You don't have to be a "writer" to be a writer.

When I visit a company and ask employees what they want to improve about their writing, people often give me a variation on one of these answers: “I’m really a STEM person, not a writer.” Or “I’ve always been a terrible writer.” Or “I thought I was a good writer, but my boss doesn’t agree, so I guess I’m not.” Or “Writing just isn’t my thing.”

If you don’t know how to do something that seems like it must come naturally to others, then of course you’re going to think you can’t do it.

But here’s the good news: you don’t have to be Shakespeare to send a clear, thoughtful email or an effective proposal. If your boss asked you to learn how to use a particular data storage solution or to boil an egg long enough to avoid giving everyone salmonella, you wouldn’t say, “I’m just not Bill Gates,” or “I’m just not Julia Child.” You would figure out what needs to be done and you would do it. No one thinks they need to be born knowing how to to read a spreadsheet or manage a team—and you don’t need to be born knowing how to write a memo. You just need guidance and practice.

There is no magic pill you can take that will make you a stronger, clearer, and more efficient writer, but there are practical steps you can take to avoid confusing your readers, frustrating your supervisors, and spending too much time spinning your wheels instead of completing writing tasks.

In the coming weeks, I’m going to break down those steps and focus on bite-sized strategies that you can apply to your writing.