The only business writing book you’ll ever need - Laura Brown, Rich Karlgaard 2019
Step 1: Get the ask clear
The seven steps
In this section, we’ll explore a seven-step process that you can use to write anything you need to write. You’ve probably seen lists like the one here before. There are lots of sensible ways to organize and describe the writing process. This one is distilled from my thirty years of work as a writing coach and trainer, and I think it’s comprehensive. If you follow it, you’ll get your writing done. Feel free to adapt it and tailor it to your own needs.
As you browse through these steps, you’ll see that they work together; once you get the hang of one, you’ll probably find yourself unconsciously addressing the others. For example, once you have clarity on Step 1, Get the ask clear, you might find that your openings automatically get stronger and more specific (Step 3). When you really think about writing for your reader (Step 2), you’ll choose your content in a more targeted way (Step 5).
The ultimate point of this process is not to train you to follow a step-by-step process slavishly for the rest of your life, but to make you a better and faster writer. Working with the steps is a means to that end. You should feel free to use the steps any way you want. You can try working with them in numerical order, or you can browse around and pick up tips here and there. Keep what’s useful to you; discard what isn’t. Using the steps will help you refine your own writing process and become a stronger and more confident writer.
The seven steps . . .
. . . to Success with Everything You Write at Work
1Get the Ask Clear
Make sure you know why you’re writing and what you’re trying to achieve.
2Write for Your Reader
Focus on what your reader needs and expects, not just on what you want. Make your writing appeal to your reader
3Start Strong and Specific
Craft an opening that makes your purpose clear and motivates your reader to keep reading.
4Be Concise
Make your point as efficiently as possible
5Fill In Missing Content; Delete Extraneous Content
Do a quick content check to ensure that your readers are getting what they and nothing they don’t need.
6Write in Plain English
Business jargon can creep in unnoticed. Distinguish yourself by saying what you mean in plain English.
7If Something Feels Wrong, Fix It
If you feel like there’s something wrong with what you’ve just drafted, there probably is. Instead of just sending something you feel uncomfortable with, take a minute to figure out what’s wrong, and fix it.
Step 1: Get the ask clear
“If you want me to respond to your e-mail, you HAVE to let me know exactly what you want, and you have to do it fast. I don’t have time to guess what I’m supposed to do.”
—SURVEY RESPONDENT
Whenever you write, you’re asking for something from your reader. It might be a direct request—“please do this,” “please send me that.” It might also be a simple request for the reader’s attention, in which case the ask is really “please read this information and take it in.”
The ask might be quick, or it might be extended over many pages; one sort of longer ask is a business plan, where the entire document is an argument in support of the request “please invest money in our venture.” It might be an initial e-mail intended to open a discussion—for instance, about changing procedures or hiring a new staff member.
The ask also might be an implicit ask, as when a company publishes a white paper on research it has conducted or a process it has developed. The white paper doesn’t explicitly request that the reader hire the firm, but if it’s well done it appeals to a need the reader has and piques his interest in learning more. In business, there’s an implicit ask embedded in most knowledge sharing and thought leadership.
Whether you’re asking your reader to take action now, to start thinking about taking action in the future, or just to pay attention, your communication will be more effective if she understands why you’re writing—if you can get the ask clear.
Getting the ask clear depends on getting clarity in your own mind about what you really want from the reader. Getting the ask clear in your own head isn’t always as easy as it sounds. How many times have you read one of those meandering e-mails and wondered, “What exactly do you want from me?” Maybe you’ve even reread one of your own e-mails after you’ve sent it and cringed a little bit at how unclear it seems in retrospect.
Just for a moment, entertain the idea that you’re not entirely sure what you want, or at least you’re not as clear as you ought to be. It happens more often than you think.
Let’s take a look at a couple of examples.
Luc’s company is getting ready to sign a three-year contract with SARCO. The evening after the team’s most recent call with SARCO, some things are bothering Luc, so he sends this e-mail to his team:
I have concerns about the latest draft of the contract with SARCO. We talked about this on the call, but I’m still not sure what the sign-off process is. And the requirements for Year 3 are vague—if they want something different from what we’ve delivered in Years 1 and 2, it could potentially be costly or force us to renegotiate. We’re close to having a really good agreement, but I think we still have a few issues to address.
Luc
Luc flags his areas of concern clearly, but his e-mail sounds more like he’s turning over some thoughts in his head than actually making a suggestion. What does Luc want from his readers? Does he know at this point?
Now suppose Luc looks at this first draft, thinks about what he’s really asking, and does some revising.
