Writing Tip: Five ways to make it easy for your readers
Writing Tip: Five ways to make it easy for your readers
You are more productive when you prominently position your bottom line up front. This writing tip is easier said than done. Here are five things you can do to make your emails and other documents easy to read-and write!
Writing Tip Five ways to make it easy for your readers - To learn more about this author, visit Stan Berry's Website.
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Productivity Tip
You are more productive when you prominently position your bottom line up front. This writing tip is easier said than done. Here are five things you can do to make your emails and other documents easy to read-and write!
- Figure out what you want to get done. Sometimes you know what you want the reader to do. For example, you want the reader to authorize a request, or give comments about a recommendation, or put an issue on a meeting agenda. But many times, you might not be as clear. Remember, clear writing is clear thinking. So, when you write, the first thing to do is figure it out-if you don't, you inadvertently play the game of "let the readers figure it out." And we know how well that works.
- Keep a business perspective. As a writer you might think that FYI is a legitimate mind set, but FYI is confusing to most readers. They stop reading when it becomes clear that the document is FYI with no business application or significance. FYI is a kiss of death to most readers.
- Turn the academic model of Introduction, Body, Conclusion upside down. Begin with the conclusion, put supporting data in paragraph two, and give the urgency in paragraph three. This is the model of getting things done.
- Put the background explanation in paragraph two--not one. You might think you are being helpful by bringing your readers up to speed with background information before drawing conclusions, recommending solutions, or requesting action. But for readers, background in paragraph one is confusing, while background in paragraph two is enlightening.
- Finesse with tone. Use the "keep it short and sweet" version of the KISS principle. Get down to business in the opening paragraph and sweeten the tone to encourage cooperation. Play with the language until it feels appropriate. Remember the three ways of putting the purpose in the opening paragraph:
- Ask a question: Would you please approve Blackberry voice activation for the Director and off-site personnel?
- Make a definite statement: Please approve Blackberry voice activation for the Director and off-site personnel?
- Extend good will: Thank you for the opportunity to request your approval of Blackberry voice activation for the Director and off-site personnel.
If you want to increase productivity, put what you want to get done in paragraph one. Follow that paragraph with supporting information and add a deadline, timeline or urgency. Finally, finesse your message by using a tone that encourages cooperation, and then watch what happens. By following these simple steps, you will be amazed at what you can get done.
Writing Tip Five ways to make it easy for your readers - To learn more about this author, visit Stan Berry's Website.
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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