Writing for Professional Development

For those whose vocation is writing-intensive, such as journalists, academics, secretaries, etc the command of a superb language mechanics is a great determinant of their success at the workplace as well as the prestige ascribed to them by their publics. People like Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, J.P. Clark, Ayo Banjo, Reuben Abati, Dare Babarinsa, are few among the contemporary people who have attained international prominence through their writing skills.

Students in academic institutions, especially those in the humanities, also need a good command of language to enhance their grades. Therefore, it behoves anyone whose line has anything to do with writing to hone his writing skill by reading and writing regularly.

CONCLUSION

 So far we have considered the various ways we can use the four communication skills to achieve personal development, which is the key to success, excellence and greatness. In the words of Riley, as documented by Tracy (2004):

By engaging in continuous self-improvement, you can put yourself behind the wheel of your own life. By dedicating yourself to enhancing your earning ability, you will automatically be engaging in the continuous process of personal development. By learning more, you prepare yourself to earn more. You position yourself for tomorrow by developing the knowledge and skills that you need to be a valuable and productive part of …(the) economy, no matter which direction it goes.

This is a final word to underscore the role of personal development in attaining your dreams in life. There is no shortcut to earning more, becoming more and achieving greatness except to follow the route of disciplined and sustained investment in the self. Any attempt to go it otherwise will only be like trying to beat the devil to his own game. And this reminds me of the story of the man who did just that.

Some time ago, the devil compiled a list of one thousand people who were due for death because of their nefarious activities on earth. The number one person on that list happened to be a notorious Nigerian fraudster (popularly known as 419), whose fraudulent records had no rival under heaven. After getting God’s approval to execute the sinners, the devil went to the house of his first victim and announced his mission there without much ado.

To his utmost surprise, this fraudster did not betray any sign of fear nor plead for mercy. Instead, he welcomed the devil most cheerfully and invited him to sit down so that he could entertain him, as the august visitor that he was, before he carries out his mission. Then the man served the devil several bottles of beer and large portions of barbecues (suya), which he gulped down so ravenously till he fell into a long sleep.

While he was fast asleep, this fraudster quickly erased his name from the number one position on the devil’s list and wrote it as the last name. Then he anxiously waited for his visitor to wake up and discover his mistake.

After several hours, the devil finally woke up and groggily looked around him in confusion.  Then his eyes centred on the man standing beside him, and he smiled with pleasure. He said:

“My friend, you surprised me a lot. I never knew human beings are capable of the hospitality and generosity you have shown me today”. He placed his hand on the man’s shoulder and gave him a friendly pat.

“Guess what? I’m going to do you a big favour in return. I’ll give you enough time to prepare yourself and put your house in order before I come for you.  So I wont kill you now, instead I will start my killing from the last name on my list” (Oladele, unpublished).

Writing for Social Integration

An effective writing skill can be a great source of prestige in the society for anyone who possesses it. As stated earlier, few people possess the writing skill to a commendable extent.  And those who do usually enjoy considerable credibility in the society because most people believe the written word (and a writer) more than they do the spoken words (and a public speaker).

Another way to use written communication to enhance your social integration is by cultivating the habit of writing letters or short notes to compliment or encourage people; your family members, friends, colleagues, or even people who do not know you but whom you admire and desire to be friendly with. In the words of Benson (undated:183), ‘we live by encouragement, and die without it –  slowly, sadly and angrily’. Therefore, the man who looks beyond himself to sincerely appreciate others in long or short writings will not just be adding a memorable value to them, but will also earn himself an impressive collection of allies. And the more people you have around you, the easier you are able to perform tasks and achieve your aims in life.     

Writing for Emotional Development

One way writing helps one emotionally is in the area of catharsis which the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (1998:176) defines as “the process of releasing strong feelings, e.g. through drama or other artistic activities, as a way of providing relief from anger, suffering, etc.”

When in an emotional state that disturbs your equanimity, picking up a pen to write exactly how you feel is a sure way of tranquilizing the storms in your mind. No matter the gibberish you may write or how incoherent your thought-flow may be, simply pouring out your heart on paper is able to sufficiently calm you down and prevent you from acting out of place.

Another way you can use writing to achieve an emotional end is by documenting your feelings of attraction or affection for another person, usually the opposite sex. Such writings are usually a better and more accurate representation of the depth of one’s feeling than words of mouth can express. The rhythmical quality of such lettered emotions are also poetic.  That is why Wordsworth describes poetry as ‘the spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling recollected in tranquility’.

    

WRITING FOR PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

The Cambridge International Dictionary of English (1996:1692) defines writing as “the activity of creating pieces of writing work, such as stories, poems or articles”.  In the words of Beck et al (2002:31), “writing is a method of passing information from one person to another, or to a group of people”. They however did not limit writing’s function to information alone, as they also cite persuasion and entertainment as veritable resources to which writing can be put to.

