On Writing at Work
Just 3 steps for better communication. Here is my recipe for business writing that has helped me communicate with my teams over the years.
Writing (and then reading) is a transfer of thoughts from one brain to another. That is my definition anyway, a bit grandiose I admit. I do not know who to quote, but the statement “writing is thinking on paper” resonates with me deeply. So, I took it further, where we send our thoughts to others by writing them down.
Clear messages help with execution and good understanding. Imprecise communication leads to problems. In the workplace, the quality of our writing influences everyone who reads our message, so we rely heavily on good writing. Unclear writing triggers a need to answer unnecessary questions, or even harms motivation if the team does not understand what is happening. We want to avoid confusing our readers.
My “Writing at Work Framework” consists of 3 steps:
Prep
Tell
Remove
1. Prep
Writing for ourselves is easy as we know our own history and what is inside our heads. Writing for others is difficult as we don’t know what others know or think. So, the first step is Prep, which stands for Preparation.
Before we even start writing we have to think about the basics:
WHY we are writing
WHAT we would like to achieve
WHO is our audience
Searching for the WHY will happen unconsciously in our readers’ minds as the brain is naturally wired to look for the reason why something is happening.
Readers need clarity on WHAT is happening. We have to be sure why we are writing and what our goal is - only then can we address it properly. If we as the authors are uncertain about those two aspects, it is guaranteed that our readers will be lost.
Then we need to think about WHO our audience is. Just as we talk differently to our parents and to our colleagues, our readers might be diverse too. They might be new to the company, or seasoned employees, technical or non-technical. The more we know about our audience the better, because it helps us avoid things that they will not understand.
2. Tell
We are not writing a novel nor a poem. We write to make sure that our colleagues understand what is happening and what needs to be done. The second step is Tell, which means that we should be ourselves and we should write as we speak. When we are speaking, we are using much simpler and less complicated words.
Simple words do not reflect a simple mind, in fact, it is the opposite. A common misconception is that we have to use fancy words or sophisticated language - but this is not required. Simple sentences are easier to understand.
Write as your brain thinks. It prefers to read words as if listening to a story. Use an active form instead of a passive one. So, “I ate strawberries” instead of “strawberries were eaten by me”. It is easier for our brain to follow.
Style is important if it is more than a few sentences: organise your thoughts in a readable format, put the most important passage first, use three to four short sentences per paragraph, and harness the power of these paragraphs to isolate the content.
3. Remove
When we think it is ready there will still be plenty of unnecessary words. The last step is Remove. Pause for a moment and remove words that do not change the meaning of your message. Simplification makes it easier to understand and saves time for readers.
Example: “Using simple words while writing does not reflect a simple mind, in fact, in reality it is quite different, it is the opposite.”
Removing the subjectively unnecessary words leads to “Simple words do not reflect a simple mind, in fact, it is the opposite.”
Even whilst writing simple sentences using online communication tools I pause for a moment before clicking the send button and remove unnecessary words.
Summary
There is so much more to explore about writing but these 3 steps alone will make your communication better:
Prep, by making sure you know WHY you are writing and WHAT your goal is, and check WHO your audience is. Then Tell - use simple language by writing as you speak. Finally, Remove all unnecessary words.
Remember that finishing your message on time is important, especially when people are waiting for it. So, do not overthink it and do not over-edit it. At work you don’t aim for a Pulitzer Prize, you can keep it simple. Avoiding stupidity is better than seeking brilliance, and following my writing framework will help you with this.
Thanks for reading and I wish you a successful transfer of thoughts!
Post Post Notes
#1 This post is a written and evolved version of my talk:
#2 I’ve started exploring the topic of writing from this book:
#3 The Future of writing
We rely heavily on reading and writing as a better way of transferring thoughts to wider audiences hasn’t been invented yet. However, I heard the opinion that writing is just a temporary step, and thanks to technology we will eventually go back to our roots, which is listening and talking with people in the real world. Perhaps through holograms? Or through direct connection via neurolinks?