With all the book reviews and essays you wrote and hated in high school, you might be wondering if there is any actual use for these activities. It might not be evident to you now, but writing is a critical skill. Being a splendid writer may not be a prerequisite to the majority of jobs out there, but the skill will present itself to be useful many times in your life.
Practice your writing skills as early as now and reap the following benefits.
What Are the Benefits of Practicing Your writing Skills?
1. Enhanced critical thinking
When you are asked to write about your opinion on the COP26 summit for a school project, you are expected to use your critical thinking skills. Just because it’s your opinion being asked doesn’t mean you will not do some research.
For you to form an opinion about it in the first place, you must know what it means. To create an opinion about it, you must understand its implication on you and the rest of the world. You use a lot of reasoning when you write, even when all that is required of you is to say what you think about something.
2. Improved communication skills
Not all great writers are great speakers, and not all great speakers are excellent at writing. However, these two skills are related.
If you can remember, there are rules when writing. For essays, traditionally, you should follow a format. You start with the introduction, then move to the body, followed by a conclusion.
Writing sentences follow a logical order. You have to build the general idea or stand through a sequence of details and reasoning. By writing and following this format often, you enhance your ability to express thoughts logically.
Some people are not naturally gifted at explaining things. Have you ever heard someone talk for minutes only to keep adding unnecessary details and missing the point? You can avoid becoming this person if you practice your communication skills although writing.
Technically, when you explain something, you must also follow a logical order. After all, the goal of communication is to reach an understanding.
What Are the Areas in Life Where These Benefits Apply?
This is where the domino effect comes in. No matter which industry you end up in, your communication skills will save you from many disasters rooted in misunderstanding. It also adds to your character when you have outstanding communication skills.
When you get interviewed for a position you’ve been dreaming of, your ability to answer the hiring manager’s questions would undoubtedly be a plus point.
Even in the fields of the hard sciences, which most people think are so far from the humanities, good communication skills are still needed.
At the height of the pandemic, how did scientists make the latest information known to the public? It was through science communication. To the ears of laymen, terms like messenger RNA, genetic sequence, and viral protein are alien words. Journalists must use their communication skills to explain to the general public what these things mean.
Even in the field of data and information technology, ordinary words are needed. Within industries that have an extensive array of jargon, good communication skills are necessary. How do people from data analytics provide training for the latest Cognos programs for people in the same industry? Definitely, it is not through codes, zeros, and ones.
Even getting into your dream university requires you to be at least good at expressing yourself. Writing taps both your logical skills, emotions, and creativity. How many students have been successful at using genuine emotions and personal experience to write moving exceptional admission essays? It requires some writing skills to be able to do that.
How Can You Practice Your Writing Skills?
All the above must be enough reasons for you to take your writing seriously. Or at least improve your current standing. Just like with everything else, practice is vital.
Start with writing your own experiences. Journaling helps. Write about your day and the things you did. You can also write about your pet, your most recent vacation, or your favorite dish. Then, you can look for wiring prompts online.
The next time you get an essay assignment, take it seriously. Write whenever you can. Practice using proper grammar.
Read essays and stories. You will eventually be able to identify the techniques and devices other people use when they are writing. This will help you in finding your own style.
Keep doing this until you become comfortable with words. Eventually, everything will feel natural.
