Michael Furminger’s Lunch & Learn presentation on effective written communication summarised many points which can enhance the quality and capacity of understanding for your written work. He expanded on the topics of context of what you’re writing, the aspects to consider and the practical skills required. Writing is more than just characters on a page. 

Here are some of the key points Michael made; Communication is a two way process. It requires elements of meeting and sharing. When it comes to writing, to communicate, both publication and reception are necessary. One must consider the reception of a publication as to effectively relay their message. Written communication can have many advantages as it allows for the person on the receiving end of the message to be more flexible in the time they take to understand, digest and reply. 

When writing to communicate, there are a lot more than 26 characters available to you. Michael highlighted the importance of taking full advantage of fadás and other accents and punctuations as they demonstrate the effort and capability of the person writing. 

Colour, font, stationary, paper and format can add to the quality of written communication. Considering the message you are trying to impress and altering these things appropriately can  reinforce what you’re saying. The easier something is to read, the faster it will be for the person reading to understand. 

To find out more of what Michael had to say about efficient written communication, you can watch the recap of the Lunch & Learn here.