The dominant medium.
WHY IT MATTERS MORE THAN IT DID
Distributed work means most communication is written.
WHAT GOOD WRITING ACHIEVES
Decisions reached faster Fewer meetings Context preserved
WHAT POOR WRITING COSTS
Repeated clarification Misunderstanding Meetings to resolve what a paragraph would have
WHAT TO DO IN ANY MESSAGE
State what you want, first.
WHY FIRST
Readers decide whether to continue in seconds.
WHAT TO INCLUDE
Context they need, not everything you know A specific question or request A deadline, if one exists
WHAT TO AVOID
Burying the request at the end Several unrelated topics in one message Messages saying only hello
WHY THAT LAST ONE
It costs the recipient a wait.
WHAT TO DO INSTEAD
Ask the question directly.
WHAT LONGER DOCUMENTS NEED
A summary at the top Headings The recommendation before the reasoning
WHY THE RECOMMENDATION FIRST
Most readers need only that.
WHAT TO DO BEFORE SENDING ANYTHING IMPORTANT
Read it as the recipient.
WHAT TO ASK
Is it clear what I want, and by when.
WHAT TO PRACTISE
Writing shorter.
WHY
It takes longer, and it works better.
