creating clarity for business audiences

Creating ClarityUsing structure and logic to create clarity in business

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Who should work to create the clarity: the writer or the reader?

"I have made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to make it shorter.”

Blaise Pascal, 1657

(we think)

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Some things change, some stay the same …

"I've been concerned that we've been focussed more on the writing and less on the thinking sometimes.” CEO quoted in Boss Magazine 2012

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Clear business communication is not written like a mystery novel

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Clear business communication is not written like a magical realism tale

Aha!

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Clear business communication is not written like a thriller

Boo!

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Clear business communication is not written like a scientific article

Problem

Discovery

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Clear business communication is not written like a journalistic article

Weightiest ideas at the top so that the editor can cut at any point according to available space.

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Good business communication is designed for time-poor, insight-hungry audiences

Answer

Support

Context

Trigger

Question

Focuses on a single, clear idea

Provides (just) enough context

Organises supporting

ideas logically

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Clear business communication follows these rules*

The rules

• Every communication must provide some background (context, trigger, question)

• Every communication has one clear overarching governing idea

• Ideas at each level synthesise the ideas grouped below

• Ideas in each grouping must always be the same kind of ideas

• Ideas must be logically ordered

• Keep it as simple as possible

Context

Trigger

Question

?

* For more detail see Barbara Minto, ‘The Minto Pyramid Principle’, or The Power of Logic in Problem Solving and Communication by Linda Long

Agreedsituation

Preview story

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References

➔ Poetics, by Aristotle

➔ Say it with Presentations by Gene Zelazny (available from www.zelazny.com)

➔ The Power of Logic in Problem Solving and Communication by Linda Long (available from www.scc-llong.com)

➔ The Minto Pyramid Principle by Barbara Minto (available as a book from www.barbaraminto.com or as an app in the Apple App Store)

➔ People Styles at Work by Bolton and Bolton (available from www.amazon.com)

➔ The (i) help function in the neosi storyliner (obtain free trial at www.neosi.co)