WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA? WINNING WRITING!

This is a reprint of an article that appeared in the Summer, 2006 Issue of the Critical Paths E-Magazine

Introduction

“If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten,

either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing”
Ben Franklin- 1706-1790

Ben Franklin was born 300 years ago and, in retrospect, he was considered to be a visionary. With a little paraphrasing, Ben might have said:

“You will not be refused if you write things worth reading.”

In business today, writing is selling. You spend much of your business time trying to sell your ideas to others. You use memos, presentations, emails, business cases, meetings and telephone calls. If you want to sell something, you write about it. If you want to say it, you usually write it out first. But if you don’t catch your reader’s interest immediately, you will lose the sale.

The Big Idea
So how do you catch someone’s interest within the first paragraph or in the first 2 minutes of a presentation? YOU HIT THEM WITH THE BIG IDEA!

Ted Nichols is a very successful workshop facilitator for Powerful Business Writing, Powerful Business Case Writing and Presentation Skills. He usually begins most of his workshops by yelling “WHAT IS THE BIG IDEA?” at the top of his lungs. This effective wake up call brings home the point that you must get the Big Idea out at the very beginning of any writing or presentation if you hope to sell your idea.

You can usually depend on having 5 minutes to sell busy executives on your request. If you start by telling them the background leading up to your request, you will lose your sale. But if you start by saying “We can generate $2,000,000 more per year in revenue, if you approve this one-time request for $500,000 to fund a new Widget System.”, you will immediately increase your chances of a successful sale.

The Syringe
The second tool that Ted recommends is to build your entire writing and each paragraph like a syringe. The wide plunger at the top is the Big Idea. The narrowing tube below it is the Detail supporting the Big Idea. And the tip at the bottom of the syringe is the Point of the Big Idea.

As an example, let’s break down my 3rd paragraph:
The Big Idea:

In business today, writing is selling.
The Detail Supporting the Big Idea:

You spend much of your business time trying to sell your ideas to others. You use memos, presentations, emails, business cases, meetings and telephone calls. If you want to sell something, you write about it. If you want to say it, you usually write it out first.
The Point of the Big Idea:

But if you don’t catch your reader’s interest immediately, you will lose the sale.

Active Not Passive
Ted recommends that much of your writing should be in the Active Voice, rather than the Passive Voice. An Active Voice brings passion and a sense of conviction to your writing that is not lost on the reader. They will be more convinced if you say “We can generate $2,000,000 more…” than if you say “$2,000, 000 more can be generated….”.

Effective Tools
Finally, you should employ a variety of tools to improve the effectiveness of your writing:

-The First Person- I am writing, not “They”, “It” or “One”.
-The Passive Voice [occasionally]- Longer writings can be made more interesting if Voice variation is used once in a while.
-Short sentences- They add emphasis!
-Synonyms- Use different words instead of the same word throughout your writing. This assortment adds variety and avoids monotony.
-Contractions [occasionally]- It’s a conversational tool.
-Start the odd sentence with “But” or “And”. And you will make your point!

Structural variation adds emphasis, avoids monotony, and retains the reader’s interest.

Conclusion
What’s the Big Idea? I believe that writers should state a clear reason for writing that will grab my attention. Then they should hit me with convincing details. Finally, they should make a strong point to bring me back to the Big Idea. That’s Winning Writing to me!

Enjoy Writing!

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Peter