If you’ve ever looked at all the things you need to do to become a better communicator…and panicked…then, this is for you.

You had great intentions.

You were going to improve your business writing skills. So you checked out some relevant websites, dipped into a few books, and maybe even started reading blogs like this one. At first, you loved it. The tips were helpful. The advice made sense. But the more you read, the more you realized how much there was to learn. Originally, all you wanted to do was figure out how to hit a ball with a stick. But now, you’re worrying about the angle of your fingers, strength of your grip, cock of your wrists, direction of your shoulders, bend of your waist, line of your back, placement of your feet, torque of your hips, height of your windup, acceleration of your swing, and angle of your follow through. Now, nothing seems right.

Stop, take a deep breath, and do what the pros do.

Before you tie yourself into any more knots, stop, and focus on the fundamentals. That’s what the pros do. Great communicators stick to the basics and execute them better than anyone. Sure, they try new ideas and pick up fresh tips. They learn all kinds of arcane facts about their game and may even give it their own personal twist. But they never let this distract them from the core fundamentals. Never.

What are the fundamentals for everyday business writing?

When I’m working on a new document – any kind of business document – I’m always thinking about three things: how can I (1) get attention, (2) get understood, and (3) get a response. These three points may sound simplistic, but they’re right up there with, “Relax, keep your eye on the ball, and remember to follow through.” They apply to every business communicator in every situation. Here’s how I tackle them:

1. Get attention – Your document has to say, “read me.”

Everything starts with the reader, and you should assume that yours is in a hurry. He’s busy. He glances at your document. You’ve got to catch his attention. To do this, you have three tools at your disposal:

• Your headline (or title or subject line) – Is it personal or newsworthy or helpful or unexpected? Your headline should say, “Hey, look at this…here’s something that’s interesting or important or both.
• Your first few sentences – Most people believe that your first few sentences should summarize your document. I’m fine with that. But your introduction must also do something even more important. It must give your reader a reason to read the rest of your document. Always ask yourself, “Do the first few sentences make me want to read more?”
• The overall look of the page – At a glance, does your page seem easy to read? Is it simple to scan – with headlines, subheads, short paragraphs and bullet points? Or is it one, long uninviting paragraph after another.

2. Get understood – Your thoughts need to be very clear and orderly.

Business writing doesn’t have to be impressive. It just has to be clear, simple, logical, and easy to understand. So, explain yourself. Be conversational. And organize your thoughts carefully. If it helps, number your points or list everything in a Q&A format. Do whatever it takes to make your message clear, clear, clear.

The key to getting understood is to organize your thoughts the way you clean out a closet. Dump all your thoughts onto the page. Throw away the junk. Organize what’s left. Box it into paragraphs and label it with headlines and subheads. Stack it in a logical, sensible order. I’m convinced that clear writing is really about clear thinking – in other words, organize your thoughts so your reader doesn’t have to.

3. Get a response – You must tell the reader what to do next.

Never forget that the purpose of business communication is to get something done. You want someone to buy a product, attend a meeting, answer your question, make an introduction, understand your point of view, or take some other action. Don’t hint at this. Don’t assume your readers will do the right thing. Ask them very specifically and very politely to act.

Even if you’re simply providing information or an update, you can include a call to action, “Make sure you take this into consideration.” Or, “Let me know if this all makes sense to you,” or “Please contact me if you have any questions about this.”

Are these the only three fundamentals? Of course not. But they’re the big ones.

Get attention. Get understood. Get a response. If you never learn anything else, you’ll improve your business writing just by aiming for these three goals. By all means, look for other writing tips, too. Collect as many as you can. Try them out. See what sticks. But always come back to the fundamentals. Life is too short to memorize 25,376 writing tips. So stay focused on the big ones.

What’s the easiest way to get a response from your readers? Ask for it. Seriously. You’d be surprised how many emails, presentations, and other documents don’t. Yet, it’s one of the quickest, simplest ways to improve the effectiveness of every document you write. In this post, I’ll show you some specific examples. They’re all based on a simple, yet powerful concept borrowed from the world of advertising.

