Gaston Caperton told the Associated Press that “businesses are really crying out. They need to have people who write better.” Those who have mastered these writing skills are among the most sought after employees. Susan Traiman,Director of the Education Initiative for the Business Roundtable, said that “the demand [for good writing] has gotten greater.” More than half the companies surveyed said they assess writing skills when they make hiring and promotion decisions (http://www.writingcommission.org/). Clearly, it is easy to see how important good writing and communication skills are in today’s professional world.

Keiser University recognizes the importance of writing to an individual’s professional and personal achievement and how writing and the development of writing skills are collaborative processes that involve a community of support. at The Writing Studio provide that support. We use our training, knowledge, and expertise to help writers locate their strengths and weaknesses and provide strategies designed to assist writers in building upon their strengths and developing their weaknesses. Through discussions about works-in-progress—and writing as a whole—we aim to assist individuals in developing skills that will help them improve as writers and build confidence in their own writing processes and abilities.  

The Writing Studio aims to build that self-confidence by helping writers understand the rhetorical nature of writing and the writing process. Writing—or any form of communication—does not exist in a vacuum. Rather, individuals write and communicate for specific purposes within specific contexts; these purposes and contexts guide the decisions writers make during their writing processes. Professional writing and communication strongly reflect this statement. Writers in professional contexts typically write for specific audiences with specific purposes, such as a CEO writing a memo to her advisory board regarding an upcoming meeting. In this rhetorical situation, the audience (advisory board) and the purpose (to inform about the meeting) can be viewed as guides for the genre, style, and tone of the writing the CEO uses to communicate her message effectively. Thus, it is important that writers develop a strong understanding of how genres and styles of writing change across a spectrum of rhetorical situations, as well as the appropriate conventions and mechanics used in such situations. When writers develop strong understandings and awarenesses of these concepts, it often leads to better decision-making during their writing processes that leads to more effective communication.      

Reference:
National Commission on Writing. (2005). Writing: A powerful message from state government. Accessed
July 21, 2006 from http://www.writingcommission.org/