Business Writing Checklist
by Linda
Elizabeth Alexander
You're ready to do it. You've
accepted an assignment from your boss, agreed to put together a sales
presentation, or were asked to write a report about last week's meeting
results. Where do you begin? Before you venture off into the land of writing
for your job, be prepared with the items on this checklist.
Writing
doesn't have to be like drawing blood. In fact, many times in business writing,
much of the work is already done for you. Your job may be as simple as
rewording or organizing information that you already have.
No
matter how much you like your music or AM radio talk show it is best to work in
a quiet spot. Even if you work in a noisy place like a newsroom or a cube farm,
reduce the amount of noise around you so you can concentrate better. Wear
earplugs if it helps you!
Colored
markers, pencils, or a large easel pad may help you with brainstorming. Or, you
may find it easier to work with a team first to generate ideas and then have
one person write the first draft. Whatever works for you, make sure your brain
is in creative mode, not editing/criticism mode. Creativity comes first;
editing and refining later.
Turn
off the phone, close your office door, and don't check your email every 10
seconds. Have your assistant tell everyone you're in a meeting and you can't
see him or her unless they're dying. For at least 1 hour, work with no
interruptions.
You may
prefer writing longhand; it can help you connect with your thoughts and
emotions. Or, you may be quicker at typing directly on the computer. Either
way, don't expect a perfect draft the first time. You will be scribbling a lot
(or cutting and pasting) at first.
Be sure
you have handy a list of people you might need to talk with to verify
information. For example, if you are writing an article for your company
newsletter, you may need quotes from the CEO.
The
ones that come with the word processor are not sufficient. Get yourself some
good old fashioned books, or a dictionary/thesaurus on CD.
Some
companies are very strict about their internal or external communications. They
may have rules about style (different accepted spellings, for example) so that
everybody who reads your company's literature or correspondence receives a
consistent message about your company. You may lose credibility with your
readers if everything sounds like it came from XYZ Corporation, except the
letter you are writing.
If your
office doesn't cut it, find a better place. The library may work. A conference
room might provide more space for you to pace as you're dictating your
masterpiece. If you're writing about your company's manufacturing plant, it
might help you to actually be there while you're writing.
Remember
that nobody, even Shakespeare, gets it on the first try. Your first draft is
exactly that - a rough copy, a sketch. Think of it as the equivalent of a
doodle when artists paint. They don't start with the canvas - and neither
should you. Unlike many other jobs, in writing, it's okay to make mistakes as
you go along. Your final draft will be vastly different from the few sentence
fragments you begin with.
Using the checklist items will
set you up for a successful writing session. Have on hand as many of these
items as you can each and every time you sit down to write something -- whether
it's a letter to your customers or an annual report. By keeping all the tools
you need in one place, your writing session will go smoother and will be easier
on your stress level than without them.
Copyright 2002 Linda Elizabeth
Alexander
Linda Elizabeth Alexander is a
business writer and marketing Consultant based in