goals, it becomes easy to translate what you know about the subject into content that supports your message.
For example, suppose you want to ask your supervisor for a plum assignment you see on the horizon. You can simply write:
Jane, I’d like to present myself as a candidate for the lead role on the Crystal Project. You know my work and qualifications. I’ll really appreciate the opportunity, and I’ll do a great job. Thanks, Jake
This is maybe okay insofar as it’s clear and contains no obvious errors. But it’s definitely not compelling. All Jane learns from the message is that Jake wants the opportunity and thinks he’s qualified.
Jake would fare better if he first looked at his own goals more in depth. Perhaps he wants a chance to:
Exercise more responsibility
Show off his capabilities and be noticed
Expand his know-how in regard to the project’s subject
Add a management credential to his résumé
But he also has the longer term to consider. Jake almost certainly will find it useful to:
Strengthen his position for future special assignments
Remind his boss of his good track record
Build his image as a capable, reliable, resourceful leader
Build toward a promotion or higher-level job in his current organization or elsewhere
From this vantage point, Jake can see the pitch itself as a building block for his overall career ambitions, which calls for a better message than the perfunctory one he dashed off. He must think through the actual assignment demands and how his skills match up. Then there’s Jane – his audience – to consider. What qualifications does she, the decision-maker, most value? What does she care about?
After some thought, Jake may come up with a list like this:
Job requires: Planning skills; ability to meet deadlines; knowledge of XYZ systems; experience in intra-departmental coordination; good judgment under pressure
Jane values: Collaborative teaming; people skills; department reputation; effective presentation. She is weak in systems planning and insecure with new technology.
This bit of brainstorming helps Jake produce a blueprint for persuasive content. His email can briefly cite his proven track record in terms of the job requirements, his ability to deliver results as a team leader, his awareness that success will enhance the department’s reputation, and that he’ll use his excellent presentation skills to ensure this result.
The weaknesses he pinpoints for Jane give Jake another avenue for presenting himself as the best choice. He can suggest a planning system he’ll use to make the most of staff resources and/or a specific way to incorporate new easy-to-use technology. These aspects of his message are likely to catch Jane’s attention.
Even if Jake doesn’t get the assignment, writing a good email contributes to his longer-range goals of presenting himself as ready, willing, and able to take on new challenges and to be seen as more valuable.
When you use this structured thinking to plan your messages, whether they’re email messages or proposals or anything in between, you move far toward the real heart of good writing – real and relevant substance. Writing is not a system for manipulating words, and don’t ever expect it to camouflage a lack of thought, knowledge, or understanding. Good writing is good thinking presented clearly, concisely, and transparently in ways that make sense to your readers.
I make you a rash promise: For every fraction you improve your writing, you’ll improve your thinking along with it. Plus, you will improve your ability to understand other people, which will help you build better relationships and achieve what you want more often.
The other essential groundwork for successful writing is how to say what you want. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 demonstrate common-sense techniques that professionals use to spot problems and fix them with the least effort.
Try This: To quickly upgrade anything you write, use the say-it-aloud diagnosis. When you read your own copy aloud (or whisper it to yourself if you’re not alone), you get immediate signals that something isn’t working or can work better. You may be forcing your sentences into a sing-song cadence that denotes awkward construction, unnecessary words, and overly long sentences. You may hear repetitive sounds or inappropriate pauses created by poor punctuation. You can easily fix all these problems, and many more, once you identify them this way. Many professional writers use this approach. It works beautifully for business writing, because when well done, your writing sounds conversational.
Chapters 3 through 5 give you a host of down-to-earth strategies for monitoring your own work and improving it. These include computer resources like Microsoft Word’s easy-to-use Readability Index, which provides helpful clues for making your writing clear.
No matter where you now see yourself on the writing spectrum, I guarantee there’s room for improvement. Most journalists, corporate communicators, bloggers, and public relations specialists are obsessive about discovering better ways to write and build their skills. They want to create material that’s ever more interesting, persuasive, informative, and engaging.
