Writing activity reports

Activity reports basically inform the reader of how you spent your time during a defined period. For most people, they typically occasion the biggest groans of any paperwork except perhaps filing for expenses. Most in-house workers especially see them as a distraction from their “real” work and treat them as busywork imposed by inconsiderate, tradition-bound managers.

Resist that feeling! If you think writing reports is boring, you’re bound to produce dishwater documents that serve you badly. Consider why someone wants the information involved. Yes, a supervisor may want you to keep proving that your job is justified, but a smart one wants to know some or all of the following:

• Your progress (and everyone else’s) in carrying out the current initiative
• Possible need for course corrections to meet goals and deadlines
• Surprises: Unexpected problems, obstacles, connections
• How well the team is coordinating tasks and whether things are humming along smoothly, on time and on budget

It may surprise you to know that many employers want to know what their staff members think, as well as what they’re doing. Especially when a staff consists of more than a few people, it’s hard for the big-picture decision-makers to keep track of what’s happening under their watch. Written reports as well as team meetings become essential to keeping track of the action.

Managers base decisions on staff reports more often than you may suspect. Ideally, reports collectively add up to the larger perspective their roles demand and provide clues to help them deploy their resources more successfully. When you contribute informed observations and ideas, they’re valued because you’re closer to the action, whatever that is, and speak for that piece of reality. Reports keep those further from the ground in touch.

Keep in mind, too, that bosses need grist for their own report mills. They must in turn report to their superiors, and need information from their team members to do so. Good material from their staff enables them to write better reports. And some of your own input may rise all the way up the ladder.

Many lofty leaders find it frustrating to receive dull, dense, unorganized reports that bury the facts and insights they need under a barrage of undiscriminating verbiage. Even high-up executives often write meandering reports that waste the time and energy of all who use them.

Use reports to communicate your capabilities and value. Take the trouble to make them well-organized, well-strategized, informative and well-written. Make them as interesting as you can. If you suggest your own boredom through a rote delivery, what does that say about how you feel about your job and how you do it?

Just as with writing email, which is covered in Chapter 6, start with the perennials: goal and audience. Your goal is to provide useful information and perspective to the reader, and no less important, to present yourself as the thoughtful, skilled, resourceful, creative professional you are. Your audience is the manager who asks for the report as well as the whole crew of managers above them.

Look at your report from your supervisor’s viewpoint to gauge the appropriate content, level of detail and style of writing. Take their informational preferences and decision-making style into account (see Chapter 2 on how to do this). A report’s orientation also varies according to company culture and your role.

If you manage a unit or department, you’re responsible for reporting on the team’s performance as well as your own. Some of the advice that follows may be more relevant to a report on a department, or other area of broad responsibility, rather than yourself as a single individual. But notice ideas that will help you make your reports stand out.

Reporting project results

While the process for writing project reports is similar to writing activity reports, a project report may call for a different structure according to the subject. Here, too, aim to tell a story with a logical beginning, middle and end.

Often the challenge of a project report is how to present an abundance of data and concepts in a way that holds together for readers. Faced with masses of poorly sorted information, most people will either stop reading or jump to undesirable conclusions. Neither outcome is good for you. Take the time to determine your central message — and how you want your reader to react. Use the questions you draft in “Focus reader attention” earlier in this chapter to guide you, but start with these:

• What was the reason for undertaking this work?
• What did I want to find out and why?

Identify the project’s goal as closely as you can. For example, did you want to supply a basis for decision-making? Provide support? Question a current position? Predict outcomes from various scenarios? Justify an action? Or just keep specific audiences updated? A basic reporting sequence like this one suits many purposes:

• What we wanted to know and why (the problem or mission)
• What we did and how (abbreviate if this may not interest key readers)
• What happened
• What we learned and evidence and/or outcomes
• Discussion of important points, perhaps pros and cons
• Conclusions (what we recommend, problems, next steps)

Section by section, create an engaging lead based on your most important result from the reader’s perspective. When you have good news, flaunt it, don’t bury it. On the other hand, don’t obscure any bad news so it’s overlooked or comes as a shock.

