What percentage of the documents you receive do you read thoroughly?
Q: “Where did you learn to write?”
A: “Writing… I learnt to write at school!”
The trouble is school was a long time ago.
You then develop a writing style dependent on your character, industry, situation and/or mood. Right? That is certainly what I thought before attending the Writing Dynamics™ workshop a few weeks ago.
Did you know that only 20% of the documents people write at work are read properly and absorbed? Think about it; what percentage of the documents you receive do you read thoroughly? 20-30%. So what makes you think people are reading the documents you’re writing?
So when asked to produce a document, what is the first thing you do? Personally, I tend to turn on my computer, open Word and start typing. A professional writer however will spend up to 40% of their time planning, 25% drafting and 35% editing; that’s why their writing gets read.
Writing Dynamics™ provides you with tools and techniques to effectively plan, draft and edit your documents. The tools ensure you are specific and direct with getting your message across, whilst keeping the interest of your reader. It also makes sure you do not repeat points, and cuts-out excess detail (waffle!).
The main goals of the workshop are purpose, structure, and speed.
- Purpose of your document, making sure it is specific to the reader’s needs.
- Structure, to ensure it is logical and easy to navigate your document(s).
- Speed, to keep the reader’s interest and get your points across for maximum impact.
So when you next think ‘writing’, think “is this document or email going to be read? Will it be absorbed and understood?” The likelihood (on average) is no.
Attending Writing Dynamics has given me the awareness to understand the effectiveness and impact of my written communication to the reader. It has also allowed the best possible chance of understanding my documents from the reader’s point of view.
So, if you are not confident your written documents are being read and understood, please see the upcoming dates for the Writing Dynamics™ workshops here.
