How to ensure your written comms impress and influence

Want your written comms to work?

Here’s the only way to ensure people notice your main messages:

1. Say them early
2. Say them persuasively
3. Repeat them later

Obvious, right?

In theory, yes. But re-read the last document someone sent you.

I bet these three points weren’t so obvious to the person who wrote THAT, were they?!

Here’s how to ensure you do it:

1. Early – include your main message in your title/subtitle and also in the top line of the first section
2. Persuasive – phrase this main message from the reader’s viewpoint (maybe include the word “you”/”your”?) Example: replace “latest sales figures” with “ensuring you get paid this month”
3. Repeat – say it again later, as often as feels right

Want your communications to resonate? You MUST do all three.

Action Point

For a previous document: think what your main message was. Then, use Word’s “search” facility to search your document for this message. Was it early/persuasive/repeated enough?

And for your next document – use this Tip!

And for more tips on how to master this, and other critical techniques, there are hundreds more here: www.andyboundsonline.com.