Written communication is something that a lot of people feel uncomfortable engaging in no matter how much education they have. Sometimes it is important to review the basics in order to get better at skills that we are not comfortable with using, especially when those skills can help in our career. Given the technical nature of corporate communications in the biotech industry, writing ability is something that needs to be practiced and can only help further communications down the road. With that in mind, there are some basic considerations that should be discussed.

Forget the Ego

One of the biggest problems a lot of writers have is that they are more interested in showing off than actually communicating. The problem is that this means that they are more prone to use bigger words than is required, or try to use tools such as analogies and obscure references in order to show off their writing chops. For better writing a person needs to put their ego aside and just concentrate on writing what needs to be said; leave all of the fancy tricks behind and just worry about what needs to be said.

Keep It Simple

A major issue in the biotech industry is that the terms are highly technical and some people get caught up in that. This means that sometimes far more advanced is used than is necessary. Something to keep in mind is that sometimes that advanced language can get in the way of understanding what was meant; sometimes it may seem proper to use a more elaborate word than is absolutely necessary in order to feel like you actually belong. Sometimes for better writing, you need to keep the words as simple as possible rather than looking for a word that fits some preconceived notion of what language needs to be used. Your message needs to be short and clear. Keep in mind that you can use tools such as a character counter to help you identify the current number of characters and words that you already have.

Write for the Stockholders

Keep in mind that you are not writing for just those on the project, but also for those to whom they report to as well. This means that you need to not only the non-scientists associated with the project but also potential stockholders as well. If you write at the most advanced level at all times then you are just creating more work for yourself; after all, you will need to rewrite the text for those interested in what your team is doing as well. Because of this, it helps to keep the language as simple as possible from the beginning. Also, keep in mind that if the stockholders and the executives have a better feel for what the project is attempting then they are more likely to keep the project funded.

In short, keep your ego out of your writing, keep it simple, and write for the stockholders. Writing corporate communications in the biotech industry is actually pretty simple; it is just a matter of deciding what it is that you want to say and keeping it as simple as possible. Keep that in mind and you will find that your projects will be a lot more successful and always find funding.

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