Critical Skills We All Need Series: Writing

Some people believe the world is changing so quickly that what is being taught in schools will be obsolete by the time the student enters the workforce. Some skills, however,  are fundamental and will always be required regardless of technological and industry changes. This is the first in a series of posts about the critical skills people need to succeed at work today and in the future.

In my first year in graduate school, a class in which I was enrolled required that we write and submit an essay each week. Whereas some of my fellow students hated that the class mark would be based exclusively on essays—some students preferred exams, class presentations, paper maché volcanoes, whatever—I was happy with this format. Writing came easily to me.

I submitted my first essay in the second class. In the third class, I received my corrected assignment. The professor had marked the essay a “C” and had added a small note: “You have serious problems with your writing. Please see me after class.” I was shocked and angry. I had written dozens of essays during my undergraduate years and had never received a negative comment about my writing. I went to see the professor, a man I had already classified mentally to be a total jerk.

The professor provided the following feedback:

• Rather than writing to communicate clearly, I was writing to sound smart.
• Sentences needed to be reread to understand their meaning, which made reading my work tedious.
• The content was poorly organized.

If there was any comfort in this meeting, it was that the professor mentioned I wasn’t the only student in his seminar with poor writing. Schadenfreude dulled the pain.

At the start of the next class, the professor announced that he would be marking the weekly essays as follows:

• Fifty percent would be awarded for the content
• Fifty percent would be awarded for the quality of the writing

And so began, in my sixth year of university, after two years of junior college, four years of high school, and seven years of elementary school, my education in the craft of writing. Each week, I’d receive my corrected essay. Annotations in red containing comments such as “What is the meaning of the word  ”it” in this sentence?” and “Run on sentence!” were everywhere.

Week by week, my writing improved, as did my opinion of this professor. He shed his label of being a total jerk, cruised through being seen as a compulsive nitpicker, was  transformed from being an obsessive traditionalist, and was on his way to being a professor with the potential to provide significant educational value. Now, more than 20 years later, I view this professor as the most important teacher I have ever had.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m no Michael Ondaatje. I’ll occasionally read an article in the New Yorker or other magazine that humbles me, writing that is so elegant and well-crafted that it’s a five-star meal in words. When I read something this well written, I realize learning to write well is a lifelong endeavor.

WHY WRITING WELL MATTERS

I think of this professor every time I read something poorly written. Sadly, that’s often. The quality of much of what I read in business and in the learning profession could be improved. So, my vote for the number one, most important skill required to succeed in the workplace is the ability to write well. Here’s why:

• You may be great at your job, but, if you don’t write well, the poor writing will eclipse the perception of the great work you do.
• Key decision makers are too busy to reread material to attempt to decipher the meaning.
• Poorly written communication will be ignored.
• A well-crafted piece will catch the eye of a superior, who is likely to interpret your excellent writing skills as a sign of your leadership potential.

POSTSCRIPT

The professor in this post is William Caplin, the James McGill Professor of Music Theory at McGill University. Professor Caplin, I’m ashamed that decades have gone by and I’ve never expressed my gratitude. Please accept my sincere thanks for your time and dedication. (And, if you choose to correct this post, please be easy on me.)

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