My Written Communication Skills

1) Creative Writing 

What does the word 'creative' mean? To me, creative means going beyond your mind and imagination, and thinking outside of the box. Truth is, being creative is not easy. Coming up with new ideas/plans/strategies is very difficult. 

For example, take the marketing department in any company. They have to be creative every day and always think on their feet, in order to gain a competitive advantage against their competitiors and increase their market share.

Since I was a kid, I always thought outside of the box. My imaginations and inspirations ran wild, and my brain was home to the wild and unique ideas. I felt this has helped me in all aspects of my life, and I have helped others solve problems with solutions that were far-fetched and unimaginable.

Creativity is something that is partly innate and partly aquired through one's life. One can always develop and polish their creativity by reading books of all genres, taking creative writing classes, and practicing writing everything from narrative stories to descriptive pieces.

2) Concise Writing

Many times in life, we come across people who just don't get to the point. They "beat around the bush" and waste your time, and their time, before getting to the main point. This can lead to disastrous results in one's life, as today's world is rapidly developing and life is zooming by at the speed of lightning. Time has become a scarce resource, and no one has enough of it. Thus, it is important to always be concise and get straight to the point, be it in an e-mail, report, or face to face.

At first, I did not know how to get straight to the point. Perhaps, this was because I was raised in a collectivist society, where I was always taught to ease my main point into a conversation, especially with elders. However, thanks to my English Language courses, I gained a great amount of practice in writing concisely, that now I can successfully get my points across to the audience in minimal text. 

One can improve this skill by reading books about how to get your points across (such as the one shown below) or practice writing and get your peers to check if you got your point across to the audience in an efficient manner.

My Interpersonal Skills

1) Easily Approachable 

Approachable means someone who is easy to approach and strike up a conversation with. It is not easy to approach people in life; however, one must interact with and approach other people every single day, as it is a crucial aspect of survival. People may be intimidating, unfriendly, or rude, but one has to learn to ease up a conversation with warmth and invite the other person to join in. 

During my life, dozens of people have come up to me and talked to me, rather than to the stranger standing next to me, even if it's to ask where the bathroom is or when the next bus is going to arrive. Why? Because I give off a friendly and approachable vibe, and I can strike up a conversation with a stranger and talk to them as if we've known each other for years. I  am a caring person who gives positive feedback, and who loves to help in any sort of way. Be it by giving advice to a friend or helping my classmate with their homework.

Having such an interpersonal skill is not easy. Each person's innate nature varies and it may be some people's nature which makes them unapproachable. Thus, people should develop and work on this interpersonal skill in order become easily approachable.

2) Positive & Negative Language

When you are talking to a person, you get a positive or negative vibe from them. You cannot exactly pin point what exactly made you get that vibe, but it's there. When certain people talk, you can see through their facial expression, tone, and body language if they are emphasizing the positive (good) side of a topic or the negative (bad) side. 

Since I have the ability to always try to think positive, no matter how bad the situation is, I also have the ability to express my positivity to the people around me. I try to alway smile, talk in a cheerful manner, and use positive words and phrases, no matter how difficult the issue at hand is.

In a conversation, it is important to always use positive words and phrases (such as yes, yes we can, let's work together), and not many negative words (such as no, I cannot do it, it's too hard). Positivity is contagious; once one person has it, it can spread easily to others around him or her, and can lead to a happier atmosphere. 

This interpersonal skill does not come easily. It must be practiced, developed, and constantly improved. One should always be aware of his or her own words and should always use positive language rather than negative language.

What are Interpersonal & Written Communication Skills?

Interpersonal skills are personal-social skills that one should have in order to talk to other people.

For example: 

• Being easily approachable
• Using positive and negative language

Written communication skills are defined as "

For example:

• Creative Writing
• Concise Writing