Maine Creative Services

A George Burns quip about sermons also applies to most memos and other business writing:

“The secret is to have a good beginning and a good ending — and keep the two as close together as possible.”

Are you busy? Overworked? Over-stressed? Surrounded by a pile of material you need to read and review and act on?

Well, so are your readers. And at the risk of bursting your bubble, they’re also not particularly interested in reading your memo, brochure, ad, article, white paper — whatever you’re writing.

The solution? Make it easy for for your reader (or audience, if you’re presenting).

Make your most important point(s) right at the start.

Say it loud and clear, right at the begin­ning — preferably in the first sentence or two. As the saying goes, keep “first things first”.

If you were writing a news story, your main point is your head­line and “lead” paragraph. That’s why the opening of most news stories contain the most im­portant information: the who, what, when, where, why and how. (See Writing the Inverted Pyramid.)

Why?

Because your first para­graph or two may be the only part they read. So don’t save the important stuff for page three. Make your most important point(s), loud and clear, right at the top.

(Note: yes, I realize I broke my own rule in this post. I didn’t get to my “lead” till the third paragraph. Shame on me.)

But some rules are made to be broken. It’s also essential to attract the reader’s attention, arouse their interest, and let them know your topic is relevant.

So sometimes it’s better to hit them at the beginning with a fascinating fact, provocative question, or anything else that might “hook” them. Just make sure it supports your main point. Then follow up quickly with your VIP. (Just keep it near the top.)

There — two writing tips for the price of one.

A simple outline is your map through the cluttered forest of your mind. Let’s face it, we’re all bombarded with calls, emails, meetings, interruptions and distractions of all sorts, from every direction, every day.

All an outline does is help you stay on track. Like a map, it shows you exactly where you want to go, how to get there, and even alerts you when you stray off-course. Result: You get there quicker, more easily.

Like a pilot’s preflight check­list, an outline also ensures that you don’t forget anything — at least, nothing important.

OK, you can stop groaning. Forget what your English teacher taught you. A simple outline is, well, simple. A lot simpler than drawing a map, anyway. A few minutes jotting down a quick outline will literally save you HOURS of writing and re-writing. Take it from me. I’ve done it both ways, and following an outline is a lot less painful.

It takes just a few simple steps to create an outline:

• Jot down all the important points you want to make, in any order. It doesn’t have to be fancy. These are just your notes. For your eyes only
• Eliminate the excess. Cut the crap, in other words. Include only the points relevant to your targeted audience (see Writing Secret #1) that will help you achieve your objective(s). Delete everything else, or save it for another document.
• Need supporting data to convince, persuade or bolster your argument? Don’t look it up yet. Just make a note of what you need and add that note to your outline. Draw arrows where each bit fits best. Result: Now you know what research, if any, you might need to perform before you can start writing.
• Finally, go back and arrange your data in or­der of impor­tance, or chronological order, or whatever makes your point most clearly and powerfully.

A complete outline might look something like this:

• Introduction: Include your core message, who it’s for, what you want them to do. (See Writing the Inverted Pyramid.)
• Point #1
• a. (Supporting data, examples, etc.)
• b.
• c.
• Point #2
• a.
• b.
• Point #3
• a.
• b.
• c., etc.
• Conclusion

Now that wasn’t so bad, was it? With just a rough outline, you’re ready to start doing any research you might need. Then later, you can start writing.

Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink and Tipping Point, discusses writing and doing what you love:

“I really love writing, in a totally uncomplicated way. When I was in high school, I ran track and in the beginning I thought of training as a kind of necessary evil on the way to racing. But then, the more I ran, the more I realized that what I loved was running, and it didn’t much matter to me whether it came in the training form or the racing form. I feel the same way about writing. I’m happy writing anywhere and under any circumstances and in fact I’m now to the point where I’m suspicious of people who don’t love what they do in the same way.”

So does he just crank out a quick draft and turn it in? Ummm, not quite.

“So do I work hard on my writing? Well, yes. But not that hard. I’m a five- or six-draft kind of person, not a 10- or 12-draft kind of person. Plus, I write for the New Yorker, so I have an entire army of high-IQ fact checkers, and editors and copy editors working with me.”

Gladwell discusses writing and sports with ESPN’s Bill Simmons. Hat tip to Matt.

Who knew this curly-haired genius is also a sports freak?

BTW, he’s also started a blog.

“There are two moments worthwhile in writing: the one when you start, and the other when you throw it in the waste-paper basket.”

Before I do the big “reveal” (as they say in TV land) of my seven secrets of effective business writing, you may wonder why clear communications even matter. Hey, it’s hard work to be clear and compelling in your writing and speaking. Is it worth the effort? What’s in it for you? Why should you bother?

To answer that question, scroll down and take a look at the introduction to this section, Write What You Mean to Get What You Want.

OK, here’s Writing Secret #1: Start Right.

