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What
Every Business Reader Wants to Know
Today’s
busy readers are skimmers, drowning in paperwork and are
impatient. Therefore, when they glance at one of your documents
either in hard copy or on a screen, what do they want to
know right away?
They
want to know “What’s in it for me?” They
mentally ask themselves “Why do I need to read this
document?” “Why should I take time out of my
busy day to read it?” “Can I get away with
skimming it?” “Can I put it aside for later,
ignore it entirely or delete it?”
Therefore,
when you start any document begin with the main message.
Don’t waste a reader’s time with fill words
or background details in the first paragraph.
Don’t
start a report with “The purpose of this report is
to clarify/describe/explain…”
Get rid of the fluff: “This report clarifies/describes/explains…”
In an
e-mail, don’t start with background: “Three
weeks ago, I met with you to discuss the new production
line. You asked me to…”
Get rid of the bedtime story: “Here are the answers to your questions
regarding the new production line.”
In a
letter, try to avoid starting with the word “I” :
I want to take this opportunity to thank you for …” Put
the focus on the reader, not the writer: “Thank you
for …”
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