Communication Skills

3rd Year Class, Semester II

Lectures 5 and 6

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 - To improve our communication, we have to study how we
spend our communication time.

• Writing 9 %

• Reading 16%

• Talking 30 %

• Listening 45 %

- We have to improve the four main elements of our daily

communication.
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 Writing 9 %
1- Writing with purpose: you must have a clear purpose and
state that purpose as quickly as possible.

• The purpose of you writing can be stated briefly in one or

two summary sentences.

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 • Ex: Suppose you want your faculty to sponsor a class trip.
You decided to write a letter to the dean about it. Here are
your summary sentences:

• My letter is designed to persuade the dean to sponsor the

trip. The letter will present some reasons why the trip
would be valuable for students.

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 DOs AND DON’Ts OF
SUMMARY SENTENCES
• Do write summary sentences before doing anything else.

• Do keep your sentences short.

• Don’t exceed one or two sentences for each writing project.

• Don’t include any information in your paper that doesn’t

relate to the summary sentences.

• Do specify whether the purpose of your writing is to

persuade, explain, or describe.

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 Exercise
Write one or two summary sentences for a short paper:

• Explaining how to be a successful student.

• Persuading an employer to hire you for a part-time job.

• describing to your boss what happened at an important

conference.

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 2- Writing for your reader: It is important for you as a writer
to know as much as possible about your readers. Knowing
your readers will help you to decide what to say and how to
say it.

• Who are they?

• What do they need to know about the topic?

• What is their attitude toward the topic?

• Why should they care about the topic?

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 DOs AND DON’Ts OF
WRITING FOR YOUR READER

• Do remember that all communications are written for your reader.

• Do analyze your readers before you begin writing.

• Don’t leave out any important information the reader needs to know.

• Do make your writing appeal to what the reader cares most about.

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 3- What information does the reader need to know?

Ex: Suppose you are writing a letter to apply for a job.

You begin the letter this way:

• I am applying for the position posted by your

department.

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 THE 4 Cs OF SUCCESSFUL
WRITING
1. Concise

2. Compelling

3. Clear

4. Correct

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1-BE CONCISE—THE COVER
LETTER
• Cover letters (also called job application letters)
usually accompany resumes.

• Both the cover letter and resume should be sent to an

employer when you are applying for a job. The resume
lists your qualifications for a job in details, and the
cover letter discusses them briefly.

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 THE PYRAMID STYLE OF
WRITING

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 Ex: Cover letter

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 2- BE COMPELLING —THE
RESUME
• The most compelling type of writing has a clear purpose. In
the case of a clear resume, employers know immediately
what job you want.

• Compelling writing is also designed to appeal to your

readers.

• Make the resume visually interesting using different kinds of

type. For example, puts headings in boldface type.

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 • Boldface type

• Bullets for the key points

• Keep it simple

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 3- BE CLEAR—MEMOS AND
REPORTS
• Good writing is simple and clear. You should leave no
doubt in the minds of your readers about what you are
trying to say to them.

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 • Some writers seem to think that you need big, fancy-
sounding words to lend importance to a subject.

• Too often, these words make the subject far more

complicated than it needs to be. Even worse, your
readers may not understand what you mean.

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 • Too long sentences

• Complicated words

• Not very clear meaning

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 He supposed to write (If employees don’t pay for refreshments we will no longer
offer refreshments on the honor system).

• Choose words that are easy to pronounce and can be

understood by everyone.

• Do NOT write long, involved sentences that are difficult

to follow.

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 Ex: Long sentence

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 Exercise
• Rewrite the following sentences to make them clearer and
simpler.

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 4- BE CORRECT—ALL OF
THE TIME
• Check and double check before you publish ( choosing the
right word for the right meaning).

• Whenever you write, you must proofread your document

carefully before sending it to a reader.

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 10 tips for good writing
• 1. All good writing must have a clear purpose.

• 2. Too many words can bore your reader.

• 3. The most important information belongs at the beginning of your document.

• 4. Avoid all mistakes in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

• 5. Think about what your readers want before beginning to write.

• 6. Make an impact on your readers by making your writing powerful.

• 7. Don’t use complex words when you can use simple ones.

• 8. Leave out all information that does not relate to your main purpose.

• 9. Use descriptive words to bring your writing to life.

• 10. Never assume that your readers know more than they do.
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 Thank you

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