In advertising jargon, this is known as the “call to action.” Copywriters learned years ago that if you don’t actually tell your readers to “order now” or “call today”, they probably won’t. You can spend hours crafting advertising copy that perfectly describes all the benefits of your product or service. But if you forget to tell your readers to take that next step, you won’t get the response you’re looking for. This was one of the first things I learned when I began working as a copywriter with John Reed (the guy behind 3000messages). And it has stayed with me ever since.

The call to action is just as important in your everyday business communications. That’s because the purpose of business communication is always to get a response. Writing an email to your boss? Don’t just tell her about the problem you encountered on your current project and assume she’ll give you the desired response. Instead, explain specifically what you’re asking her to do about it (e.g., add more people to the team, provide more resources, obtain buy-in from senior management, give you feedback, etc.).

Here’s how to use the “call to action” in different writing situations…

Presentations
Let’s say you’re introducing a new company policy to your employees. Don’t just talk about the policy itself – tell them exactly what you’re asking them to do differently. Presenting to a new prospective client? End on a slide that lays out the specific “next steps” needed to move forward.

Cover letters
Writing a cover letter to a prospective employer or customer? Even if it’s one of those “don’t call us – we’ll call you” situations, you can still encourage the reader to follow up by asking for a response. Instead of just listing your contact information on the letter, include a sentence near the end that invites the reader to get in touch.

Websites
A good website should guide the reader from the homepage all the way through to the desired action – whether that is purchasing a product, calling a sales rep, or scheduling a presentation. One way you can do this with a corporate website is to create some kind of special offer, such as a free initial consultation. This may be something that you already do for your clients anyway. By turning it into an offer, you can add a more compelling reason for prospects to get in touch.

Articles and whitepapers
You have to be careful with articles and whitepapers because you don’t want to come across as too salesy. These documents are supposed to be helpful, not pushy. So, make your call to action helpful. Tell your readers where to go for further information. Invite them to get in touch to learn how this new discovery or process (or whatever the article described) could impact their company.

One final example
Now that you’ve finished reading this blog post, pass it on to a friend. Or just click on the “retweet” button below to send it out to your Twitter followers. (See how easy that was?)

Make mistakes. Make a lot of them. And make them often. It’s the only way to get your thoughts on paper, and you’ll enjoy the writing process more. I actually damaged some muscles in my hands several years ago, because I was so excited about something I was writing that I spent too many hours pounding the keyboard too hard. Fortunately, my hands recovered after an extended writing break (as in months, not days), but I’m still convinced that the best way to write is with enthusiastic, mistake-laden abandon. Here’s why.

Uptight writers are the worst kind. I know. I’ve been one.

Uptight writers don’t make mistakes. They censor and filter every thought long before it gets out of their head and onto the page. They’re too careful, too cautious. In sports, this is called “playing not to lose.” And it rarely breeds champions.

I almost got fired from my job as a junior advertising copywriter because I was such an uptight writer. I was working overseas, writing in a language I barely understood (British English). It was my first real job. I wanted to do well. And I got yelled at a lot. Fortunately, the story had a very happy ending. Along the way, I learned how to get more mistakes into my copywriting, and it made me a better writer.

So how can you learn to make more mistakes?

Simple. Save the editing for after the writing. If you edit your thoughts before you get them down on paper – or onto your computer – you’ll squeeze the life out of your message. You may even choke it off completely. Don’t just sit there, staring at your blank page, struggling to come up with the perfect opening. If you do, nothing will seem good enough. Instead, start writing. Write anything. Write something that you don’t even like that much. Write something full of half-baked ideas, awkward wording, and other mistakes.

In other words, write the way you clean out a closet.

How do you clean out a closet? You fling open the door, dump everything on the floor, and start sorting stuff into piles. Writing is the same. You start the process by dumping all your thoughts and ideas onto the page – then you begin to sort through them. You organize the ideas worth keeping and throw away the trash. You box and label your thoughts: grouping similar ideas together in paragraphs and sections, then labeling them with headings and subheads. If you write something you like, but don’t know where to put it, save it in your pile of scraps (to see Helpful advice on saving your scraps, click here).

For a short email, this whole closet-cleaning process only takes a few minutes. For a major presentation, it can take hours. No matter what you’re working on, this is a much faster, more productive way to write and write well.

What to do with your mistakes after you’ve made them.