I think we’re close to a really good agreement with SARCO. But I suggest we hold off finalizing the contract until we clarify these two questions:
What exactly is the sign-off process? (We tried but didn’t resolve it on the call.)
What are the requirements for Year 3?
If we don’t straighten these out now, it could be costly in the future. Let’s put these on the agenda for the next call and push to get resolution.
Luc
The content of the two e-mails is nearly the same, but in the second draft Luc has taken a moment to clarify in his own mind exactly why he’s sending the message: he wants to hold off on signing the contract and continue discussions with SARCO until the two open issues are clarified. The team knows where he stands, he’s made a concrete suggestion, and now everyone can get to a resolution faster.
Of course there are situations where you might not want to be as direct as Luc has been in his second draft, maybe for political reasons. If you’re going to propose something you know will be unpopular, for instance, you might choose to be less direct and soften your message a bit. Whether you choose to be direct or indirect in your communication, you should do it by choice, not by accident.
We’re often in such a rush that we fire off e-mails without much thought—we think they’re clear, but are they? If your ask isn’t clear in your own mind, your chances of expressing it clearly are slim. You’re likely to wander, let your focus drift, and lose your reader’s attention.
A lot of our communications at work are less high-stakes than Luc’s e-mail. Many are simply about conveying information. But even if the stakes aren’t particularly high, you’d like your reader to actually read your message, and getting your ask clear can help make that happen.
Let’s look at a second example of getting the ask clear. In this case, Harshita is writing to her boss, Lyn, to share information about a workshop she thinks might be useful for their team.
Hi Lyn,
I had lunch yesterday with Len Cohen. I don’t know if you’ve heard of him, but he was the company’s director of visual communications for over twenty years, and he’s still giving workshops in visual design, using charts, and creating effective presentations. I’m attaching some of the materials he sent me. I’d love to chat with you about his workshops one of these days.
Thanks,
Harshita
Do you think Lyn is going to open those attachments? I don’t. She might mean to, but she probably never will. Harshita fired off this e-mail in a hurry, without thinking of the outcome she wanted. If Harshita really wants Lyn to look at the information, she’ll craft a message with that purpose in mind:
Hi Lyn,
I had lunch yesterday with Len Cohen. I don’t know if you’ve heard of him, but he was the company’s director of visual communications for over twenty years, and he’s still giving workshops in visual design, using charts, and creating effective presentations. I’m attaching some of the materials he sent me. I think the Communicating Through Presentations workshop could be really helpful for us. Let’s talk.
Thanks,
Harshita
This version is likely to pique Lyn’s interest, and she’ll be more liable to look at the information. Now let’s take it a step further and imagine that Harshita thinks it would be a really great idea for the team to take one of these workshops. So her ask has changed from simply sharing information to trying to convince Lyn to consider booking the workshop. (Note that I said convince her to consider. It’s too early to convince her to say yes. The more precisely you understand the ask for each communication, the better your chance of communicating effectively.)
Hi Lyn,
What would you think about getting the team some training in presenting? I’m attaching information about a workshop I think the team could benefit from, and I’d love to talk with you about it.
I had lunch yesterday with Len Cohen. I don’t know if you’ve heard of him, but he was the company’s director of visual communications for over twenty years, and he’s still giving workshops in visual design, using charts, and creating effective presentations.
I think his Communicating Through Presentations workshop would be great for us. A lot of our team hasn’t come up through the sales organization, so they didn’t get the kind of grounding that others have (this includes me). I think it would be especially helpful for our sales team. But as we grow, we want everyone to be comfortable presenting. Shall I block half an hour next week to talk about this?
Thanks,
Harshita
In this version, Harshita is clear in her mind what she wants to do: get Lyn interested in this material and begin a discussion about whether to hire Len. How does she do that? She opens the e-mail with a question for Lyn—Lyn now knows she’s supposed to make a decision about this topic rather than just read about it. Harshita uses a more engaged and enthusiastic tone. She also makes a clear recommendation (“I think his . . . workshop would be great for us”), coupled with support for that recommendation (pointing out that the team lacks this skill and that everyone needs to be able to present because the group is growing so fast).
So you can see how taking a minute to clarify what you want and construct your message accordingly can result in very different messages—with potentially very different results.
How to Get the Ask Clear
Most of us are short on time when we write at work, and we don’t have much opportunity to craft our messages. But it usually takes less than a minute to stop and think about what you’re asking from your readers and to write your message with that objective in mind. When you consider how much time you might waste waiting for a reply that doesn’t come or sorting out any confusion that might follow an unclear ask, it’s well worth spending that minute to clarify your purpose before you hit Send.
