You want to explain first. But should you keep readers waiting for your point?
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You want to explain first. But should you keep readers waiting for your point?

If you’re writing to readers from Western cultures, don’t make them wait! Western attention spans are short. We value efficiency–most of the time. But I need to explain when efficiency is (and isn’t) paramount to offer helpful guidance. Here’s my point in this post: Delay only if your point meets all the following criteria for…

Improve your reader’s efficiency — and win their gratitude — with bottom line placement
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Improve your reader’s efficiency — and win their gratitude — with bottom line placement

I’m reorganizing some materials published earlier on Pros Write. And I’m starting with bottom line placement because no guidance for writing successfully at work is more important. If you want to win readers’ gratitude. . . If you want them to see you as competent and respectful. . . Then state your bottom line message…

Cut your email into three chunks for better digestion
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Cut your email into three chunks for better digestion

Travis, a former student who now works as an IT consultant, asked for a summary of what we taught him about developing and organizing content in emails ’cause he wants to share it with his project leaders. (Seems they had asked him how he knew what the majority of new grads don’t.)  Although I’ve written…

A good example of bad customer service writing
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A good example of bad customer service writing

I recently discovered Leslie O’Flahavan’s Writing Matters blog and thought I’d share her analysis of some bad writing. Follow the link to see how she re-wrote the email. I look forward to reading more of Leslie’s work. Text of Customer Service Email Leslie Explains Why This is Bad Customer Service Writing Click on the Links for…

When should you delay stating your bottom line message?
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When should you delay stating your bottom line message?

Rarely. That’s how often you should delay when writing to readers from Western cultures. Our attention span is short. We value efficiency. We want to know your bottom line first. Then we’ll decide whether to keep reading. (I’m assuming your goal is to communicate a point clearly to your audience.) But telling you it’s rarely…

Speaking of how readers judge writers . . .
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Speaking of how readers judge writers . . .

It’s a mistake to think your readers aren’t forming perceptions of you based on your written messages . . .  My favorite in this amusing image about text messages is the first one. It’s no coincidence that readers label someone who doesn’t get to the point until the end the “professor.”  Students don’t learn to put the bottom line first until…

The video tutorial on bottom line placement

The video tutorial on bottom line placement

Core. Essence. Kernel.  Heart. Crux. When applied to a document, these terms refer to its bottom line message. One of the things pro writers do is make the bottom line clear.  That means they state their bottom line explicitly. And more than once in a long or complex document. The other thing pros do is place their bottom line where…

Amateurs (and lawyers) beat around the bush
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Amateurs (and lawyers) beat around the bush

Most of the world has heard that CNN and Fox News inaccurately reported the US Supreme Court’s ruling on the Affordable Health Care Act last Thursday. Later that day, here’s how Ellen Killoran, a reporter for the International Business Times, explained their error: The egregious error does not appear to be the result of the news…