Effective written communication

The ability to communicate well is the most important feature of a person’s personality. 

It's a mandatory requirement for successful professional life and it’s one of the rare personal skills able to compensate for lack of other skills in some way.

Both, written and oral forms of communication are successful if these requirements are met:

Clarity

• Express clearly
• Focus on unity and coherence in the sentence formation
• Make sure the receiver understands the meaning of the message exactly as the sender wants to convey
• There should be no doubt, misunderstanding, or ambiguity
• The sender must choose precise, concrete, and familiar terms
• The sentences should be short 
• The sentences should be grammatically correct

 Brevity

• The message must be communicated in the fewest words possible
• Avoid long sentences and confusion, misunderstanding or ambiguity
• Stick to the relevant
• Choose words carefully
• Use a few words 
• Be concise
• Do not write about already known and obvious 
• Avoid content repetition

Completeness

• Provide receiver with all the facts
• Ensure the receiver do not need any additional info or clarification
• Avoid waste of time in unnecessary communication loops

Empathy

• Pay attention to the feelings of others
• Keep the positive tone
• Give your best to understand the feelings, expectations, and reactions of the receiver
• Show a friendly attitude
• Emphasize positive and pleasant aspects
• Lay emphasis on what can be done and 
• Lay emphasis on what cannot be done.

Concreteness

• Base your message on facts
• Do not base your message on ideas or guesses
• Your message should be definite
• Your message should not be vague

Wording

• Use denotation words
• Avoid usage of connotations
• If connotation usage is a must, make sure the receiver is aware of the additional meanings of the connotation

Patience

• Do not hurry to respond while listening, show patience
• Have the patience to listen, think and form response

Politeness

• The main goal of communication is to communicate a message
• 2nd goal is to generate goodwill and friendliness
• If possible, happiness should be the result of good communication as well
• Possessing extreme courtesy is a key
• Avoid arrogance and passion
• Do not be impolite
• Show appreciation of the other’s point of view

Knowing all this you are one step from being a proficient communicator.

This will help as well:

• A clear mind leads to effective communication. Do not start communication before your goal is defined.
• Speak in simple and straightforward language, this will shape the explicit message
• Fill your message with enthusiasm and controlled energy
• A positive spirit and cheerful tone reflects confidence
• Practice, you’ll get better over time