Tools for Business Writing
WRITING FOR BUSINESS Focus Sheet™
| Answer these questions as the first step in any writing task. | |
|---|---|
| Purpose | |
| Why am I writing this? | |
| What do I want the reader to do? | |
| Audience | |
| Who exactly is my reader? Do I have more than one? | |
| What is the reader’s role: Decision maker? Influencer? Implementer? Other? | |
| What does the reader know about the subject? | |
| How will the reader react to my main message: Receptive? Indifferent? Resistant? | |
| What’s in it for the reader? Why should the reader read this or agree with it? | |
| How will the reader use this document? | |
| Should anyone else receive this? | |
| Bottom Line | |
| If the reader were to forget everything else, what one main message must the reader remember? | |
| So what? What is the impact ... |
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