Study

1. Introduction
1.1 Background and problem
There have been more and more feedbacks that NUS graduates do not write well when they begin work. With written communication skills covering a wide range of topics, NUS is having difficulty in deciding which aspect of written communication to focus on in order to better equip students for the working environment. As such, Dale Carnegie Training is commissioned by NUS to analyze which aspect of written communication should take priority and provide relevant recommendations

1.2 Purpose
The purpose of this report is to identify four important aspects of written communication, prioritize two of them and provide recommendation based on priority.

1.3 Questions
Key questions that will be addressed by the report include:

1. Which aspects of written communication are important in the workplace?

2. What are the main factors contributing to the effectiveness of the aspects?

3. Which aspects should take priority?

1.4 Scope
Target audience are the engineering faculty students as they have less writing related courses/ activities compared to Business or FASS faculty. Hence, they would most likely have more to gain from the recommendations

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1.5 Methodology
Primary data used is ‘2010 - CELC Data’. Response is based on 188 employers.

1.6 Limitation
Majority of respondents belong to IT industry hence, their opinion may not be representative of the general workplace. Nonetheless, the report is still valuable in its analysis of the key findings and presentation of recommendations.

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2. Findings
2.1 Aspects of written communication
Referring to Chart 1, 4 important aspects of written communication in the workplace have been identified. A significant number of respondents (66.8%) felt that email writing skill is ‘very important’, highest among respondents who cited ‘very important’ for a particular skill. Letter writing received a more varied response with only 38.2% citing it as ‘very important’ and 24.2% giving ‘somewhat’ as a response. Majority of respondents also felt that report and proposal writing skills are ‘very important’ (58.3% and 53.5% respectively).

Chart 1: How Important is each of the following skills in your job?
100%

75%

50%

25%

0%

Email Writing
Not at all

Letter Writing
Somewhat

Report Writing
Important

Proposal Writing
Very Important

2.2 Factors contributing to effectiveness of written communication
From chart 2 and 3, clear purpose and conciseness are common factors contributing to the effectiveness of all 4 writing skills. For both charts, most of the respondents (more than 90%) indicated that clear purpose and conciseness are at least ‘important’ or ‘very important’ in determining the effectiveness of written communication.

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In addition, a vast majority of respondents (92.3%) from chart 2 also cited another factor, ‘tone’ as either ‘important’ or ‘very important’ in contributing to the effectiveness of email/letter writing.
However for chart 3, ‘reader-centered communication’ is the third factor that contributes to the effectiveness of report/proposal writing, with majority of respondents (91.7%) indicating it as either
‘important’ or ‘very important’.

Chart 2: How important are the following in contributing to the effectiveness of a letter/ email? 100%

75%

50%

25%

0%

Clear purpose
Not at all

Conciseness
Somewhat

Important

Tone (including being courteous)
Very Important

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Chart 3: How important are the following in contributing to the effectiveness of a report/proposal? 100%

75%

50%

25%

0%

Clear purpose
Not at all

Somewhat

Conciseness
Important

Reader-centred communication
Very Important

In the next section, we will be evaluating these findings by drawing connections with other relevant supporting data.

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3. Conclusion
Based on the key findings in section 2, we will now examine some plausible explanation for their emergence. It is mentioned in section 2.1 that email writing has the highest proportion of respondents who believe it to be a ‘very important’ skill in their workplace. This may be explained by another finding
(Chart 4) with majority of respondents indicating that they write emails/letters more than 10 times per month. Another survey conducted on Fortune 500 companies also revealed that 87% of respondents said they use emails all the time (Cunningham & Greene, 2012). Therefore, there are strong evidence showing email writing as a much used form of communication in the workplace hence, its importance. The varied response for letter writing skill in chart 1 could be that most letter writing are done through emails nowadays. Taking account into this, we feel that email writing should take priority.

In addition, it can be seen from the same chart that most people write emails to respond to enquiries/requests. This would explain why majority consider conciseness and clear purpose to be important since one needs to be specific in his requests/enquiries. As emails are usually short, brevity of content is desired too. In a similar survey conducted on Fortune 500 companies, brevity is also a top issue confounding writers in the workplace (Cunningham & Greene, 2012). Most respondents also believe ‘tone’ is important as appropriate tone demonstrates good social awareness especially in the workplace where people hold different positions.

