You’re working on a presentation, paper, article, brief or book. You’re about to have a conversation with a client or prospect, negotiate a contract or address a jury. You’re writing an email for your newsletter or to someone you’d like to meet.
Any time you have a message to communicate, there are two things you need to know first:
- Your audience.
Who are they and what do you know about them and their situation? What’s important to them? What do they already know about you and your subject? How will they benefit from reading or listening to your message?
- Your purpose.
Why are you writing to or speaking with them? What do you want them to know? Why is this important? What do you want them to do after they read or listen to your message?
Give this some thought, make some notes, and then distill this information into a single sentence:
“As a result of my [talk, paper, email, etc.], they will understand [this] and respond by doing [this].”
For example:
“After reading my [email/blog post/article], they will understand the benefits for [updating their estate planning/corporate documents and the problems that can occur if they don’t], and respond by [making an appointment].”
Answering these questions before you write or speak will help you create a more effective message and make it more likely you’ll get the response you want.
[Based on this article about writing a better speech]
How to build your practice with email
