The pen and the sword: how to make the writing process work for you - Focus on Communications - business writing techniques

FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin,The, Feb, 2003 by Julie R. Linkins

As employees advance through the ranks of an agency, the nature of their writing changes. Sergeants write fewer incident reports and more performance evaluations; lieutenants and captains respond to letters from the public, propose new programs, submit grant requests and the like; even chiefs and sheriffs may find themselves writing unfamiliar documents for new audiences. Civilian employees face similar transitions, from writing standard interagency memos to wide-ranging budget narratives and annual reports. As one student at the FBI National Academy recently said, "In law enforcement, there is a point where the gun becomes less of a weapon and writing becomes more of one." (1) Law enforcement officers should be proficient with both.

Business writing is not mysterious, magical, or impossible to learn. Writers at all levels can follow five logical steps to ensure that their documents get the job done with minimal fuss and effort. By answering a few questions, brainstorming potential information to include, selecting the needed information and organizing it logically, editing for style, and finally proofreading for grammar and punctuation, writers can produce successful documents.

Step One: Prewriting

When given a writing assignment, inexperienced authors frequently start typing right away. This approach usually leads to a jumble of rambling thoughts that readers cannot decipher. Just as officers learn to develop a plan for responding to a call for service before they arrive at the scene, writers should develop a plan for composing their documents before they sit down at the computer. Answering these four basic questions will put writers on the correct path:

* Who am I writing to?

* What is my purpose?

* What action do I want my reader to take?

* What is in it for the reader?

The answers to these questions will help writers form a simple, one-sentence statement that conveys the essence of their message: a bottom line. This sentence tells the reader the topic, who is affected, and what will or should happen. Here are a few examples of bottom lines for everyday documents:

* Internal job posting: To apply for this position in the Drug Unit, you must submit a letter describing your qualifications to Lieutenant Mary Jones by 1700 hours on 12/20/02.

* Information request: By Tuesday, please send me a spreadsheet showing the projected fleet maintenance costs for fiscal year 2002.

* Thank you letter: Thank you for speaking to my class today and sharing your expertise in legal issues.

* Performance evaluation: During the rating period, Mr. Adams met expectations in the areas of oral and written communications, but he needs to improve his interpersonal skills and filing system.

An effective bottom line predicts the information to follow; everything else in the document should support or clarify it. Anything that does not pertain to the bottom line does not belong in the document.

Step Two: Brainstorming

With a clear bottom line on paper, writers can begin brainstorming potential ideas to include in the document. This step often is called "fast writing" because the writer seeks to record as many ideas as possible without sorting or evaluating them. Not every idea generated at this stage will end up in the final document, but that is okay. Anyone who has participated in a group brainstorming session probably has experienced the phenomenon of having a silly idea from one person inspire someone else to think of the perfect solution. The same thing holds true here. No idea is too absurd or wrong to record during a fast-writing session.

Writers employ a variety of fast-writing techniques. Some jot lists of words and phrases for key ideas, while others use more visual techniques, such as webbing or mind mapping. Free writing, also known as letter writing, helps some writers generate ideas; this technique simply involves writing a letter about the topic to a trusted reader. Still others, encumbered by the tools of writing, talk through their ideas and record them on audiotape to transcribe into a first draft later. No matter the fast-writing method used, the objective remains to record as many ideas related to the bottom line as possible. From this pool of ideas, writers choose the best ones to include in the final document.

Step Three: Writing and Organizing

Writers can choose from many patterns to organize their information. For investigative reports, chronological order makes the most sense. For other types of documents, however, chronological order might not serve the reader or the writer well, so effective writers use different methods of organization.

For example, proposals frequently describe the problem or current situation first, follow with the proposed solution, and end with the anticipated results. Progress and after-action reports follow the same format, only all in past tense. Employee evaluations might employ a topical or grouping method, describing each performance element in a set order. Instructions and procedures follow sequential order from first step to last. Operational plans include a spatial component that describes the physical layout of the buildings, streets, or locations involved. Writers should select the pattern that best serves the document's purpose.