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Writing presentation (Practical tips/style guide (Emails (Make subject…

- - - - Everyone is time-poor. You need to get tot he point quickly
      - How can you make it as painless as possible?
        
        Ask for ideas
        
        How can you make it enjoyable
      - What are their needs and expectations
      - What's the context that they'll be reading your content. or 'WHERE' and 'WHEN'
        
        What device?
        
        At what time?
        
        What else is going to be competing for their attention?
        
        Will they delegate it to someone who doesn't have the context?
      - What is their level of knowledge? You won't undermine your message by being clear and to the point. But you still have to have enough detail to be credible.
      - What do they need to know to - e.g. sign off on your apporach, to pay for it, to reply quickly, to make the right business decision.
    - - What format will you use to get your message across?
        
        Conversation, deck, email, SOW?
        
        Don't go into autopilot - always question
      - Logic and structure
    - - What outcome are you looking for?
      - What action do you need the reader to take?
      - Can you distil it into one word? (Headline writing)
      - Why are you writing?
        
        The purpose is not clarity, but effective communication - writing that works.
- - - - 'Me me me' - self-centred
      - Too much detail
      - Boring
      - Doesn't get to the point
      - Doesn't feel human
      - Doesn't respect my time
    - - Gets to the heart of the matter
      - Is clear what it is asking of you.
      - Make a persuasive case
- - - - Once you've decided what you want to say, come out and say it.
        
        Organise your writing clearly. Most people "write badly because they cannot think clearly." If you're going to write anything longer than a few paragraphs, start by telling the reader where you're going.
        
        First you must know where you're going yourself - outline your major points, put supporting details int he right place. Then outline the major poins at the start. Call out and number section headings. End with a summary (which is not the same as a conclusion) - it shouldn't introduce any new ideas- just summarise, as briefly as possible, the points. Some documents also start with a summary.
        
        Use short paragraphs, short sentences, short words. Look at something like BBC news - often the first paragraphs are very short. Prefer short ones to long ones that mean the same thing - e.g. now not currently, show not indicate, use not utilize> long words can be a sign you haven't worked out what you want to say.
        
        Make your writing active and personal. Active over passive voice wherever possible. Active verbs add energy. And tmeks it more personal - a human talking to a human, Passive voice hides who is speaking or taking action. E.g. it is recommended - we recommend. Active voice also pushes you to decide precisely wahat you want to say.
        
        Avoid vague adjectives and adverbs. E.g. "reasonably unexpected" could be "few of us expected this outcome..."slightly behind schedule" becomes "one day late"
        
        Use down to earth language. No professional jargon. Not proactive - just say active, or take the initiative. Not offline...- let's discuss outside the meeting. - See p 16 for alternatives
        
        Be specific - generalities means the reader has to guess (and possibly misinterpret).
        
        Choose the right word. Confusing words - affect/effect, it's/its etc - p 18
        
        Make it perfect - no typos, misspellings, errors, dates - your reader might be intolerant of bad spelling
        
        Come to the point. Take the time to boil down what you want to say - and then say it confidently in simple sentences.
        
        Write simply, naturally and hte way you walk.
        
        Strike out words you don't need - p 25
        
        Use current, standard English
        
        Don't write like a lawyer or bureaucrat.
        
        Keep in mind what your reader doesn't know - don't expect the reader to read your mind
        
        Under rather than overstate
        
        Punctuate carefully.
        
        Write so you cannot be misunderstood.
        
        Use plain English even on technical subjects.