A good report, like any major document, doesn’t happen overnight. Don’t position yourself to start from scratch when the deadline is tomorrow. Consider collecting information for the report gradually in a folder or on your computer or desk (or both), for each section. Add to the folders over time so you’re not overwhelmed at the last minute desperately trying to remember what happened, where the figures are and what it all means. Before you draft, give yourself time to read through all the material you gathered and decide on your message.

Here’s a good way to cut through complex masses of information to the bottom line: After scanning your material, put it away for a few hours or days. Then without referring to it, summarize it orally or in writing. You may find that given a little distance, your brain filters out what matters.

Writing formal proposals

Most RFPs (request for proposals) require formal, standardized responses. This is true in most big-business situations and also for many grant applications. You may have a list of specifications to meet and a prescribed format. If you do, follow those specifications to the letter, especially if you’re bidding for a government contract. At other times, you may have more leeway to organize your document as you like, or to interpret a set of guidelines.

For help with preparing a long-form, high-stakes proposal, check out Internet resources and business management books. You can find abundant good advice on formatting but not much about the process of writing the proposal itself. Not to worry. Here are several tips for answering RFPs that can make the difference between winning a bid and losing out:

• Tell a story. Even if the prescribed format makes storytelling tough, use the space to communicate a cohesive picture of what you recommend and why, what you’ll do and why you’re the best person or company to do the job. True, specialists may scrutinize only a few sections, but key readers review the whole document and want it to make sense cumulatively — with as little repetition as possible. (See Chapter 8 for storytelling tips.)
• Demonstrate your understanding of the problem and goal. If you’re pitching for a complex contract, take time to know the company and the problem its decision-makers need outside help to solve — it’s always there. Read the RFP exhaustively between the lines and research the organization to see how the requested work fits into the company’s overall needs — and by extension, how you can fit in. In doing this, you’ll pick up keywords to incorporate and better understand the company’s “voice” so you can respond in kind and show you’re on the same wavelength.
• Give your audiences what they need. Include content and details that specifically match audience expectations. Remember that most businesspeople want to increase profitability or efficiency. All reviewers want to know a project’s timetable, how you measure success, the budget and how it breaks out, who will do the work and their credentials and your track record and specific qualifications for the job.
• Write simply and conversationally in third person. Use a slightly more formal tone than you’d use for everyday communication — fewer contractions, for example — but don’t sound overly academic and stuffy. Avoid using first person (“I,” “we,” “us”). Make the company the entity, even if you are the only person involved (for example, “Bluebird Audio will provide a complete sound system …”). Make your language lively but jargon-free unless totally unavoidable. See Chapter 4 for more tips about how to do this.
• Speak their language. Notice any statements that are emphasized or repeated in the RFP or other communication. These are clues to the organization’s hot buttons and perhaps sensitivities honed by experience. Incorporate key phrases and ideas in your responses, but don’t come across as if you’re parroting back their words rather than providing the answers they hope for. And be sure to explain how you’ll measure outcomes!
• Remember the decision is about you. Whatever you’re proposing, you’re asking someone to choose you and your team. Never skimp the biographical section. Show why each team member is right for the role, how the team works together, its accomplishments, and why you in particular can be trusted to deliver on time, within budget and to specification.
• Go for the proof. Don’t say “the team is creative, reliable and efficient.” Cite examples, case histories, statistics and testimonials that demonstrate these points, as appropriate. Impress with substance rather than empty claims. “Tests show that our concrete lasts 16 percent longer than other varieties” is better than “our concrete lasts forever.”
• Edit and proof your work. After writing, review and correct your document in several stages. (See Chapters 4 and 5 for more about this process.) One error costs you your credibility. Ask a friend with sharp eyes to proof for you, too. If you fail to showcase your ability to communicate well and correctly within the document itself, you lose ground regardless of what you’re trying to win.
• Make it look good. Your competitors will. Use all the graphic options to help your proposal read well and easily. Give your readers opportunities to rest their eyes. (See Chapter 3 for advice on using graphic tools.) Include relevant graphics — images, graphs, charts, infographics — but they must never be extraneous. If a lot rests on this document and you’re on your own, ask a friend with a good eye for advice. Or find a good model or online template and adapt elements of its design or the whole layout.

