Many supervisors and managers ask me for help when their employees can't organize information. Of course, organization depends on the document. But here are five solutions I offer supervisors and managers to help employees organize their messages.
- Insist that every document get to the point within 50 words. Tell employees you won't read a document that doesn't get to the point right away.
- Insist that employees use headings in reports, recommendations, and other messages to make information skimmable. Headings will force them to categorize information.
- Allow just one main idea per paragraph. In disorganized messages, a mishmash of ideas packs each paragraph.
- Allow just one idea per sentence. With just one idea in it, almost any sentence can get organized.
- Limit the words per sentence--no more than 15 to 20 words on average. It's hard for short sentences to get out of hand.
For detailed ways to organize your business writing--or someone else's--read my latest newsletter. The feature article is "Organize Information the Easy Way." Although the information is valuable for business writers, the newsletter is free. Besides that, I don't use your email address for anything besides sending you the newsletter--I promise.
If you want 60 detailed solutions to help employees write better, check out my guide, Help Employees Write Better: A Guide for Managers, Trainers, and Others Who Care About Business Writing.
Lynn
Syntax Training
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