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Better Business-Writing Results: Plan More, Write Less

Better Business-Writing Results: Plan More, Write Less

People tell me they hate to write. Or more accurately, they’re afraid to write because someone—their boss, client, or even that ornery editor in their own head—will be standing by to criticize. One way to beat those critics at their own game is to write less. How? By planning more.

When a reporter asked Albert Einstein how he’d go about solving a crisis if he had only one hour, he answered that he’d spend 55 minutes planning and 5 minutes executing. Professional writers agree—though we don’t go quite that far. On average, we spend approximately 50 percent of their time planning, 20 percent writing and 30 percent editing. (Don’t worry about getting a stopwatch—the point is to prepare yourself to write.)

When starting a document, good planning will save you a lot of time. Ask yourself:
• Why is it needed?
• Who are your readers?
• What level of understanding will they bring to your memo, letter, etc.?
• What do you want to teach them?
• Will they be reluctant readers? Resistant? Attentive? Passive?
• Are they your superiors? Peers? Employees?
• What is their education level?
• How long can you expect to hold their attention?
• How much detail do you need?
• What length? Keep it as short as necessary, but long enough to accomplish your goals.
• Have you done all your research? Don’t feel you have to be a genius and come up with everything on your own. Be a reporter. Get advice, interview experts, search the Web (reliable sources!) and go to the library.

Organization is next to godliness
Once you’ve gathered your information, how are you going to organize it? What approach will best accomplish your goal? Choose from one of the following:

1. Most important information first: The most common approach, it works well when writing letters, memos, reports and papers. When you lead with your most salient information, your readers will remember it.
2. Most important information last: Sometimes, though, you’ve got to warm up your audience. Imagine how disastrous it would be to tell your boss in the first sentence you need a raise. You’ve got to build your case so that your request is a natural, logical conclusion.
3. Bad news burrito: When you need to deliver a complaint, a refusal, or any other bad news, start first with something positive. Perhaps the person is a great worker but needs to brush up on his writing skills. Maybe the company is closing one site but expanding another. Start with something positive, add the bad news and roll it all up by ending with something positive.
4. Chronology: Save this step-by-step approach for meeting minutes, scientific reports, procedure manuals, etc. Unless the end result is unknown (which can make the ending intriguing), this style is a pretty dry.
5. Compare & Contrast: This approach works nicely for planning reports, feasibility studies, sales reports and letters, marketing reports—anything where you are making a case for something. Be sure to make your points for the advantages, then explain the disadvantages. If you go back and forth too much with advantages/disadvantages, advantages/disadvantages, it’s like watching a tennis match—that you lose.

Plan it, organize it and then write it. You’ll be amazed at how much faster your writing goes when you know where you’re headed.





Better BusinessWriting Results Plan More Write Less - To learn more about this author, visit Lynda McDaniel's Website.

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Leanne Hoagland-Smith
Are your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website

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Lynda McDaniel
(Visit Lynda's Website) Powerful Business Writing – Faster, Stronger, Better. When we work together, you’ll get fired up about writing like never before. First, we’ll quiet any lingering fears of writing. We’ll run off those prissy teachers or bully bosses who made you worry about every word you wrote. Right away, you’ll write a lot better when they’re not breathing down your neck. You’ll quickly learn that I’m not that kind of teacher. I’m a compassionate sidekick who understands what it’s like to look at a blank screen—and what it takes to fill that screen with outstanding words. Then we’ll get you going with jumpstart techniques that end procrastination and increase your confidence. And creativity. You’ve got all kinds of good ideas tucked away in that brain of yours, and these techniques help you access them. I spent years learning how to write and tell great stories, and I can show you the same methods I used to foster my career as a national journalist for magazines and newspapers and author of four books. I bring all this to our work together with an added dollop of whimsy and fun. Let me help you discover your voice, your talent, and your natural writing rhythm.

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