I peered at the screen. Leaning forward and looking directly at the webcam, like I always advise speakers to do to mirror in-person eye contact, I paused.
‘Two non-negotiable habits improve your writing over time’.
And, noting the participants’ curious nonverbal cues, I changed my tone, increased my volume, and milked the moment.
‘They’re so simple that when I mention them, you’ll be surprised. But…’
And so goes my routine announcement when facilitating a writing class with a new cohort of executive MBA participants at the Lagos Business School. (In this Financial Times-ranked business school, I work part-time.)
Whether it’s my first virtual session with them or an in-person engagement on campus, my goal is the same:
Make a strong case to cultivate two underestimated habits and inspire them to act.
I’ve tested the habits over the years and can attest to how they unexpectedly transformed my writing. And no academic revelation or research led me to that conclusion (although renowned writers swear by them in different ways). I consistently applied them alongside other writing mechanics and realised they were powerful.
So, whatever your field, writing well gets you noticed. But excellent writing leads to direct and indirect benefits, including influencing people with or without formal authority and inspiring change.
Commit to the two habits below to transform your writing.
Habit #1: Read well-written materials
You’re probably wondering what the correlation is between reading good materials and writing effectively to improve results. I’ve tackled the issue in lectures, in international podcasts where I’ve been invited to speak, and even on local radio channels.
Not only should you read regularly, but you should discriminate what you read. Reading selectively by focusing on the quality of the pieces (and not the genre) does two simple, yet practical things:
A) It helps you unlearn decade-long exposure to bad writing
Undoing the negative effects
This harmful exposure includes poor grammar, maddening uses (e.g. excessive capitalisation), ambiguous writing, confusing constructions, and incorrect punctuation.
Here’s the unfortunate sequence:
I) You learn a wrong construction as a child.
II) You see it repeatedly reinforced in poor-quality materials, which cements the error over decades.
III) You then become so accustomed to that error that when you’re exposed to the truth (e.g., in a communication course at university or during an MBA programme), you’re convinced the correct version is wrong.
It was my experience when I had to unlearn wrong grammar and other expressions. When I was younger, my mum would correct me on some error, and when I became sceptical, she’d tell me dryly:
‘You’re so used to the wrong one that the right one seems wrong’.
Decades later, I’d teach a similar observation in the business school.
Therefore, be on your guard against some ‘harmless’ mistakes you’ve heard or seen in print. These often take the form of a malapropism — or a folk etymology — where a familiar word mistakenly replaces the original, stripping away the idiom’s history or logic.
For example:
- Original/Standard: ‘What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander’. (The standard idiom, as recorded in John Ray’s A Collection of English Proverbs, 1670).
- Incorrect/Common Error: ‘What’s good for the goose is good for the gander’.
Left unchecked, such mistakes compound and damage your credibility. Professionals, peers, bosses, and partners will then find it difficult to reconcile your hard-won expertise with your unclear/erroneous writing.
That’s why unlearning poor writing conventions begins with consistently reading excellent materials from multiple sources.
Regular exposure to good content slowly rewires how you think, what you say, and finally, how you write.
Take this point seriously.
B) It sharpens your cognitive skills
Showing you what good writing looks like
This benefit is not immediately obvious when you begin to prioritise reading brilliant content. But you’ll eventually notice patterns that you can use in your writing.
The quickest way to learn how to write well is to read well-written materials. As trite as it sounds, this tactic is a game-changer.
A good book, commentary or other premium thought leadership piece compels you to look closely at what makes the writing impressive. So you’ll begin to notice turns of phrase, how punctuation is used, and how the varied sentence structure creates rhythm. These good practices seep into your writing, enhancing your outputs.
A bonus is that your critical thinking improves (because you’re considering diverse viewpoints that challenge your premises), and you become a well-rounded professional.
Strong writers are avid readers who read a wide range of materials within and beyond their fields.
But willpower is not enough. You’ll need discipline.
The 15-Minute Reading Rule
Since you shouldn’t leave this habit to chance, I introduced the 15-minute Reading Rule in my book Influence & Thrive.
Here’s what it entails:
Block 15 minutes a day to read good material.
It doesn’t matter the genre you choose as long as you vary your reading: from poetry, sports, crime, and romance to case studies, economic outlooks, and opinion pieces. The content you read isn’t important, but the quality is. So start reading work from those who are renowned and respected in their fields.
