Persuasive Writing - An Engineer's Greatest Tool

Last year I interviewed a young engineer who wanted more opportunities to write.

He said "Engineers don’t get enough chances to learn how to write well." I was *surprised by this comment because I recognized that writing well was a key skill early in my career.

My father helped me notice this. He would craft beautiful writing. While purchasing my first home, the seller made unreasonable demands. My dad's writing saved me from many home-buying pitfalls. After this, I started noticing good writing and bad writing everywhere. Mainly because I had my father’s good examples. I asked him to teach me. Here are the tips he gave me, mixed with some other things I’ve noticed on my own.

1. Read good writing. Dad directed me to read Supreme Court Rulings.
2. Don’t cram too many thoughts into one sentence.
3. Each sentence (thought) should support the one above it.
4. Remove unneeded words.
5. Move your request to the top of an email.
6. Format your message with spacing and lists.
7. Persuade by asking “No” oriented questions.
8. Learn to use words like “Although,” “However” and “Consider” to switch cadence.
9. Renew your skills constantly through practice and seeking new techniques.
10. Understand that the skill of writing diminishes when unused.

Learning to write well was a difficult process but worth the effort. I’ve written my way into all sorts of advantageous positions. And, because good writing is good thinking you’ll automatically become a better thinker.

You can try this out with any engineering skill you have right now. Try to write out (explain) the steps you make to complete one task in your current job. When your explanation is complete share it with someone else for critique.

This way you’re not waiting for a chance to learn, like the engineer I interviewed. Instead, you’re actively trying to get better.

Try it out today.

*Surprised, because I was not sure why he was waiting on someone else to give him a chance. Just practice today.