Always do a big-picture review of your document before sending out a proposal. Ask yourself (or a colleague) the following questions:

• Did I demonstrate my understanding of the problem or goal?
• Did I explain who we are and why we’re the best choice?
• Did I clearly state what I will do to address the problem and the expected outcomes?
• Did I clearly spell out what “success” will look like and how it will be measured?
• If different people worked on the proposal, has the whole piece been edited to read consistently and well?
• Would I give me this opportunity based on this document?

Many candidates focus proposals on process and short-sell results. For example, a training proposal to update staff technology skills should talk less about how many workshops the program includes and more about the gains that result in efficiency, problem-solving and error-reduction after the training. When possible, give the client a vision of how much better his people will function, or how his processes will improve, or how life and the world will be better if you are awarded the opportunity. But the vision must have “feet” — a solid grounding in your ability to achieve concrete results, not pie in the sky.

And, remember the professional proposal writer’s mantra: Be SMART — Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-sensitive.

Writing informal proposals

The foregoing section addresses formal proposal writing, typically in response to an RFP. If you’re vying for a government or big-industry contract or a grant, you usually have no choice other than to follow the given specifications. But creating formal proposals can be intensely time-consuming, and understandably, few consultants or contractors want to do more than necessary to win the job. In many situations, you can save yourself a bundle of time by opting for an informal proposal. And almost always the prospective client is perfectly happy with a concise, readable document.

One way is to build the proposal into the selling process and make it a simple agreement — confirmation of a plan already discussed. You can create a logical sequence to cover what’s necessary, or even use a letter format. This approach requires a different selling process because it builds on a personal discussion of the job at hand rather than analysis of a written request.

The first step is to achieve that conversation. As any sales professional can tell you, aim for a face-to-face meeting or if that’s not possible, a virtual one. Then write the proposal based on what you discover. Proposals based on phone conversations, or worse yet, written exchanges, are harder sells. Ideally, you want to gain a second appointment to present your solution — that is, your proposal.

At the first meeting, rather than aggressively selling your qualifications, hold a conversation. Encourage the prospect to talk. An opener that works well for crack salespeople is, “I’d love to know how you came to this position.” Listen very carefully and use friendly prompts to keep the person talking and gently steer the direction to cover what you need to know. Ask open-ended questions that will yield answers to the following:

• What single problem would you most like to solve?
• How is this problem affecting your business?
• What difference would solving it make for you?
• What has been tried so far and why didn’t it work?

Watch for clues as to how you really can help the organization and the value, to them, of fixing the problem at hand. Experienced consultants watch for chances to expand the perspective within which the challenge is viewed. For example, exploring the inability of units to meet their sales figures may reveal an underlying problem — unsupportive management policies rather than insufficient training, perhaps. This could mean a bigger job for you, or a mismatch if it doesn’t suit your skill set. It’s better to find this out before you’re invested.

If the conversation is positive, you can follow up with your informal written proposal. This can cover, in sections:

• The problem you propose to address (“I heard that your sales figures have plummeted 6 percent …”)
• Why that problem is important (“These losses have forced you to lay off three employees and …”)
• What you recommend (“Shangri-La Consulting will develop a plan to …”)
• How you will carry out the program (“Our step-by-step plan is …”)
• What will result (“The result will be …”)
• Mutual obligations and time frame (“Our mutual obligations, time frame of deliverables and so on …”)
• Financials (“My fee [broken down if and as appropriate] is …”)

You can also work in why your firm is the ideal choice to undertake the job or add a separate page with your credentials and qualifications, tailored to the project.

Here’s an example of a common-sense proposal that a business communications consultant might draft. Notice that the title does not refer to “communication training,” but more important, the reason improved communication will benefit the client.