A note of caution
To develop this habit of reading well-written materials, you need to prioritise reading the content rather than just listening to it.
While audiobooks and narrations are convenient and enjoyable, your brain creates new neural connections and rewires pathways when you actively learn. This process of neuroplasticity aids long-term retention. Reading forces your brain to recognise words, process their structure, and store them in memory for later retrieval.
Moreover, according to researchers Cohen, Horowitz, and Wolfe (2009), visual recognition memory is systematically superior to auditory memory. This eye-to-brain coordination ensures you aren’t just ‘hearing’ words, but recording a mental map of the content. Visually, you’ll remember more of what you read and how it’s presented on the page — whether in physical or digital formats — than if you relied on audio alone.
Bottom line?
Whether the material is in print or on social media, commit to reading it.
Habit #2: Write regularly
Sigh.
By now, you know that you can’t improve the craft of writing if you don’t write consistently. And no, work emails and occasional reports aren’t enough.
So, you need two steps in this process:
Step A: Revisit the fundamentals of grammar
Laying a foundation of accuracy
Before you begin a writing schedule, do the following in the order below:
- Brush up on your writing mechanics, including the essentials of grammar, and know when to break stiff grammatical rules without compromising reading ease and comprehension.
- Ensure punctuation accuracy by revisiting the rules governing effective use.
- Apply the 2-Step Writing Blueprint™ to help define content scope within tight constraints before adding depth.
- Align your tone to culture/context, and watch the logical flow of your pieces.
Why this path?
This step is essential because grammatical inaccuracies, unclear structure, and gaps in logic not only distract the reader from your content but also give the impression of low intelligence.
Step B: Start a blog and commit to a writing schedule
Removing obstacles for non-compliance
In my executive MBA sessions and private practice, I challenge each participant to start a blog. With the myriad options available, including WordPress, Medium, Wix, and Blogspot, you can set up a free version in less than five minutes.
Next, choose a theme you’re passionate about. Again, it doesn’t matter what you decide — so sports, cooking, the arts, or philanthropy? However, it’s critical that for the topic you select, you can discuss for hours with trusted friends and family and still not exhaust your perspectives or enthusiasm. This matters because after the first few months, when the giddy feeling of blogging fades, your theme will keep you disciplined and help you stick to the schedule, which leads to the next point.
Third, choose a realistic schedule: once or twice a month, and come what may, stick to it. Guard that schedule jealously and don’t miss a posting, whatever the sacrifice. When I started this blog 14 years ago, I was a stay-at-home mum of two and knew it would be impractical to blog weekly (despite the trend at the time). Therefore, I settled for blogging once a month. And even then, it hasn’t been easy. Over the years, I’ve blogged through unemployment, health concerns, and grief. More than once, I’ve posted the article on the last day of the month (like this one).
Finally, write, edit and proofread to the best of your ability (this skill improves with consistent writing). The length of your post is irrelevant, but the quality must be sound. So, write as though you’ll be paid well by a reputable outlet/newspaper/magazine for each blog post.
Commit to this habit and something magical will happen:
You’ll develop your ‘voice’, sharpen your ability to write for diverse audiences/contexts, and hone your research and critical reasoning skills.
These enhanced writing skills become your critical differentiator at work, in business, and in your field. Also realise that for this age, knowing how to use AI to refine your work and skillfully articulate your value will keep you top of mind.
Conclusion
Unlike those professionals and leaders in my writing sessions, you might not be pursuing an executive MBA or other postgraduate certification.
However, cultivate the two underestimated habits first. Then watch how your superior writing sharpens your credibility, increases your visibility, and cements your influence.
Two things to do today to begin your writing journey:
- The 15-Minute Visual Task: Read two pages of that high-quality professional material you’d shelved. Let your eyes — not your ears — provide superior clarity.
- The Initial Draft: Set up a blog on a theme you’re passionate about and write your first 100 words. Start small, but start today.
Trust me on this.
Note:
The Global 4-Domain Communication Skills Rating Tool™ is currently in beta and will remain private until its public launch in 2026.
In the meantime, please email Lucille@LucilleOssai.com if you’d like me to speak at your event or design and deliver communication coaching and training programmes for your organisation.
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N.B: First image is courtesy of Homegrounds via Pixabay. Second image is courtesy of Pexels via Pixabay. Third image is courtesy of Gerd Altmann via Pixabay.