the expense of timely advice? Have we fallen into the habit of being satisfied with 'half-baked' attempts at drafting documents because we presume that there's a line of people waiting to change it anyway?

Good, purposeful writing demands an appreciation of the subject matter and an understanding of your reader's 'frame of reference'. A frame of reference encompasses those experiences, perceptions, attitudes and values that both senders and receivers of messages bring to the communication situation. So why is it important? Quite simply, it shapes the way messages are interpreted and understood. Writing with an appreciation of your target audience's knowledge, experience, and position with respect to your particular issue is critical.

Messages, particularly written communications, that are not framed in the right context for the reader can create confusion, frustration and delays in decision making - and readers are less likely to respond or react in the way that you want them to. Ask yourself how often you waste valuable time explaining the same thing over and over, or labouring a particular point. How often do you have to iron out issues that arise from poor communication or misinterpretation?

Another key aspect of writing - one that is often overlooked - is tone. How will a piece of writing 'sound' to the reader? Drafting a piece of writing, whether a formal document or an email request for information, requires the writer to be conscious of the implications of the language, style and tone used. How do you want the reader to react? Tone is important because it influences the mood of the reader and therefore their response to your message. Too often in Defence, the tone of written communications is either too aggressive, too passive, or too bureaucratic. Think about times when you have responded negatively to a piece of someone else's writing, or the times you've read a piece of writing that has inspired a positive reaction. Would you rather write your documents in a way that communicates respect or patronises the reader?

Equally important to effective writing is structure. Ensuring logic and flow throughout a document will aid comprehension, and also directs the reader through a process of discovering what it is that's being communicated. Using headings to assist with clarity of messages or dot points for impact, are examples of formatting methods to employ in presenting information and messages in a coherent manner. At the end of the day, formatting serves to guide the reader through your document and, to some degree, shapes their likely response. In other words, it matters!

Let's make 2005 the year for sharpening our communication skills - particularly our writing skills - and make a genuine commitment to delivering quality results for Defence.

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