Write it Right the First Time
by Stephanie Eubanks

If at first you should succeed, try not to be astonished. 
Disneyland, Imagination Symposium
 

I challenge you to break the habit of rewriting any email, letter, or report. That old scholastic habit of writing a rough draft and polishing it doesn’t fit into the fast pace of your business life. 
 
If you cut and paste while you write, or after you write, think about the following factoid. Workforce, formerly the Personnel Journal, cites the frightening statistic that people rewrite routine email and letters 4.2 times.
 
To write most email, letters, and reports just once, sit on your hands. Think for a few minutes. What should you think about? Think about the answers to the three questions listed below and use those answers to begin your document. Arrange the answers in the order best calculated to meet your reader’s needs.

 
Start-up Questions

1. What do I want my reader to do/understand? 
2. What 1 piece of info will motivate my reader or make him or
her feel compliant?
3. How can I best sound reader-friendly in the intro?
 
These simple questions can help you cut through your thinking process and quickly come up with the precise information on which your reader needs to focus. They also help you find the language with which to make your reader feel receptive to you and your message. 
 
Your intro will be so focused that the rest of your information will fall right into place. You can proof and tweak, but you won’t need to reorganize. 

Tips for writing the rest of the document

• Summarize briefly at the beginning of a forwarded email string. And remember, FYI is not a summary!
  
• Write short sentences. Aim for an average length per document of 9 – 15 words per sentence.
  
• Stick to short paragraphs: 3 lines for email and 5 lines for letters and reports.
  
• Limit passive voice to about 15% for any document.
  
• Put your deadlines in the first paragraph! Readers miss deadlines in the last paragraph.
  
• Avoid old-fashioned phrases like Please don’t hesitate to call. Instead, try Do you have any questions? Just call me at …
  
• Don’t be afraid of using contractions, e.g., I’d instead of I would.  They make your writing sound more conversational. 
  
• Don’t let old-school rules deter you from using I, we, or other personal pronouns. Readability research shows that these pronouns help get and keep the reader’s attention.
  
• Use short words instead of long ones: Avoid It is impossible to instruct a superannuated canine in innovative maneuvers when you could write You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.  Use show instead of demonstrate, rush instead of expedite.
  
• And above all, sound like yourself. Don’t try to sound like a bureaucrat. No one likes to read their stuff.

About the Author
We are pleased to partner with Stephanie Eubanks, of Eubanks Business Communications, who delivers writing workshops for Speak for Success.

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