• A Workshop Proposal by CCW, Inc. for Whiteflag, Inc. to Improve Customer Relations
• CCW is pleased to propose a series of workshops to help Whiteflag customer service representatives handle customer complaints more effectively and actively build customer relations through more positive interactions and correspondence.
• The Problem: Alienated customers
• Your recent review of 24 representatives’ interactions with customers showed:
  • An 18 percent increase over the past six months in customer complaints with how their problems were handled
  • An abrupt, sometimes rude tone characterizing many outgoing messages to customers
  • An unprecedented number of social media posts criticizing Whiteflag products and service
• (This list can be longer, but generally, keep it to no more than four or five.)
• Impact of the problem on Whiteflag:
• The situation is adversely affecting your company. In your own analysis, it is a major factor in a recent 4 percent decline in your customer base. This has created a downturn of 2.6 percent of gross volume.
• CCW proposes:
• A step-by-step outline of the proposed workshop series — specific but very concise — goes here.
• Outcomes:
• The workshop series will achieve …
• List the outcomes you aim for that correspond to the problems and note how results will be measured.
• How we will work together:
• Describe the collaborative planning, time frames and obligations of each party.
• The facilitators:
• Indicate who will deliver the program and their credentials.
• Fee structure:
• State your project fee or hourly rate, which should protect you from “scope creep”; for example, cite extra charges for work that exceeds the parameters you set.
• Agreed to by: ______________________

The entire document can be just a few pages. It may be fine to format it as a letter that begins with a salutation — “Dear Jane” or “Dear Ms. Brown,” as appropriate. Or assuming email delivery, present the proposal as an attachment to a note written as a cover letter. Some more standard sections, like the “presenters” section that describes staffing and credentials, can be done as a separate add-on.

Your tone and language for an informal proposal are just as important as for a formal one. You’ve spoken personally with the person or group who might hire you. You’ve also seen how they present and communicate, what sparks their interest and concern and how important the problem is to them. Be alert to all these signals and picture the decision-maker in your mind as you write.

Ultimately, most contracts and assignments are won in person, but writing is the essential first step toward most opportunities. You rarely get in the door without a first-rate proposal. Good writing and the good thinking it reflects can be a great leveler. I know personally many cases where a small David beat a smug Goliath to win stellar opportunities, and companies that have built their entire success on very good writing. This happens more than ever given the growing dependence on virtual media.

A good letter introducing yourself — another kind of proposal — can work wonders in many circumstances. This may seem like a simple task, but often, the less room you have to frame an “ask,” the better you need to think it out.

If you’re writing a straight-out pitch for funding, the basic proposal ideas apply, but remember the priorities: Anyone asked to finance your idea or business primarily wants to know how much money you want, how you will pay it back and what they will gain from the investment.

Writing a business plan

If you’re writing a business plan, the same fundamental structure applies as with writing a formal proposal, but with some reangling. Traditional business plans cover:

• The great idea tightly presented and, preferably, captivating. This is your value proposition expanded (see Chapter 8).
• Market analysis — why your product or service is needed and will sell, backed by facts and statistics.
• How you’ll structure and build the enterprise.
• Service or product details and benefits to customers.
• Marketing and sales — your strategy for finding customers and delivering.
• Financials — costs, profitability prospects and financing sources.
• Why you are equipped to succeed.

Even if your vision is for a random set of gigs with you working in the attic, a business plan often spells the difference between failure and flourishing. Especially if no one else reads and responds to the plan but you. Online advice and standard templates abound, but excellent free help is available from the Small Business Administration (www.sba.gov), the Small Business Development Centers (https://americassbdc.org) and SCORE, which offers free mentoring by experienced businesspeople (www.score.org).

Applying for grants

In most ways, applying for grants is similar to answering business RFPs. Grants bestowed by government agencies, foundations and large corporations typically involve completing very explicit questionnaires that must be followed to the letter. Smaller grant-givers, such as volunteer-run organizations that award modest amounts to local nonprofits, typically supply their own application forms. These vary widely in both the nature of the information required and how to present it. However, following some common-sense guidelines will maximize your chance of winning a grant.

If the grant giver offers a session on how to apply, by all means be there. Many businesses and nonprofits that give grants use their own idiosyncratic processes to evaluate applications. But again, a common-sense set of strategies can ground you in almost every case. Start with the guidelines for RFPs and add the following, which are specific to grant proposals. I am assuming you want to apply for project funding because most funders prefer to invest in a new project or extend a successful program, rather than contribute to operating expenses like staff salaries and facilities.

