Effective Written

Communication
PM Spotlight Session 25
Feb 22, 2023
 Agenda

Effective Communication Written Communication

Cross Cultural
Email Communication
Communication
Importance of
Effective
Communication
+ helps to build positive
relationships
+ increase productivity
+ improve teamwork
+ enhance decision-making
+ reduce misunderstandings
+ increase trust and respect
Key Principles of Communication
1. Know your audience
2. Know what you are talking about
3. Pick the right presentation or delivery style for the audience
4. Work with the others regularly
5. Test the message and adjust and adjust as required
6. Plan and rehearse and set the environment
7. Listen and ask questions – understand that communication is two-way
 Poll/Quiz
1. How many emails/Teams messages did you write/respond to yesterday?
2. How often do you check your email each day?
3. Do you prefer to receive emails that are written in a formal or informal
tone?
4. How quickly do you typically respond to emails?
5. Do you prefer to receive short, concise emails or longer, more detailed
emails?
6. Have you ever misunderstood the tone or intent of an email?
7. How important is it for emails to have a clear subject line?
8. How often do you use email to communicate?
9. How often do you use the phone/voice message to communicate with
colleagues?
See the poll results here.
Written Communication: What is it?

+ Emails + Job descriptions

+ Text/Instant messages + Employee manuals
+ Reports + Memos
+ Proposals + Bulletins
+ Contracts + News releases
+ Presentations + Manuals 
Importance of Written Communication
+ Whether in personal or professional life, written communication
provides a powerful tool for conveying information, ideas, and
Remember the
instructions
five Ws and H:
+ Provides ready records and references, especially crucial to
ongoing projects • Who
• What
+ Assists clear and consistent delegation of responsibilities
• Where
+ Supplement not only formal but also informal discussions • When
+ You can forward written communication without altering its • Why
meaning
• How

+ Develops and enhances a team’s or organization’s image

 Understand your objective. Why are you
communicating?

Understand your audience. With whom are you

communicating? What do they need to know?

Plan what you want to say, and how you'll send the
Plan your message.

communication Seek feedback on how well your message was

received.

Make sure that what you write will be perceived the way
you intend.
 Qualities of Effective Written
Communication
Use Clear and Use Proper
Know Your
Concise Grammar and
Audience
Language Spelling

Organize Your Be Positive Review and

Writing and Polite Revise
Formal Writing
+ When: reports, external correspondence and outgoing documents.
+ Highly structured.
+ Clarity is the ultimate goal. The reader should understand in the right
amount of detail what you as writer are trying to convey.
+ Writing should be based on evidence, and not unsupported.
+ Focus on results and not just process.
+ There is a place for creativity, expression, and poetry. This is not
generally in the type of formal writing we do at TAF.
Quick tips formal writing
+ Paragraph construction: topic sentence and supporting sentences leading to next
paragraph. Example: read the first sentence in each paragraph of a news article
and you should have enough.
+ Eliminate unnecessary use of the verb ‘to be’: choose a verb that means more
than just existence.
+ Careful with articles ‘the’ and ‘a/an’. In formal writing they’re often overused.
+ Active tense, not passive. 
+ Reduced use of modifiers/intensifiers: really, successfully, very, extremely etc.
+ Avoid ‘sayings’, cliches, or overused phrases
Mission Critical: Summarization
+ Write only as much as you need. We’re not trying to hit a page limit. 
+ Extract main ideas. 
+ Focus on key points/messages/details. 
+ Use key words and phrases. 
+ Reduce larger ideas to component parts. 
+ Again, the 5 Ws and the H: who-what-where-when-why-how
 Overall increase

Change in communication style

How has COVID
and the return to
office impacted More frequent

written
communication? Changes in tone and content

More tools
Tips for cross cultural communication

1. Keep language simple and clear

2. Use visual aids
3. Be aware of cultural differences
4. Avoid assumptions
5. Seek and use feedback
Many English words do not mean the same thing
in different countries/regions
Tips/Lessons for email communication
1. Identify your purpose: Before you start writing, identify the purpose of your email. Are you providing information,
asking for information, making a request, or something else? Be clear on your purpose, so you can stay focused and
concise.

