Written by Alayna Sibert, master of science in nutrition and dietetics at Saint Louis University and participant in the Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program
The Professional Communication Seminar presented by Mr. Steve Pijut, MA, associate director, Writing Center, was very informative. We learned about the “myths” of writing and the “truths.” He explained that writing isn’t always an individual task and it doesn’t always happen like magic. Great writing is often a collaborative effort and progresses over time.
Mr. Pijut told us that we should be willing to plan for multiple drafts and expect to “write it wrong.” The writer should have an honest and trustworthy person revise the drafts and provide feedback. It is easy to become stressed when writing, but there should be an ample amount of time to complete the writing and allow multiple revisions.
Great writing is often a collaborative effort and progresses over time.
Mr. Pijut also stressed the importance of knowing your audience when writing. It doesn’t matter if you’re writing a research paper or an email. The information provided should be easy to understand. During one activity, we practiced writing professional emails to professors. I think that I will be more comfortable writing now that I have attended this seminar.