If you’re a planner and like to organize your content before you write a draft, try this trick as you’re planning. Say to yourself:
I am writing because _______.
I want my reader to _______.
Fill in those blanks as specifically as you can. Don’t do it thoughtlessly—imagine exactly what you want your reader to do in response to your message. It might sound like a silly exercise, but you’ll be amazed at how this little bit of clarity will stop you from writing long, vague, ineffective messages.
If you’re the type who likes to edit, and you already have a draft complete, stop before you send it off. Ask yourself:
What is my purpose in writing this?
What do I want from my reader?
If you can’t answer these questions, or if your answers seem vague, take a minute and think it through. Then try to put yourself in your reader’s shoes, and ask:
Will my purpose be clear to my reader?
If the answer is no, take some time to rework what you’ve written. This process often involves rewriting the beginning of the document to orient your reader (we’ll look more at beginnings in Step 3, Start strong and specific), cutting down the content, and doing some reorganizing to present your ideas in a structured way.
SUMMARY: Get the Ask Clear
Think for a moment before you start to write or before you finalize. Ask yourself, “What outcome do I want from this? What do I want my reader to do?”
Then ask yourself, “Have I really made it clear what I want my reader to do?”
Put yourself in your reader’s shoes as you scan your draft for clarity. Will she understand the ask?
Write or revise your draft so that it’s clear to the reader what you want, why you want it, and what he should do next.
In the next step, we’ll look more closely at your reader, with a focus on understanding her needs and tailoring your message to appeal to her.
Ask a Colleague for Help
If you’re working on a document or message that’s important to you, consider asking for help. Find a colleague you trust, and ask him to read over your draft and share his impressions of how it’s working. Having a second set of eyes on your draft can help you see what you might be missing. Whenever you ask a colleague to read a draft, make sure you direct his attention to areas where you want help: Is it persuasive? Is it too long? Do I need to say more? Is the tone okay? If you just plop the text in front of him, you’ll probably get feedback on things that don’t matter to you. People want to be helpful (and they want to sound smart), so you’ll get a more comprehensive review than you need, and your colleague might even miss what you’re looking for. You’ll save your colleague’s time as well as your own by asking specific questions about the draft. Don’t forget to offer to return the favor. It’s great to have a trusted partner at work when you need editing or even just a quick proofread.
Propose a Solution
Do you want to be a better writer and a better colleague? If you’re writing about a problem and you’re not sure of the solution, don’t just speculate and don’t just shift it back to someone else—propose a solution.
How aggressively you pursue this strategy will depend on a few different variables: the culture in your organization, your position, and the position of your reader, among other things. Proposing a solution might mean making a strong argument for a particular course of action, or it might mean sharing your opinion. Whatever course you choose, you’ll be giving your readers something to respond to rather than just pointing out a problem and leaving it for someone else to deal with. By proposing a solution, you help everyone get closer to solving the problem faster.
How to Write by Avoiding Writing
Joel Comm
A lot of people are afraid to write, but not me. I’ll tell you why. I’ve figured out how to write by not writing.
I have a lot of projects I’m working on at the same time, including writing a new book, and to be honest I find the process of writing books agonizing. It’s a huge task. But I love telling stories, and I love talking about ideas. So I’ve found a way to harness what I’m good at to get my writing done. I sit down with someone who asks really good questions, and in answering those questions, I tell the stories and talk about the ideas I want to include in my book. Once this process is done, I have the content transcribed and work with an associate to make sense of it.
This same technique can work for you, especially if you’re intimidated by the act of writing. If you have something to write that’s making you nervous or something you really don’t want to write, grab someone you trust in your office, and talk it through. Ask them to ask you questions. Get the juices flowing. Stir up the conversation, and let it draw the content out of you. Take notes if you want to, but don’t get so bogged down in the note-taking that you fail to engage in the dialogue. If you’re going to take notes, it’s better to jot down any especially good key phrases that pop out of your mouth rather than try to write down every word. The idea is to keep your thought process flowing.
Speaking rather than writing is a technique that executives used regularly years ago, dictating letters and other documents into a Dictaphone or speaking while their secretaries took notes in shorthand. They trusted their secretaries to transcribe accurately and to clean up any grammatical errors that might have slipped out.
While most of us don’t have assistants who take dictation, this technique is still something you can make a habit of. Find a thinking/writing/telling partner at work, someone you trust, and help each other; listen and ask good questions to support each other with writing tasks. You’ll find that you can get your writing done more easily by avoiding writing.
Joel Comm is a New York Times best-selling author, professional keynote speaker, social media marketing strategist, live video expert, technologist, brand influencer, and futurist.