2. Write a clear subject line: The subject line should accurately summarize the content of your email. It should be clear,
concise, and relevant to the recipient. A good subject line can help ensure that your email is read and responded to in a
timely manner.

3. Use a greeting and closing line: Use a friendly and professional greeting to establish a positive tone for your email and
remember to use a closing line to properly finish the message.

4. Use short paragraphs and bullet points: Break your email into short paragraphs and use bullet points to make it easier
to read. Use a clear and concise writing style and avoid long sentences or complicated jargon.

5. Be polite and respectful: Use a polite and respectful tone throughout your email. Avoid using all caps, exclamation
points, or other aggressive language. Also, avoid using emoticons or informal language.

6. End with a call to action: End your email with a clear call to action. Let the recipient(s) know what you want them to do,
and provide any necessary instructions or information.
Bad vs Good example
Dear Theeba,
I wanted to write you a quick note
about Socheata, who's working in
your department. He's a great asset,
and I'd like to talk to you more
about him when you have time.
Best,
Krystelle
Dear Theeba
I wanted to write you a quick note about Chhet
Socheata, who's working in your department.
In recent weeks, he's helped the PMSU through
several pressing deadlines on his own time.
We've got a tough upgrade project due to run
over the next three months, and his knowledge
and skills would prove invaluable. Could we
please have his help with this work?
I'd appreciate speaking with you about this.
When is it best to call you to discuss this
further?
Best wishes,
Krystelle
 Notice that in the good example, Lin Lin does not mention Friday's

Bad vs Good
meeting. This is because the meeting reminder should be an entirely
separate email. This way, Atiphan can delete the report feedback
email after she makes her changes but save the email about the
meeting as her reminder to attend. Each email has only one main
topic.

Lin Lin, Hi Lin Lin,

I wanted to write you a quick note about
I wanted to write you a quick note about
the report you finished last week. I gave
the report you finished last week. I gave
it to Ainee to proof, and she wanted to
it to Ainee to proof, and she let me know
make sure you knew about the
that there are a few changes that you'll
department meeting we're having this
need to make. She'll email you her
Friday. We'll be creating an outline for
detailed comments later this afternoon.
the new employee handbook.
Thanks,
Thanks,
Atiphan
Atiphan
 + Existing TAF templates (Grants,
Contract, Reports etc)
+ Spell check and thesaurus in Word
Tools
+ Grammarly (contact TAF Support
for office/unit subscription)
+ How Good Are Your Communicati
on Skills? - Speaking, Listening,
Writing, and Reading Effectively (
mindtools.com)
Grammarly • Works as an extension on your browser or an app installed in
your computer
• Is also a website you can log into and copy-paste an entire
essay to be proof-read
• Compatible with emails and messages (Gmail/Outlook but
not Teams which has own spell-checking tool), documents
(Word), or social media (Facebook)
• Like Canva, each office/unit can get the paid ver from GIS
or they can use the free version
• The paid ver is $90 annually charged to the office/unit
• The free ver detects grammar errors and run-on sentences
and displays word's definitions and synonyms, while
paid ver includes tone detection and other premium features
• Only writing tool approved by GIS! 
 Questions and Answers
What have you learned about communication since starting you career?
Email Communication Exercise
+ Practice writing an effective email, write an email to your manager
requesting time off from work. Use the guidelines above to craft an
email that is clear, concise, and professional. 
Effective Communication Exercise
1.Read the text thoroughly: Take your time to read the text carefully, making note of any key
points, main ideas, and supporting details.
2.Identify the main idea: Determine the main idea of the text, which is the central message that
the author is trying to convey.
3.Pick out supporting details: Look for supporting details that help to explain or support the
main idea. These may include statistics, examples, or quotes from experts.
4.Summarize the key points: Write a brief summary of the key points from the text, including
the main idea and supporting details. Try to keep your summary to a few sentences or a short
paragraph.
5.Check your work: Review your summary to ensure that you have accurately captured the main
idea and important details from the text.