Separating Readers' and Writers' Needs

There is a huge contrast between what we need as a reader and what we need as a writer. For example, business readers want the bottom line up front followed by the explanation, whereas the writer wants the reverse. Also, as readers, we live in a very busy culture. From morning until night there is tremendous competition for our time. First, we are bombarded by numerous emails. In fact 30 to 50% of our workday can be spent managing emails. In addition, our voicemails, to-do lists, and phone calls contribute to the complexity of our day. All of which means there is a steady flow of information continually taking up our time throughout the day.

It’s important to note readers typically give any email or document three to five seconds to decide if it’s something they should read now, read later, or delete. Which means you’ve got to capture the reader’s attention quickly and get to the point right away.

By completing this course, you will:

Be able to separate the readers’ needs from the writers’ needs