Features

Published December 2007

Reader-Centered Writing: The Latest Survival Skill

Deborah Dumaine

Reader-centered writing is a corporate necessity — competitiveness depends on it. In their constant quest for efficiencies in technology, supply chains or operations, most business leaders haven’t realized that the next frontier is right in their inbox. But chief learning officers at high-performing companies have already discovered that a common writing standard and consistent output are no longer “nice-to-dos.” They have become “must-do-nows.”

Daily communication is out of control
Whether it’s e-mail, sales letters, reports or PowerPoint presentations, writing is an ever-growing task, even when “writer” isn’t in the job description. Most businesspeople see writing as secondary to their “real” job, but this casual approach, especially in e-mail, is costing companies time and money. Tom Friedman says we live in the “Age of Interruption” — every few seconds another message or call arrives. People are drowning in e-mail, and the confusing, unformatted “brain dumps” of many messages block action rather than driving it.

A recent McKinsey & Co. global survey of 7,800 business executives found that nearly 40 percent spent half to a full day each week on useless communications. A quarter of the executives at the largest companies said their communications were nearly or completely unmanageable.

Poor writing takes a huge toll
Six Sigma advocates hail quality as an ultimate goal, but often forget that successful communication is one of the most powerful quality and productivity tools. Writing: A Ticket to WorkOr a Ticket Out, a compelling survey of business leaders by the National Commission on Writing, reveals that employers are spending billions annually correcting writing deficiencies. Poor writing is truly a quality process defect that drains productivity.

Managers recognize that their team’s poor writing is wasting time and alienating prospects or customers, but they often lack training programs and other tools to help their people improve. Consequently, teams fail to drive action through writing. Instead, they obscure their messages in hastily typed e-mail or disorganized reports that reflect their own agenda rather than their readers’ needs. The time and money lost in back-and-forth clarification or misunderstanding is staggering.

The good news: Reader-centered writing is a learnable skill
Reader-centered writing is far more than correct grammar and spelling. By highlighting, organizing and simplifying the content that readers care about, it combats information overload, strengthens relationships and produces results. Reader-centered writing:

� Has a strategic purpose.
� Responds to the readers’ needs and answers their likely questions.
� Includes clear action requests and deadlines.
� Is sequenced logically, with the most vital information first.
� Is designed for visual appeal and easy reading.
� Uses appropriate tone and simple, concise language.

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