The five second writing test

One of the beauties of creative writing is that authors have the opportunity to deliberately reveal plot and subject matter at a pace that suits their writing style. Unfortunately, the business world doesn't provide the same luxury.

I heard once that Lee Iacocca gave any presentation (verbal or written) five seconds to pique his interest before he moved on to the item on his agenda. Think about that...someone's passion, countless hours of work, potential career-changing opportunities, all squeezed into a five-second litmus test.

Most people will give you (at least a little) more than five seconds to capture their attention, but you should approach business writing in the same fashion of immediately grabbing attention. I can't tell you how many times I've seen a beautifully written proposal, POV or brief be rejected for one simple reason - the writer failed to summarize the key points/recommendations in the first paragraph of the document, and the reader didn't have the time to comb through and get the pertinent details.

Good business writers should always provide a one-paragraph executive summary clearly stating the issue, recommendation (including cost) and anticipated result. Approach your writing to the highest common denominator in the sense that the most important person to read your memo likely has the least amount of time to give it undivided attention. If she or he were to only read the first paragraph, could they stop and provide a go-no go? If not, you need to revisit what you've written.

At the very least, your reader will have enough information to formulate an initial reaction. At the best, your client will be intrigued by your recommendation and will read through the rest of your document where you can explain issues in further detail.

Ironically, as different as the styles are, good writers (both creative and business) need a good hook to draw the reader. Instead of "It was the best of times. It was the worst of times," your memo may start with "this memo recommends." Not so romantic, but potentially as effective.