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Chart 4: What kinds of letters/email do you commonly write and how frequently?

100%

75%

50%

25%

0%

Enquries/requests
1-2/Month

3-5/Month

Request for Information
6-10/Month

Information sharing
More than 10/Month

Besides this, majority of respondents also feel report/proposal writing is important as they have implications on promotions and company policies.

Furthermore, it is shown in Chart 5 that recommendation report and proposals are most commonly written. These types of report/proposals are both persuasive in nature hence, a clear purpose is needed to provide the reader with a general direction. Conciseness is also important as most of the report/proposal is found to be 2-5 pages in length as illustrated in a separate finding1 .

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See Appendix F1
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Chart 5: What kinds of report/proposal do you commonly write and how frequently?

100%

75%

50%

25%

0%

Recommendation Report
1-2/Year

3-5/Year

Proposal
More than 6/Year

Professionals in the Fortune 500 also stressed the importance of writing with the reader in mind, as a reader may not want the same level of detail as a writer (Cunningham & Greene, 2012). This supports the key finding in Section 2.2, where people give reader-centered communication as an important factor contributing to a report/proposal’s effectiveness.

Looking at chart 6, majority of respondents also indicated proposal as a common presentation given. Hence, it appears that proposal writing skill is more useful than report writing skill in this aspect. Therefore, proposal writing should take priority

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Chart 6: What kinds of presentations do you commonly write and how frequently?

100%

75%

50%

25%

0%

Proposal
1-2/Month

Information giving
3-5/Month

6-10/Month

In comparing between email and proposal writing, we feel that the top priority should be given to the most commonly used aspect of written communication. Hence, the most focus should be directed to email writing, followed by proposal writing.

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4. Recommendations
4.1 Introduce email writing course to existing curriculum
This recommendation is based on the fact that email writing has the highest proportion of respondents indicating it as a ‘very important’ skill in workplace. The course should be divided into
3 phases2 The course can be conducted by CELC-NUS in the form of 1 hour tutorial weekly. The
This would minimize potential timetable conflicts with other courses. The course can serve as a supplement to existing written communication courses in the faculty. Finally, the course could also promote better student-teacher communication in the long run as students improve on their email writing skills.

4.2 Conduct proposal writing workshop
This recommendation is based on the fact that proposal skill is identified as the second most important aspect of written communication in the workplace. More specifically, the workshop should be divided into 2 sessions3. This workshop can also be conducted simultaneously with existing written communication workshops so that students develop a balanced understanding to the different aspects of written communication. In the long run, sessions can be split into ‘basic’ and
‘advanced’ proposal writing to cater to the different linguistic abilities of students.

Given the rising number of complaints from the workplace, we feel that NUS should make the necessary improvement to curriculum/courses as soon as possible and implement these recommendations. 2

See Appendix R1 for details

3

See Appendix R2 for details
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5. Overall Conclusion
In summary, this report had highlighted 2 important aspects of written communication, email writing and proposal writing, that NUS should focus on. By adopting the suggestions in the previous section, NUS would be equipping the students with the essential writing skills needed for the workplace. This would certainly aid them in finding success in whichever career they choose.

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Executive Summary
There have been complaints that NUS students do not write well when they begin work. As written communication covers many areas, NUS is having difficulty in finding the most important aspects to focus on. Hence, Dale Carnegie Training was commissioned to identify the aspects, prioritize them and provide a solution to this problem.

It was found that email writing and proposal writing are the two most important aspects, with email writing being the top priority as it is the most frequently used written communication among the identified aspects. Nonetheless, proposal writing is an essential skill in the workplace as it has implication on company policies. These skills can be improved through courses and workshops.

By attending email writing course and proposal writing workshops, students will develop a holistic understanding of written communications in the workplace ranging from knowing their importance to discovering why factors such as brevity and clear purpose are essential for writing effectively.

A good writer projects a positive image of himself to the company and the outsider. It is paramount that NUS implement the recommendations to help students model after the ‘good writer‘ and propel them towards work success.

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Reference
Cunningham, H., & Greene, B. (2012). The business style handbook: An ato-z guide for effective writing on the job. (2nd ed.). McGraw Hill
Professional.

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Appendix F1

What is the typical length of each of the following in your workplace?

