STEM Women on Writing Skills

Why bother writing when technology does much of the work for us? Templates plan for us, spell-check edits for us, and there’s enough information online to produce a ocean of plagiarized work. It’s no surprise that technical and business writing skills are becoming lost arts. Yet, successful communication with colleagues, teams, and clients relies heavily on written memos, emails, reports, proposals, and evaluations. Professional development should include the development of writing skills, but rarely does. Here’s what STEM women who have discovered how writing can be a path to leadership and success.

According to Alyssa Montague, SharePoint Administrator, “Technical writing skills are possibly one of the most important aspects of a successful career. To effectively communicate the solutions to complex problems, you must speak the same language as the other professionals in your field. If they cannot follow your logic, they will be unable to review your work, provide feedback, and collaborate. Without the respect and understanding of your peers, your ideas will never come to life before the general public.”

Nowhere is the lack of writing skills more visible than in the STEM professions (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math). Long before writing skills become essential to establishing professional credentials, they are key to completing a STEM college degree. As I found during my tenure as Research Coordinator at the College of Engineering and Computer Science at UTC, writing is too often an afterthought for STEM students. It’s true for women and diverse students who fought long and hard to master the technical aspects of their education. It’s also true for the business students.

According to Lakweshia Ewing, Co-owner of Biz Boom Apps LLC, “Learning to write well is a vital necessity to any career path, even STEM careers. The nucleus of writing, regardless of what field or industry an individual is embarking upon, remains the same. The ability to effectively communicate an idea, to establish a strong presence, and to write with clarity and impact are essential to having your voice heard. It’s fair to say that writing is merely thinking with written words. To this end, we shouldn’t find it strange that even in this high tech society, we need to develop, enhance, or cultivate strong writing abilities. Regardless of how…