While I may have an inherent prejudice toward advising organizations to hand over their writing projects to a professional, I grudgingly admit there may be times when this isn’t going to happen. In those cases, someone is going to have to write whatever it is and if it’s you—and if writing is not your best skill—there are (in my view) five basic principles to help get you successfully through the process.

These ideas will work whether you’re writing a one-page email letter from your CEO, an article for a newsletter or a conference speech. The basics are the same.

If some of what I’m going to say seems obvious, remember how often people don’t do the obvious right thing. Many try to short-cut the process by going directly to the last steps. Following these simple principles can prevent problems like major rewrites and missed deadlines.

1. Get Clear on Your Objectives.

Before you write, everything about the purpose of the piece should be spelled out up front:

· Who is the intended audience? Is it internal or external? Industry colleagues or general public?

· Is this a print piece, an email, newsletter, a blog or website copy?

These questions really matter, as they will affect the content, length or style of your writing and what you can assume the reader already knows.

Once these parameters are clear, ask some other objective-related questions:

· What is the actual message or “big idea” being communicated?

· Are you clarifying or announcing a policy? Congratulating someone for an accomplishment? Explaining the findings of a study?

· What role does timing play in this communication and how will you have to factor this into your work flow?

· Are you asking the reader to do something specific, change a behavior or an attitude? Will you need to follow this initiative up with further communications, a survey, a meeting?

Clear objectives make for an easier writing process.

2. Do a 360° Brainstorm.

This is a mixed metaphor, but it’ll do. Before moving from the objective-clarifying stage to the outline, spend some time thinking all around your project. Don’t do this alone if you have allies or mentors available to collaborate with. The simpler the assignment, the less time this takes; but with larger, more complex pieces it’s very important. Brainstorming asks and answers all kinds of questions about the context of the project and the potential directions it could take:

· Is this piece replacing something that was published earlier?

· Is it something people have been waiting for?

· Does it fit into a series of other documents or statements and will people expect it to look and sound consistent with these?

· Who are your best sources for background information inside or outside the organization? Can you talk to them?

· What online resources are there to fill in data gaps or provide color or anecdotal support?

Answering these kinds of questions will fine tune your view of the project and provide tools and guidance for meeting your objectives. 

3. Outline Carefully.

The brainstorming process will lead you to assemble your project “assets”—existing materials relevant to your assignment. Related memos, interviews, position papers, research data, quotes from authors well-regarded in your industry, etc. If this is a ghosting job, be sure to get your hands on anything else written or presented by the person whose name will go on your work.

Then, take serious time to sort out how everything you know so far—and everything you have to work with—fits with and supports the objectives of the project. This will be the start of your outlining process. Now:

· Block out the over-arching main points of the piece. There may only be one or two, there may be many more. Identify what materials you have that illumine and support these points and reference them in the outline. 

· Look for your subordinate points to elaborate on your big concepts. Give details of how you’ll be supporting these. 

· Think through the logical transitions between each of these points so the message or argument makes sense. If you have trouble coming up with the right words for a transition, you probably aren’t clear about the relation between these two ideas, and the reader won’t be, either.  

· Make sure you have no “orphan” ideas—with nowhere to go in your structure. If it has value in your message you must consciously find where it most naturally fits in the scheme of things. 

Even simple documents need to be thought through this way, but longer ones especially demand it, if you and your readers are not to get completely lost. A well thought-through outline saves time and aggravation later in the process. 

Part Two of this blog will explain principles 4 and 5, on the writing, editing, and review process.