by Julie Miller
A survey was recently conducted in which over 1,000 professional people were asked what they were most bothered about when it came to writing. The overwhelming answer: Getting started and getting organized. Here are some tips to getting started and getting organized with any document you have to write:
1. Consider your audience first and foremost. You can be a brilliant writer but if your words do not connect with the reader, you’re (or, I should say, they are…) lost. Think who is my reader and what do they need to know (rather than, what do I want to tell them)? Keep an image of your reader in your mind’s eye. How does your reader feel or think about your topic?
2. Next, consider your purpose. Fill in this statement: My purpose is (what) __________ so that my reader will do __________ (what)? Are you persuading, explaining, selling, or entertaining? All communication with your customer should be focused around audience and purpose.
3. Next, think about the major points you want to get across in your correspondence. Be clear and concise. Do not dance around the topic. Get to the point quickly. Frame your document around your key points. For example: Are there two new billing procedures that need explaining? Five reasons your customer should contract with you rather than your competition? Three money-saving ideas available with the new customer service plan?
4. Go beyond the formal outline. Who remembers the correct format, who cares and what does it have to do with getting started on your writing project? Not much. Now, I’m not saying that you don’t need some organizing tool to capture your ideas, but the formal outline hinders rather than helps in the writing process. Think about the time (and creative energy) you waste trying to mesh your ideas with the outline format. Instead, use a graphic organizer–Mind Mapping, Idea Mapping–they are called different things, but the approach will change your life.
5. Use your Idea Map to get started with whatever section is easiest. You could start with the body of the document and then come back to the beginning and ending. Writing is not a sequential process. Use your Idea Map (graphic organizer) to get you started.
6. Draft is a draft is a draft. Tell yourself that no one will read the first draft and that though this is a necessary and sometimes daunting chore, you’ll get through it.
I leave you with this: Think about your business. What are the hidden costs in time lost while you circled the computer? Would it surprise you to learn how much time your employees waste by not getting started on a writing project? The amount of waste–of time, money, energy, plus missed opportunities–from not getting started and getting writing is inestimable.
Dr. Julie Miller, founder of Business Writing That Counts!, is a national consultant and trainer who helps professionals reduce their writing time and produce powerful documents. She and her team of certified trainers work with executives who want to hone their writing skills and professionals who want to advance their careers.
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