Are good writing skills required of insurance professionals? That is an interesting question. If good writing skills are not required of most insurance professionals, they should be. As an insurance professional, you have not just set up a stand on the corner of the block. You are not just calling out to passers-by to purchase your insurance policies. True, you are selling a product, but the product you are selling comes with a lot of "the written word" ? especially before the sell is made.
How do insurance professionals get the word out about their products? Web sites, billboards, advertisements in newspapers and phone books ? the list could go on and on. Each of these forms of advertisement requires some kind of writing. Your insurance company's Web site and brochures include the most writing. Your goal is to sell insurance policies, but you also want to make sure you clearly explain the different kinds of insurance policies to your potential customers in terms they can understand. The world is your audience ? your potential clients ? so your writing has to be understood by everyone.
Even if your advertisement simply includes the name of your insurance company, your name and contact information, and a catchy phrase ? as most billboard, newspaper, and phone book advertisements do ? don't you want that catchy phrase to be well-written? If you have good writing skills, you will be able to keep it simple and make it pack a punch at the same time.
If you are an insurance professional whose job requirements include writing ? any kind, any length ? and your writing skills are not quite up to par, you may want to consider taking a writing course. Writing courses are offered online or at a local college. Or, you may want to get your writing down on paper first, then have someone who is skilled at writing take a look at it and offer suggestions or make corrections.
When I first started homeschooling, I decided not to buy a Writing Curriculum! Why? Because all the programs I reviewed were activities I could do on my own. I taught fifth grade for six years and most homeschool writing programs were like my public school writing curriculum, teaching students "what to write".
Then I discovered Andrew Pudewa's Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW). He has a terrific flagship product called Teaching Writing: Structure and Style. It is designed to teach students how to write, rather than focusing on choosing a topic. In the public school system, teachers and students brainstorm ideas together. Students select a topic and begin to write. Mr. Pudewa's program, on the other hand, is designed so students learn how to write. It is an interesting approach, especially considering that most students agonize over selecting a topic.
In the IEWs lesson plans for writing process, teachers give the students a topic rather than selecting one for themselves. From there, Mr. Pudewa teaches the students various outlines, or "structures", for different kinds of writing - essays, book reports, letters, and more. By defining the purpose of the writing, students can select an effective outline to organize their thoughts.
Once a structure is defined, the program teaches students how to develop their own "style". By selecting strong verbs and adverbs, descriptive adjectives, and various clauses, students learn to dress up their writing and experiment with their writing style. They learn effective ways of opening and closing a sentence for maximum impact.
Join us for part two of this series, which includes a simple activity that you can do right now to improve your child's writing skills. Whether you have a younger child, or an older student who is struggling to read and write, these tips will help your student to excel in writing.
Both Elizabeth Newberry & Kerry Beck are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.