Before you can play baseball, you must know how to do four basic things: throw the ball, catch the ball, hit the ball, and run.

Before you can write an effective business document — whether it’s an ad, memo, sales letter, brochure, trade journal article or PowerPoint presentation — you need to know some important background information. Before you write a single word, stop and think about the answers to four important questions.

• Who are you talking to?

Who’s your audience? Customers? Co-workers? Subordinates? Superiors? Affinity group? Trade organization? It’s important to remember: Different audiences have different interests, different hot buttons. Your message, tone and emphasis will change, depending on your audience.

Tip: If you are addressing multiple audiences, e.g., your staff, your immediate superiors and the board of directors, it’s usually more effective to create separate versions of your message for each audience. (Not easier — but more effective.)

• What’s your point?

What are you trying to say? Write down the distilled essence of your message. Boil it down to just a sentence or two, not all the details.

For example, the core message of this document was: Here are seven techniques that will help business people write more quickly, easily and effectively.

The distilled message of a sales presentation might be: Here are three good reasons to buy my product now. For a financial report, it might be: Sales are up, but profits are down, and here’s why. A staff memo’s “take away” message might be: Here are new procedures for receiving parts shipments.

Everything else in the document should explain, illustrate or support that core message. Politicians call it “staying on message”. Trying to cover too much is a great way to confuse your audience.

• What do you want them to do (or think) after they finish?

What’s your objective? What action do you want the audience to take? It might be Buy my widget, Vote for me or Do it this way from now on.

Note: You might also have one or more unstated objectives. Perhaps you’d like to impress your boss so you’ll get a promotion. Be perceived as a thought leader in your field. Land a book contract.

Right under your core message, write down your objectives – both stated and unstated – as clearly and concisely as you can.

• What will persuade them to do what you want?

In other words, what are the benefits to them?

It’s been explained many times before, but benefits are still confused with features. For example, anti-lock brakes and CD players are features. But nobody ever bought a car just because it had them. People buy because of the benefits associated with those features. ABS brakes mean added safety and peace of mind that you and your loved ones are protected. A CD player’s benefits are the added enjoyment of cruisin’ to the tunes you love. If you’re a smart car salesman, that’s what you emphasize (after you’ve determined what benefits are most important to this prospect, of course).

Here’s another tipoff: Benefits are often emotional, while features tend to be concrete and physical.

Benefits answer the question, What’s in it for me? Think about it: What benefits will your readers get if they do what you ask? The more benefits you can offer, and the more attractive they are to your readers, the more irresistible your message will be.

Notice I said attractive to your readers. That’s why it’s so important to follow step one. Always start by determining exactly who you’re speaking to and what their hot buttons are.

Answer those four questions in advance, before you start writing, and you should clarify and simplify your writing immeasurably. You’ll know where you’re going — and why.

Why didn’t they say yes?

Why couldn’t you close that important sale? Why didn’t you land that new job, or get the promotion you’d been hoping for? Why didn’t she say yes when you asked her out?

You made your pitch, but they just didn’t “get it.”

Why not? Why didn’t they value what you’re so passionate about? Why didn’t they get excited about your ideas? Why didn’t they say yes?

As the warden in Cool Hand Luke put it, what we have here is a failure to communicate.

To get what you want in business — and in life — requires the cooperation and support of other people. For that, you need communication skills. The more effectively you write and speak, the easier it is to get what you ask for.

To persuade others to do what you want, you must:

• organize your ideas
• present them in an irresistible way
• convince them that saying yes is in their best interests, too.

This series of posts will reveal seven secrets that show you how. But let’s start with another “secret:”

It’s your job, not theirs

That’s the first thing to remember: It’s not their job to “get it” — to see the wisdom in your ideas. It’s up to YOU to make them see it. You have to present your case clearly, persuasively and powerfully. You must answer their unspoken questions:

“Why should I say yes? What’s in it for me?”

This kind of writing isn’t like school. It’s not about getting an A on a term paper. Out in the real world, effective communications skills are far more important.

• With them, you obtain money, power, success, advancement.
• Without them, it’s almost impossible to get what you want.

Ask any successful person in any field how important their written and spoken communication skills are. The more successful they are, the more likely they are to link their business and personal success to their ability to communicate — quickly, effectively, persuasively.

Today begins a series of posts that I hope will help you do just that.

Why me?

Fair question. For 25 years, I’ve made my living putting words together — to inform, explain, persuade, motivate and entertain — and helping others do the same. Believe me, I know how difficult it can be. My entire career has been in the field of communications. I’ve been a CBS Network feature correspondent, advertising agency copywriter, magazine columnist, technical writer and trainer.

Writing and speaking are difficult challenges for even the most intelligent, successful people. It’s a struggle to organ­ize your thoughts and express them clearly and persuasively. But I guarantee these seven secrets you’re about to discover will make the process easier. They will help you get the results you want.

In the frantic pace of business today, these proven – and powerful – communications techniques are often forgotten.