[4-minute read]

Do you ever feel frustrated by your team members’ writing? In my experience, managers often give what they think is a straightforward writing assignment. The document they get back requires so much editing that they could have done it quicker themselves. Then they spend precious time red-lining the draft, send it back to the writer  — and still end up with a sub-par product.

To make things worse, their team members become resentful and disempowered at having their work torn apart. The team member gives a mental shrug and thinks, “Next time I won’t try so hard. She’s just going to rewrite it anyway.”

Does this sound familiar?

In the Worktalk training, we tell people that the worst writing mistakes happen before a person starts to write. This idea is equally valid when assigning writing projects. The key mistakes lie in what the person assigning the project does not say to the writer and what the writer tells him or herself about the project without verifying assumptions.

Assigning Writing Projects Successfully

You empower writers to compose successfully by giving them essential information when you set them the writing task. We call on Worktalk’s signature Three P’s planning tool to help managers assign writing projects successfully. The Three P’s are purpose, person, and point. Everyone will benefit if  you clarify these areas:

Purpose: What is the purpose of the communication? What is the desired result?

• The primary purposes of business documents are
  • To inform
  • To request
  • To persuade.
• When a writer hears her manager say, “Write to So-and-So about X,” she is likely to assume that she is writing to inform. However, if your real purpose was to persuade or request, all the editing in the world will not get the document on track.

Person: What person will read the document?

• Understanding the reader is fundamental because we cannot achieve our purpose unless we reach our reader’s mind and heart.
• What are that reader’s pain points and hot buttons?  What do you know about his personality and interests? His desired business outcomes?

Point: What, in one sentence, is the point of this message?

• The writer needs to know what she would say if her reader saw her in the elevator and said, “I didn’t have time to read your document. Just tell me what it said.” Whatever she would reply to this question is likely the main point.

How Can Managers Use the Three P’s?

The Three P’s offer an elegant, concise way to capture the essence of a writing project in a way that your team member can understand.

• Don’t just tell them what to write: Tell them why they are writing.
• Don’t just give them the name and email address of the recipient: Tell them what the reader cares about.
  • If you don’t know the reader, think about people in that person’s industry or job role. When you reflect, you will find that you know enough to customize the message.
• Don’t assume that the team member knows the main point you want her to get across. Tell her.

Three Minutes Well Spent

Taking three minutes at the outset to clarify the Three P’s with your team member will save you hours of editing. Your team member will know why she is writing, whom she is writing to, and what she is supposed to say.

You might think all this is obvious. It is obvious – to you. But it may not be obvious to the person to whom you are assigning the task.

So, take a few minutes the next time you need someone to write for you and clarify the Three P’s. Here’s are the likely benefits to you:

• You will receive drafts that closely match your intentions
• You will spend less time revising hopeless drafts
• Your team members will feel relieved and empowered that they got the big picture of the writing assignment before they spent time drafting it.

Isn’t that worth three minutes?

In the Worktalk Managers’ training, we teach managers how to assign and revise their team members’ writing to create outstanding results without dampening morale. ©2020 Elizabeth Danziger All rights reserved

Take me to your leader! Communication woes drain the lifeblood from an organization. Connect me with your decision-makers and see how Worktalk can transform communication in your world.  Contact me at lizd@worktalk.com or 310.396.8303. You can also book through www.calendly.com/worktalk.