Of the four communication skills, writing is the least utilized for obvious reasons. It requires a great expenditure of time and mental efforts to write. It is a process of drafting, editing, and redrafting to usually arrive at an acceptable finished product. The more reason it has been a highly prized communication skill throughout history. Its mastery confers great powers and influence on whoever possesses it (Beck et al, 2002), Hence the popular saying that “the pen is mightier than the sword”.

The beauty of writing is not usually in its volumes, but in the style and the effectiveness of the content in achieving the set objective(s) of the writer. Effective writing essentially thrives on clarity, precision, and conciseness. In the words of Adesanoye (1995:115):

Effective writing…is a piece of written communication that conveys its message in the simplest, clearest, most concise and most readable way possible. It is also that piece of writing in which the manner of expression dovetails perfectly with the subject matter; one in which…there is a close fit between what and how.

Simplicity, clarity, readability and conciseness are thus the hallmarks of effective writing.

With this background on writing, we shall now proceed to highlight how it can be used for various forms of personal development.

Writing aids the development of the mental faculty because, more than any communication effort, it involves a lot of thinking. The writer often finds himself writing, cancelling and rewording his expressions in the effort to choose the words that will most suitably convey his heart to his reader(s). In the process of doing this, he regularly consult the dictionary and thesaurus, thereby increasing his bank of vocabulary while at the same time honing his intellect.

Reading for Professional Development

The impact of reading in professional and technical development cannot be overemphasized. Rohn, (2005a) quoting Charlie ‘Tremendous’ Jones, says: “You will be in five years the sum total of the books you read and the people you are around”. This underscores the great influence that reading plays in the ultimate manifestation of the self. And, since a larger percentage of our days are spent at the workplace, the books we read will sure have a great bearing on our performance at work.

Another way reading can accelerate one professionally is by aiding in the passing of different academic and professional exams. To qualify as professionals, students and workers need to read well in order to pass their exams in flying colours; teachers and lecturers need to read widely to teach their courses effectively as well as publish in their fields of specialization for promotion. There is no professional calling that one does not need to read to perform better, produce better products, and deliver better services.

To conclude our discourse on reading for personal development, let us consider Rohn’s (2005c) wise counsel:

Failure is not a single, cataclysmic event.  We do not fail overnight. Failure is the inevitable result of an accumulation of poor thinking and poor choices…

If we have not bothered to read a single book in the past ninety days, this lack of discipline does not seem to have any immediate impact on our lives. And since nothing drastic happened to us after the first ninety days, we repeat this error in judgment for another ninety days, and on and on it goes. Why? Because it doesn’t seem to matter. And herein lies the great danger. Far worse than not reading the books is not even realizing that it matters.

Reading for Emotional Development

The first way to utilize reading for emotional development is in the building of a good self-esteem. The amount of information and depth of knowledge you have will directly influence both how you see yourself as well as how others regard you. A man who does not read will be bereft of knowledge. He will have nothing to say when people who are better informed are talking about a subject of discourse, and will have to settle for what others tell him. This does not help the ego in any way. So by cultivating a reading habit, you will not just be enhancing your intellect, but you will also be giving your self-esteem a boost as well.

Another way reading can be deployed for emotional development is in the formulation of personal polices and philosophies of life. The more you know, the better you become and the more you are able to put under check you erratic feelings and desires and coordinate them to make the most of yourself.

Reading for Mental Development

To say that reading is the most important element in cultivating the mind and intellect is not an exaggeration. The depth of learning that you possess is directly related to the amount of reading you have done. But most people would rather do something else than take a book and read. Carson (1992:193) a brain surgeon, cites reasons that people usually give to excuse their unwillingness to read as:

1.      Too much learning overtaxes the brain

2.      Certain kinds of knowledge are irrelevant.

He then goes ahead to refute these excuses thus:

We cannot overload the human brain. This divinely created human brain has fourteen billion cells. If used to the maximum, this human computer inside our heads could contain all the knowledge of humanity from the beginning of the world to the present and still have room left over.

Second, not only can we not overload our brain – we also know that our brain retains everything. I often use a saying that, “the brain acquires everything that we encounter”. The difficulty does not come with the input of information, but in getting it out.

Sometimes we “file” information randomly, or tie significant bits of information to information of little importance, and it confuses us.

All knowledge is important – a fact that some people do not want to hear.  One of the wonderful things about learning is that knowledge not only translates from one area to another, but also is an avenue that leads to understanding and insight (1992:193-194).

Education is the most obvious way by which your mental capacity can be expressed and measured.  And there is no education without reading; the two are mutually exclusive, they go hand in hand. Carson (1999:202) also offers an insight on this concept. He says:

Ultimately, the quality of your education is up to you.  It is a choice only you can make. You decide how much you are going to empower yourself through learning and knowledge. How far you go is determined, largely, by how much you are willing to go.

Any(one)…who so desires can achieve a high quality education, whoever or wherever he or she may be  - as long as (he or she)… can read, because once you can read, you can achieve the world’s greatest education.

Therefore, to utilize the reading skill, as well as other communication skills, for personal development of any kind is a function of the choice of an individual.