These writing tools are highly appreciated in today’s society because the written word has the power to influence people’s actions and beliefs.
When people say something, it can often be attributed to emotions and rashness, and as such, people may not fairly evaluate the content.
However, when something is written down, individuals tend to perceive that content as more relevant and of greater importance.
Of course, not all pieces of writing have the same effect. In order to ensure credibility and influence, leaders need to provide content that is written in accordance with specific rules according to the type of content being presented.
Technical aspects must be met, as well as a particular style and tone.
Here are three specific ways leaders can improve their writing:
1. Official Research and Studies
David Ogilvy was a very successful businessman and an advertising legend. One of his pieces of advice in the domain of writing was, “Check your quotations”.
A lot of people underestimate the importance of referencing other people’s material. It is much more than just filling the paragraph with extra text. It is about providing relevant information about one’s commitment and knowledge of a particular topic.
Of course, you should only use official research and studies because they are strict, accurate, and most importantly, scientific. It means that its conclusions are valid as they have been based on results that were collected with a standardized procedure.
Authors should remember to read the whole paper and to get familiar with its findings before they quote any part of it.
This is extremely important because not all articles are the same, so they could easily quote an article that is not relevant to what is being discussed in your writing.
By quoting a scientific paper and elaborating on it, an author is sending the message that they understand a particular topic, have knowledge from a certain domain, and are familiar with modern research.
2. Tables
By using tablets, one’s paper will appear more transparent and well-organized.
For example, these are two ways of presenting the five counties with the highest populations:
Without a table: United States 326,474,013, Brazil 211,243,220, China 1,388,232,693, Indonesia 263,510,146, and India 1,342,512,706
With a table:
Country | Population | |
1. | China | 1,388,232,690 |
2. | India | 1,342,512,706 |
3. | United States | 326,474,013 |
4. | Indonesia | 263,510,146 |
5. | Brazil | 211,243,220 |
With the table, it takes much less time to find the data you need and to see the rank of each country. Besides this, it has better organization and looks more natural.
Keep in mind that this is an extremely simplified example, as there are often hundreds and even thousands of data that need to be represented.
3. Charts and Graphs
Graphs and charts can be considered as upgraded versions of a table as they also include graphical representations of data.
Here is a pie chart of the previous example:
By using graphs, one can present the data in a more pragmatic way and point to the relationships between data. With a graphical representation, it is easier to see how the population of China is actually higher than the population of the United States.
Besides this, graphs are an excellent and simple way to spot mistakes in numbers. All one needs to do is to represent their data graphically, and unexpectedly high or low values will be spotted immediately.
These are some methods and resources that leaders can use in order to elaborate and present their findings and points of view in an efficient way.
By using these, leaders can improve their communication with their audience and facilitate their understanding of a particular topic.
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What Writing Tools Can Help Leaders Improve?
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