Once you’ve made your mistakes, get rid of them. The best mistakes are the ones you made early in the writing process. Making them helped get your writing going. Now that you’ve got all your ideas down and your document is taking shape, you can afford to be a perfectionist. Proofread carefully. Do it again. Then get someone else to proofread your document. After all, the good mistakes are the ones you make while trying to get your thoughts on paper – not the ones that slip through to your final draft.

Suddenly, America is taking a fresh look at one of its great communicators, Julia Child. And love is in the air. Her magnum opus, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, has rocketed to dizzying new heights atop other New York Times bestsellers. Health-crazed, 21st century Americans are now secretly slipping into rich crème sauces and pounds of butter. Julia is again changing the way a generation thinks about food. She is getting away with it because she was such a wonderful communicator. Julia Child knew how to write, and my dear daughter-in-law thinks she knows why.

Julia’s first job was as an advertising copywriter.
This explains everything.

Last week, my daughter-in-law sent a tweet to let me know that Julia Child had started her career the same way I started mine, as an advertising copywriter. After finishing college in 1935, Julia’s first job was writing ad copy for W. & J. Sloane, a high-end Manhattan furniture store.

She must have been good at it, because when she finally announced her plans to resign, her boss tried to stop her with the promise that “In two years, I can make you the biggest woman in advertising in New York City!“  Her response was classic Julia Child. At 6’2”, this former college basketball player confided in her diary that she was already the biggest woman in advertising. Today, when I read her Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I see all the signs of a master copywriter at work.

Whether or not Julia taught you to cook, if you follow
her principles, she will teach you to write.

If you look carefully into Julia’s how-to masterpiece, you’ll see a copywriter’s best practices at work. These are practices you can easily apply to your own, everyday business communications. Here are three of the most important:

1. Aim for the call to action.

The most successful advertising copywriters are incredibly single-minded. Unlike other writers, their ultimate goal is not to entertain or even to inform – though they must do both and do them well. Their one goal is to provoke action. They must persuade their readers to buy a product, support a cause, or believe in a brand. It’s all about the call to action: find out more…call today…order now.

Julia Child understood this implicitly. Her book, TV shows, and in a sense, her whole life could be summed up as one very focused, very direct call to action: learn to cook well and love it. Roast the duck. Sauté the mushrooms. Stir the sauce. Just do it.

In your own business communications, whether you’re sending a quick email or a lengthy proposal, you must keep the end in mind…and the end is always a call to action. Too many businesspeople forget this. Think about what you’re asking your readers to do. Don’t just assume they will do it. Ask them to do it. Give them the next step. Be specific. If you don’t ask, they won’t act.

2. Assume absolutely nothing.

Julia Child never assumed that her readers understood a thing about cooking, French or otherwise. She explained everything. Patiently. Carefully. There were diagrams, descriptions, and definitions. This was not a case of talking down to her readers. Quite the opposite. Like any good copywriter, Julia respected her readers enough to take the time to give them careful, thoughtful explanations.

What about your readers? Do they really understand all your industry jargon and technical terms? Have you given them the rationale behind your recommendations? Are you anticipating and answering their questions? What if they weren’t in the meeting where everything was discussed and the decision made? Don’t just tell your readers to blanche the almonds. Tell them why, when, and how to do it.

3. Break it down, step by step.

Julia made the complicated simple. She demystified French cooking for post-war America by translating haute cuisine into a step-by-step action plan that any reader could follow. Sure, the book stretched to some 700 pages. But it was so well organized and wonderfully accessible that it never felt daunting.

Whatever you’re writing, think of it as an instruction manual. Copywriters do. Especially with long brochures, white papers, and websites, good copywriters are always looking for ways to break complicated messages into simple steps. So think in bullet points. Label your steps: 1, 2, 3. Turn longwinded copy into short, sharp paragraphs. Use subheads. Create simple comparison charts. And keep your writing relaxed and conversational.

Since you’ve got to start somewhere, start here and now.

With each of your documents from here on: (1) always aim for a call to action, (2) never assume your readers know what you’re talking about, and (3) break down your information, step-by-step. Do this today. Do it with the very next document you have to write – and you will be well on your way to learning the art that Julia Child mastered long before she mastered the art of French cooking.

You’ve got to put together a one-page description of your new project, event, product, or service. It needs to be very clear and easy to read. You don’t have a lot of time to work on this, so you’d be happier if it were also easy to write. No problem. All you have to do is ask questions.

