Training :

Effective Writing

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ObjectivesIn this course, you will learn:

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The purpose of writing

The “why” and “how” of communication

Key mistakes to avoid in writing

Email vs. other forms of communication

How to get people to read your writing

How to format a business case

WHY WE COMMUNICATE

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Ok

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HOW WE COMMUNICATE

1Email usage continues to

increase year over year

2 Email volume rose

6.8 % from 2013 to 2014, according

to powerprodirect.com

5Texting has also

increased dramatically & is now used for

communication more than calling someone

is

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I79 % of people use their smart phones to

check their email

4A much higher percentage than the

43% who use them to make phone calls,

according

to nichevertising.com.

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More than 70 % of people use their smart

phones to text, according

to connectmogul.com.

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Top Two Forms Of Communication

Email Texting

…Also known as WRITING!

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Email

Key Rules of Email:

o The Subject Line is Important

o Don’t FLOOD inboxes. What you don’t say is as important as what you say.

o Flooding = being ignored

o Think before writing

o Use bullet points. No long-winded emails.

o Follow the writing rules. (Handouts)

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Exercise

Take an email you wrote this week.

Check the subject line. How did you do? Would you want

to read that email?

Now read the content. Did you get to the point. Did you

bullet the key points?

Did you solve a problem? Or create one?

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Exercise

Now you are going to write anemail from scratch.

Your job is to communicate to a teammember that you need to hold weeklyteam meetings.

Explain why, the format, and where andwhen the first meeting will be held.

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The problem with emails

Too many emails causesattention deficits.

How many emails doyou get in a day?

How much attention doyou pay? How many linesdown do you read?

If no one reads your email, itis extraneous work, for youand for them.

SOLUTION: SHORT.EN.

What is the minimum you need to say to get your point across?

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Upward

All major emails upward use the same format. S – D – S

Situation: The problem you are facing

Data: Only the KEY data you used to choose a . . .

Solution: What you plan to do

Then the manager only needs to approve it or send it back for revision.

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How to Kill Your Manager

Send a huge amount of long emails.

Make sure to only include problems, no solutions.

Ask him/her to make decisions in an area where he/she has no visibility.

Ask him to do your job for you. Don’t ever reply to email. Copy 15 or more people every time.

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A Longer Business Case Format

Problem

o What is the problem we are trying to solve? What is the business opportunity?

Solution

Approach

Risk Assessment

Value Analysis

o How can we address the problem or take advantage of the business opportunity?

o What are the viable option available to implement the solution?

o What are the risks associated with each option? What is the risk of doing nothing?

o What business value is granted from each option?

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ExerciseTake a business case or presentation you have written lately.

Are you clearly stating the problem? The data? How you are solving it?

Do you make it clear why your decision is the best one.

The key: certainty.

Now look at formatting. Design. Aesthetics.

Thank you!

www.BeCoachable.com