How to Improve Your Writing Skills

With the recent focus on reviving the economy by nurturing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students, one might conclude there’s little economic value in honing a basic skill like writing.

Not true, say Stephanie Roberson Barnard and Deborah St James, authors of Listen. Write. Present.:The Elements for Communicating Science and Technology. They cite the American Society for Engineering Education in which researchers ranked technical writing No. 2 in a list of 38 necessary skills for engineers.

Engineers aren’t the only ones who need to write effectively in order to get ahead says Barnard, a communications consultant who specializes in training medical professionals to speak and write clearly and persuasively. A recent ad for a pharmacist read, “Clinical Pharmacist: Strong Writing Skills Required!” Basically every job in the science and technology fields today requires effective writing skills, she says. Continue Reading