Writing with Impact

Overview

Writing simply to inform is one thing.  But writing to persuade someone to act, to support a cause or to change their behaviour is a different proposition altogether.

Of course, the basics of good business writing are important. Poorly structured documents, where it hard to find required information, frustrate the reader. Incorrect use of punctuation can lead to ambiguity; and poor spelling is simply a distraction.  These are all barriers to achieving buy-in from your reader, and that is even before you have started to sell your message.

Assuming we get the basics right, the next question is, ‘How do we engage to our audience?’ Tone, voice, style and language all play their part. Most of us will have received hastily written emails that cause us to sit up because of their tone or use of language. We might ask ourselves, ‘Is the writer being critical or, possibly, even patronising; or have they just been careless with the way they have structured their sentences?’ Unfortunately, when asking these and similar questions, some of the message can get lost. Our focus is on the tone or style rather than on the message itself.

Here are some of the ‘golden rules’ for getting it right that we discuss on the workshop:

• Tell the reader, as soon as possible, what the communication is about. Don’t leave it to the ‘punch-line’; they might not get that far.
• If you want them to do something, make it clear what. Don’t leave them guessing.
• Be careful with inferences.  The reader might see things differently.
• Keep it short; unless it is a sequel to War and Peace.
• Provide only enough explanation to make your case. Two or three well-made points will more likely carry your argument than an array of weak assertions.
• Talk to your audience. Use the familiar language and examples.
• And so on.

In addition to discussion and a series of practical exercises, participants have the opportunity on the workshop to share examples of their writing with peers and receive feedback on the issues we have been discussing.

Aims

The workshop aims to provide experienced writers with an opportunity to explore approaches that enhance their day-to-day writing, especially for documents that are aimed at persuading the reader to act, support a cause or change their behaviour in some way.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the workshop, you will be able to:

• Explain what it means to write with impact and why it is important
• Define the principles of good business writing
• Explain how to adjust your tone, voice, style and language to meet the purpose of the document
• Review and edit your writing for impact

Workshop Content

• Writing with impact
• Why good business writing is important
• Principles of good business writing
  • Accuracy, brevity and clarity
  • Reader focus
  • Planning
• Tone, voice, style and language
• Review, Editing and Proofing
  • How does it read?
  • Does it meet your objectives?
  • Is it free from mistakes?
• Peer review

• Rules for success.