How do you use questions to write a one-pager?
It’s pretty simple. Just ask the questions your reader would ask. And start writing. Yes, you have to make sure you cover all the key points that you want your readers to know. But try to tackle everything from their point of view. If they were interviewing you about this topic, what would they ask? Why should they care? What details do they need?

After you’ve outlined some initial questions, what do you do next?
Just answer the questions. As you write your answers, you’ll probably think of other questions you want to add. You’ll find that some of the original questions weren’t that important, so they can be deleted. By the way, don’t worry too much about the order of the questions at this stage. You can always move them around later.

Should all the answers be about the same length?
No. A little variety makes the format more interesting.

Shouldn’t there be some sort of title or introduction or something?
Yes, of course. You can use one big question as your main headline. But the headline doesn’t have to be a question. The headline for this article could have been, “What’s the easiest way to write a great one-pager?” Instead, I shortened it to “The easiest way to write a great one-pager.” Either approach will work.

You then follow it up with a short intro paragraph. This paragraph absolutely must give the reader a reason to care about what’s in the one-pager. (You might want to go back and look at the intro paragraph to this article as an example.) After the short intro, go straight into your questions and answers.

Why are questions so effective?
Three reasons:

1. First, the questions put you in the readers’ shoes. This means you’re automatically thinking about what’s important to them. You’re trying to ask the questions they would ask.
2. Second, questions and answers just naturally lend themselves to a more conversational style. That’s great, because conversational writing is generally more appealing to readers. It’s warmer, more personal, and more authentic.
3. Finally, the Q&A approach automatically puts your text in a better format. Without even thinking about it, you’re breaking your text into short blocks consisting of one question and its answer. Short blocks are always more appealing to the reader. They make the text look more accessible. And because each block starts with a question, you’ve also automatically created subheads for your text. These questions/subheads make your page easier for the reader to scan, and they highlight the critical issues in it.

So is this the same thing as writing an FAQ page?
It could be. But you certainly don’t have to call it an FAQ page. For example, I wrote this article in a question-and-answer format to demonstrate the approach. However, I wouldn’t really call this article an FAQ.

But what if I don’t want to use a question-and-answer format?
You certainly don’t have to turn every one-pager into a Q&A session. I’m simply saying that, if you have to write a one-pager in a hurry, this is one of the easiest, most effective ways to do it. Other formats usually take more effort, more editing, and more finesse. If you want to change up the format, one alternative would be to write the paper as a Q&A first, and then turn the questions into topic subheads.

Does the Q&A approach also work for longer documents?
This article is longer than a one-pager. And the approach still works. The questions help to keep up the readers’ interest and carry them through to the end of your document. There are no hard and fast rules about this, so feel free to experiment.

Any more questions?

We’ve all been there – stuck in the middle of a sentence trying to think of the right word when nothing seems to fit. It’s unbelievably frustrating because you’ve got this great phrase or sentence…and it’s almost working…and it would be absolutely perfect if you could just come up with the one missing word. Thesauruses don’t help. Time is ticking away. This is getting ridiculous. What do you do?

You aren’t going to like this answer, but it is absolutely the best way to solve the problem: if you can’t find the right word, stop looking for it. Seriously. If the perfect word existed, it would be natural and obvious. You would have already thought of it by now. The reason you can’t find the mystery word is because it doesn’t exist.

The solution to your stalemate isn’t a new word, it’s a completely new phrase or sentence. Sure, coming up with a whole new sentence sounds like a lot more work than just coming up with a single word (especially when the sentence you already wrote is almost working); but the truth is, you’ll get out of this jam a whole lot faster if you simply back up, write a new sentence, and start moving forward again. After over 25 years as a professional writer, I still catch myself spending too much time looking for the right word, but I’ve learned the hard way, you can’t find something that isn’t there. If you can’t think of the right word, then write a new sentence.

