By Dana P Skopal, PhD

Good writers usually have a plan – whether it be writing at work, writing at university, or even writing a novel. The principles of plain language (see – http://www.plainlanguage.gov/howto/guidelines/FederalPLGuidelines/index.cfm) can help you organise your ideas and your writing. However, a problem we see in the workplace is when writers plan and produce a long, detailed document without an executive summary. The skill-set to summarise your information is just as important as the planning process.

When planning a document, you need to understand the readers’ requirements and know where to place the key information that they are looking for. Stepping back, to understand the readers’ requirements, you need to know the purpose of the document. Is the message to inform, or to analyse all the risks and then advise or persuade the reader? Or is the message to summarise what has happened in the past year or what you recommend for the following year?

In my workshops, I am often asked where does a writer place all the detail, such as all that happened in the past 12 months. Indeed, a writer needs to work through the detail to come up with a summary or proposal. In contrast, a reader usually wants to know what the main facts are and what they need to do with them. Only some readers may want to analyse the details and statistics that are in the document. Hence, is it important to plan, gather information and then organise your document with key words in headings. Once you know all the details, plan and write a one-page summary of what your reader needs to know.

Imagine you only had one minute to get your message across. What information would you use and how would you present it? Think about this process like an elevator speech – a concise presentation that includes the key aspects and can be delivered within 30-50 seconds (the approximate duration of an elevator ride). If you talk it out, you can hear yourself present those key points. Or draw a mind map and list the key details that you want to get across to your reader.

The most important information links to your key message and that should be in your summary or front page of a document (executive summary). A summary can be produced once you know your content and after planning the document, not before.

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