100%

75%

50%

25%

0%

Report
1 page

2-5 pages

Proposal
6-10 pages

more than 10 pages

Most respondents indicated 2-5 pages as the typical length of their report/proposal (44.6% and
42.4% respectively). 78.3% and 64.6% of respondents typically wrote 10 pages and below for report and proposal respectively.

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Appendix F2
Employees Lack Writing Skills in the Workplace
Would it surprise you to learn that a third of all workers fall short of employers' expectations in written communication skills? That's exactly what the College Board discovered when it surveyed 120 corporations in the Business Roundtable. The companies who responded employ a staggering four million workers, meaning that approximately 1.33 million employees within these businesses have unsatisfactory writing skills. How can so many people lack these essentials, and is writing really that important?
Half of all companies take writing ability into consideration when hiring, and in the FIRE sector (which includes corporations in the services, finance, insurance, and real estate industries), this number jumps to greater than eighty percent. Again, half of all companies surveyed said they also assess writing when making promotions ("Writing: A Ticket to
Work...or a Ticket Out," 3).
Who writes, and what do they write during their daily tasks? According to the survey, writing is a regular part of the job for two-thirds of all employees. Emails, reports, and presentations are just a few types of writing one might be expected to do in a professional setting, regardless of occupation. One director stated "All employees must have writing ability...Manufacturing documentation, operating procedures, reporting problems, lab safety, waste-disposal operations — all have to be crystal clear" (8).
Employees who cannot write well cost their companies big bucks each year. "The
Commission estimates that remedying deficiencies in writing costs American corporations as much as $3.1 billion annually," the 2004 report says. Sending a single worker for remedial training in writing can cost more than $3000. These workers, it is safe to assume, have little future with the companies they work for if their writing skills are not brought up to professional standards. Commission co-chair Bob Kerry offers these words of encouragement: "You're never too old to learn. [...] It's a skill that is acquirable" (Read, B7).
Why do so many college graduates lack writing skills needed in the workplace? The truth is that it is easy to slip through the cracks in the system, especially if you do not take responsibility for your own development as a writer. Nobody else can ensure your success, and you will be held accountable in the workplace. For assistance, please visit the Writing
Center's resource page.
The Commission recommends that writing time be doubled at the university level ("The
Neglected 'R'," 28). This is a clear call for professors in every discipline to take a more vested interest in writing in their classrooms. "If students are to make knowledge their own, they must struggle with the details, wrestle with the facts, and rework raw information and dimly understood concepts into language they can communicate to someone else. In short, if students are to learn, they must write" ("The Neglected 'R'," 9). For ideas on how to incorporate writing in the classroom, read "Everyone Can Help Teach Writing."
Sources:
Read, Madlen. "Employers say one-third of workers' writing skills fall below job standards."
The Asheville Citizen-Times. 19 Sept. 2004: B7.
United States. The National Commission on Writing for America's Families, Schools, and
Colleges. The Neglected 'R': The Need for a Writing Revolution. College Board, 2003.
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United States. The National Commission on Writing for America's Families, Schools, and
Colleges. Writing: A Ticket to Work...Or a Ticket Out, A Survey of Business Leaders.
College Board, 2004.
Authored by Mel Eatherington

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Appendix R1
Details on recommendation 1:
1. Learning phase (2 weeks): Students will be taught the importance of email writing in workplace and the criteria needed to write good emails for common workplace purposes such as request/ enquiry 2. Evaluation phase (2 weeks): Students will be asked to review sample emails using clarity of purpose, conciseness and tone as evaluation criteria. This allows student to have a rough gauge of the expectations when they begin work

3. Practice phase (2 weeks): Students will be given sample scenarios to write, using same criteria as that of evaluation phase. By the end of this phase, students should have obtained the necessary skill to write a good email.
An independent IVLE workbin can used for student submissions. A independent email account could also be used instead.

Appendix R2
Details on recommendation 2:
Session 1: Students will be taught how to write a good proposal using the criteria ‘clarity of purpose’, ‘conciseness’ and ‘reader-centered communication’ as a guideline. At end of session 1, students will be given a trial scenario to work on.

Session 2: Students will raise some of the problems and issues faced during proposal writing in this session. The marking criteria will be the same as the main factors contributing to the effectiveness of proposal writing.

Timing of the session should be at night or weekend to prevent timetable conflict. Each session should last for 2 hours.

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