This month marks the 10th anniversary of the passing of David Ogilvy. Expelled from Oxford as a less-than-average student, he went on to become a sous-chef in Paris, a stove salesman in Scotland, a British Intelligence officer in Washington, and a farmer in Pennsylvania.  Then he discovered his true calling, founding what would become one of world’s largest, most successful ad agencies: Ogilvy & Mather. Above all, he was known as a great communicator. Here are three things everyone can learn from him:

1. Your reader isn’t a moron.

Ogilvy knew that the best writers had respect for their readers. He famously said, “The consumer isn’t a moron; she is your wife.” Ogilvy understood that your readers are not just customers or a target audience or a means to an end. They’re your wife, your husband, your best friend.

You never yell at your readers or lie to them. If you try to manipulate your readers, they’ll sense it. If you talk down to them, they’ll resent it. And if you waste their time, you’ll lose them. Instead, you look for every opportunity to give your readers information they can act on.

2. Information is persuasive. Fluff isn’t.

In 1958, Ogilvy created a magazine ad for a Rolls Royce ad that would feature one of the most famous headlines in advertising history. He could have written some vague advertising fluff about Rolls Royce being a well built, quality car. Instead, he informed us that “At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock.”

Ogilvy’s headline said it all. Instead of merely claiming quality, he demonstrated quality with a headline that painted an unforgettable picture in the reader’s mind. It reflected his conviction that “The more informative your advertising, the more persuasive it will be.”

This is true of all business communications. If you want people to do something, give them good information about that thing. Don’t just tell me that I need to be at your meeting. Tell me why it’s important. Don’t just tell me that your product is great. Tell me what makes it great. Give me specific, concrete reasons to believe that your service is better, your people friendlier, or your solution more reliable.

3. Speak to your readers in their own language.

Ogilvy claimed that he didn’t know the rules of grammar. Not true. What he really meant is that he didn’t let stiff, formal language get in the way of good communication. Persuasive writing should be conversational. Ogilvy explained:

“If you’re trying to persuade people to do something, or buy something, it seems to me you should use their language, the language they use every day, the language in which they think. We try to write in the vernacular.”

I’ll close with one last Ogilvy quote. It’s a favorite from Ogilvy on Advertising, one of the first books I read on advertising as a young ad agency copywriter in England. Even though Ogilvy was talking about advertising, his insight applies to any type of business communication from your big presentation to the next email you write:

“I do not regard advertising as entertainment or an art form, but as a medium of information. When I write an advertisement, I don’t want you to tell me that you find it ‘creative.’ I want you to find it so interesting that you buy the product. When Aeschines spoke, they said, ‘How well he speaks.’ But when Demosthenes spoke, they said, ‘Let us march against Philip.’”

Take a quick look at the two documents below. Both have exactly the same 150 words. Even without understanding any of the words on the page, you can immediately see that one of these documents would be much easier to read – much more inviting.

This one?

Or this one?

Now think about the look of your next email, article, or business presentation. Is it one big block of uninviting text? If it is, you’re going to scare off your readers. Instead, break it up. Use subheads. Bullet points. Numbered points. Shorter paragraphs. Do anything you can to make it look easier to read…and more people will want to read it.

I recently taught a short seminar to a group of MBA students at Georgia Tech. It was a great group (props to Ms. Becker and her class), and I really enjoyed it. These soon-to-be MBAs wanted to learn how to communicate more effectively with prospective employers through emails and cover letters. One of the things we talked about is how to get your reader’s attention with the first sentence you write.

It’s really the same thing that ad copywriters are trying to do when crafting headlines. They know that the headline is everything. It’s how you get your reader’s attention. The same is true when you’re writing a letter. Letters don’t have headlines, but they do have first sentences – and that first sentence acts as your headline to draw the reader into your letter.

Here are three examples of opening sentences in a typical cover letter – the kind you send with your resume when you’re looking for a new job. Two of these are painfully average. One is excellent. I’ll tell you why.

Letter No.1

Dear Ms. Green,
I am currently enrolled as a graduate student in the evening Executive MBA program at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and I plan to complete my studies and graduate this May.

Letter No. 2

Dear Ms. Green,
I am currently seeking an employment opportunity that will allow me to further my interests in organizational management and fulfill my professional goal of becoming a senior marketing executive in the technology sector.

Letter No. 3

Dear Ms. Green,
Bill Smith at Respected Company suggested I contact you because Widget Industries is looking for new ways to streamline its sourcing operation, and he thought you would want to know about my experience in global supply chain management.

