Section 1
Delivering the Goods Quickly and Clearly
Chapter 1
Know why youâre writing
Many people begin writing before they know what theyâre trying to accomplish. As a result, their readers donât know where to focus their attention or what theyâre supposed to do with the message. So much depends on your purpose in writing that you must fix it firmly in your mind. What do you want the outcome to be? Do you want to persuade someone to sign a franchise contract, for instance? Or to stop using your trademark without permission? Or to come to a company reception?
Say clearly and convincingly what the issue is and what you want to accomplish. With every sentence, ask yourself whether youâre advancing the cause. That will help you find the best words to get your message across.
Form follows function
Say your firm rents space in an office building that has thoroughly renovated the entrance and the entire first floor. Your general counsel has alerted you that the landlord has violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). For example, there are no wheelchair-access ramps or automatic doors. Youâve decided to write to the landlord. But why are you writing? The answer to that question determines much of what youâll say and all of the tone that youâll use. Consider three versions of the letter you might write:
Version #1
Youâre good friends with the landlord, but you think that the law should be followed for the good of your employees and your customers. Purpose: to gather more information. Tone: friendly.
Dear Ann:
The new foyer looks fantastic. What a great way for us and others in the building to greet customers and other visitors. Thank you for undertaking the renovations.
Could it be that the work isnât finished? No accommodations have yet been made for wheelchair accessibilityâas required by law. Perhaps Iâm jumping the gun, and that part of the work just hasnât begun? Please let me know.
Letâs get together for lunch soon.
All the best,
Version #2
Youâre on good terms with the landlord, but on principle, you donât like being in a building that isnât ADA-compliant. You have a disabled employee on staff, and you want the situation righted. Purpose: to correct the oversight. Tone: more urgent.
Dear Ann:
Here at Bergson Company, we were delighted when you renovated the first floor and made it so much more inviting to both tenants and visitors. We are troubled, however, by the lack of wheelchair-access ramps and automatic doors for handicapped employees and customers, both of which are required by state and federal law. Perhaps youâre still planning that part of the renovations. If so, please advise.
If this was a mere oversight, can you assure us that construction on ramps and automatic doors will begin within 60 days? Otherwise, as we understand it, we may be obliged to report the violation to the Vermont Buildings Commission. Without the fixes, you may be subject to some hefty finesâbut we feel certain that you have every intention of complying with the law.
Sincerely,
Version #3
Youâve had repeated problems with the landlord, and you have found a better rental property elsewhere for your company. Purpose: to terminate your lease. Tone: firm, but without burning bridges.
Dear Ms. Reynolds:
Four weeks ago you finished renovating the first floor of our building. Did you not seek legal counsel? You have violated the Americans with Disabilities Actâas well as state lawâby failing to provide a wheelchair-access ramp and automatic doors for handicapped visitors and employees. Because four weeks have elapsed since you completed the work, we are entitled under state law to terminate our lease. This letter will serve as our 30 daysâ notice.
Although we have no doubt that your oversight was a good-faith error, we hope that you understand why we canât stay in the building and have made plans to go elsewhere.
We hope to remain on friendly terms during and after the move.
Sincerely,
These three letters are quite different because you are writing them to accomplish different things. Focus on the reaction youâre trying to elicit from the reader. You want results. Yet notice how even the sternest letterâ Version 3âmaintains a civil tone to foster goodwill. No hostility is necessary.
Recap
- Consider your purpose and your audience before you begin writing, and let these guide both what you say and how you say it.
- Plainly state the issue youâre addressing and what you hope to achieve.
- Keep your goal in mind: Donât undermine your efforts with a hostile or inappropriate tone.
Chapter 2
Understand your readers
Communication is a two-way exercise. Without knowing something about your readersâand about psychology in general, for that matterâyouâll rarely get your ideas across. What are their goals and priorities? What pressures do they face? What motivates them?
Respect readersâ time constraints
The most important things to realize about all business audiences are these:
- Your readers are busyâvery busy.
- They have little if any sense of duty to read what you put before them.
- If you donât get to your point pretty quickly, theyâll ignore youâjust as you tend to ignore long, rambling messages when you receive them.
- At the slightest need to struggle to understand you, theyâll stop tryingâand think less of you.
- If they donât buy your message, you may as well have stayed in bed that day.
Each of these universal tendencies becomes magnified as you ascend the ranks of an organization. Your job as a writer, then, is to:
- Prove quickly that you have something valuable to sayâvaluable to your readers, not just to you.
- Waste no time in saying it.
- Write with such clarity and efficiency that reading your material is easyâeven enjoyable.
- Use a tone that makes you likable, so that your readers will want to spend time with you and your message.
Do these things and youâll develop a larger reservoir of goodwill. Youâll not only have a genuinely competitive edge, but youâll also save time and money.
Tailor your message
If youâre writing a memo to colleagues, for example, consider where they sit in the organization and what theyâre expected to contribute to its success. Or if youâre responding to a clientâs request for proposal, address every need outlined in the RFPâbut also think about the clientâs industry, company size, and culture. Your tone will change depending on your recipients, and so will your content. Youâll highlight the things they care about mostâthe ever-important âwhatâs in it for them.â
Connect with particular readers to connect with large audiences
Itâs challenging to write for a large, diverse group of readers, especially if you donât know them. But you can make it easier by focusing on some specific person you know. In his preface to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commissionâs Plain English Handbook, Warren Buffett suggests grounding your prose by having a particular reader in mind:
When writing Berkshire Hathawayâs annual report, I pretend that Iâm talking to my sisters. I have no trouble picturing them: Though highly intelligent, they are not experts in accounting or finance. They will understand plain English, but jargon may puzzle them. My goal is simply to give them the information I would wish them to supply me if our positions were reversed. To succeed, I donât need to be Shakespeare; I must, though, have a sincere desire to inform.
If you focus on a smart nonspecialist whoâs actually in your audienceâor, like Buffett, imagine that youâre writing for a relative or a friendâyouâll strike a balance between sophistication and accessibility. Your writing will be more appealing and more persuasive.
Your readers may have little or no prior knowledge about the facts or analysis youâre disclosing. But assume that theyâre intelligent people. Theyâll be able to follow you if you give them the information they need, and they wonât be bamboozled by empty, airy talk.
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