Letter No.1 opens with the big announcement that you exist. It tells the reader that you’re here, you’re a student, and you’re planning to graduate. That’s very big news for you and your family. You should be proud of it. But chances are, your reader could care less. She has a gazillion other things on her mind, and they’re all far more important to her than the fact that you’re about to graduate from college. What she really wants to hear about is how she can meet this month’s sales targets, get a wayward technology implementation back on schedule, and squeeze more costs out of her supply chain.

Letter No. 2 opens with a long sentence about your personal interests and goals. If anything, this is worse than the first letter. Employers are not going to hire you because they feel obligated to help you achieve your life’s dream. They’re too busy looking for someone who will help them achieve their own objectives. The problem with this opening – and so many letters like it – is that it’s just too self-centered.

Instead of thinking about yourself, think about your reader. What does she really care about? How can you help her? What experience or ideas or training do you have that just might help solve the problems she’s facing? Sure, this means you’re going to have to do a little homework. You’ve got to get on the Internet and maybe even make a few phone calls to find out what’s going on in her company. Still, it’s not that hard. There’s so much information is available online that you can quickly learn what matters most to your prospective employer. Once you’ve done this, you really can write a letter that will get attention, get understood, and get a response.

Letter No. 3 is a great example for two reasons:

First, this letter makes an instant connection with the reader by mentioning the name of someone she already respects. This is the best way to get the attention of a prospective employer (or customer or client). I realize you can’t always find someone who will let you use their name in a letter like this, but often you can. When you do, it gives you immediate credibility.

Next, this opening sentence talks about your ability to solve a real business problem that the employer actually cares about. If you’re a student, you may not have a lot of work experience, but at least you can refer to an internship, a project you undertook, or a specialty you studied that would be relevant to this employer. Start the conversation by focusing on your reader’s concerns instead of your own. You’ll get their attention and give them a much better reason to keep reading your letter. You can also talk a little about their company and why the work they do is important to you. Now you’ve piqued their interest, and they’re ready hear you explain that you’re a grad student looking for employment.

The same principles apply to the opening sentences in any letter you send to a potential customer or business partner. First, make a connection through someone they trust. Then, start talking about their pain points and what you can do to solve them. Once they’ve read this, they’ll want to read more.

This is embarrassing, so I’m going to go ahead and get it out right now: even though I worked in ad agencies for years and even wrote a number of commercials, I rarely watch TV. We rent movies, but that’s about it. We don’t even have cable. When someone wants me to comment on a cool new commercial or chat about the latest hit series, all I can do is smile and change the subject. But I do love a great TV spot. And this one is a lesson in effective communications for people who live in a world of 3000 messages.

The ad is a Toyota commercial for Yaris – one of their littlest, fuel-sippingest cars. It was created by a Canadian ad agency. Watch it closely, and you’ll learn two very powerful ways to communicate your message in a crowded marketplace.

1. If everyone else is screaming, whisper.

Advertisers used to be able to get our attention by shouting. Whether on TV, radio, or in print – they would make big, loud, colorful, noisy, claims. That worked when there weren’t so many brands screaming for our attention. Now we’re inundated with advertising. How do you get heard above the din? Do you shout louder? No. When everyone else is shouting, it’s often the quiet, simple, thoughtful message that cuts through the clutter. It gets noticed. It separates you from the crowd. And your customers will thank you for it.

Think about your PowerPoint presentation, your website, or your business proposal. Is it too loud, noisy, colorful, complicated, and salesy? Then tone it done. Make it shorter. Allow more white space on the page. Say less, and you’ll stand out more. It worked for Toyota, and it will work for you.

2. Do something completely counterintuitive.

This Toyota ad tells customers to stop using its products so much. Brilliant. In doing this, Toyota communicates a sense of self-awareness and authenticity that makes the brand incredibly likeable. This was part of a new marketing campaign about how a Toyota customer could be both ecological and economical at the same time (two things that don’t normally go together in the consumer mind). They did the counterintuitive, the unexpected. But they did it in a way that was true to their brand. And it worked like a charm.

Now ask yourself: what’s the most surprising, counterintuitive thing you could say to your potential customers?

3000MessagesBlog.com kudos goes to the creators of this ad: Montreal’s BlueBlancRouge, agency of record for the Quebec Toyota Dealers Association.