• Align with the funder’s mission. Thoroughly understand “what’s in it for them.” Why is this company or foundation or government agency investing in this set of projects? Each giver has its own mission to accomplish. A foundation focuses on one or many causes, carefully articulated in its print and digital materials, so always scour these. Many companies support causes that align with their own commercial interests. An eyeglass manufacturer, for example, may choose to help vision-impaired children live fuller lives; or it might adopt a community cause or one that resonates with its employees. A governmental entity typically identifies unmet needs of its citizens.

  Once you identify the funder’s mission, align with it as closely as you can. How will your activity help the giver fulfill its own mission? Build your application on the answer to that question. If you can’t do this, you may not be applying to an appropriate funder.

• Aim not to bore your reader. I’ve written grant applications and also screened them. Both processes are hard work. Whether the readers are paid professionals or volunteers, plenty of red-eye activity is usually called for. The requestor pile is big. When a reviewer becomes bored, the application gets a skimming at best. Therefore, consider these guidelines:
  • Frame your information as a story. Know your core message — what you want to achieve, who you are, what you will do and what this will accomplish. Even when using a formal prescribed format, figure out how to tell the story in that framework, even if it must be told in increments by answering questions in the order given. (See Chapter 8 for story-building approaches.)
  • Let your conviction shine through. As in every sales situation, your own belief in your cause, and the project you want funded is your greatest selling point. Don’t mask it with complicated abstract writing. Write with enthusiasm. Show heart and energy. If you don’t feel that for your project, why should anyone else?
  • Avoid information repeat. Don’t start all over again for every question if there’s any way around it. Different people may or may not evaluate various parts of your proposal, but it works better to assume one or a series of readers will evaluate the whole document. If you must repeat, find another way to angle the idea or reword it. The dull repetitive proposals typically lose.
  • Establish the need clearly without dwelling on it. If hundreds of children live in your community and need help with vision aids, certainly say so, with good documentation. But write about the program that will address this challenge rather than unnecessary details that crowd out your solution.
  • Stress outcomes, not process. Funders are usually more interested in what will change or improve than in the details of how you will do it. If you want to train the children to use special devices, for example, do explain how you’ll accomplish that — for example, with a series of free small group workshops — but don’t over-present the logistics: where the workshops will be held, how the instructors will be hired and so on. Rather, paint a full picture of how 175 children’s lives will be improved.
  • Show if possible that the project results will be sustainable in some way. For example, beyond helping the initial 175 children, will the program train nurses to help them after the project people are gone? Will they leave equipment for them to use?
  • Use good graphics to support your words. Well-presented material is always more closely read and bestows credibility. Take the trouble to make your application look good. Charts, graphs or tables can make data more easily understood. Relevant photographs and video can be effective for many good causes — but they may be prohibited on the application, so always check.
• Think long range. You’re asking a funder to choose your project from among many and give you money that may have been challenging for them to raise. It’s up to you to create trust! Good writing is your best friend here. Be sure you represent your own organization effectively in everything you write. In addition to any correspondence with the grant-giver, and the application, be sure your online presence is in good order and backs up your group’s credibility and relevance. Posting success stories has helped many a cause do this.

A good application that doesn’t get funded may still be a door to future support. You may well get a better reception next year or the year after. Reviewers do notice your persistence and sustained interest. In many cases, it’s acceptable to inquire why your project wasn’t chosen and how you might do better next time. Some funders supply this information routinely, and if so, scrutinize it carefully.

If your proposal is funded, don’t number among the great majority of grant recipients who fail to say “thank you.” Express appreciation. And follow up! The people who gave you money want to know how well your program succeeded and they deserve to, whether they require this reporting or not. In practical terms, demonstrating results is much more likely to help you qualify again in the future.

Giving perspective to complex material

Good reports, proposals and other business documents are read and often acted upon. Bad, boring ones are trashed faster than yesterday’s fish. They may be used to wrap the fish. A strong executive summary makes the difference. It starts you off on the right foot with your audience and can keep you there by establishing interest in the rest of your material.

A helpful writing sequence is to first write your document, then write the executive summary, then review the main document to ensure that it lines up with the summary and thoroughly supports it. Or, you can write your executive summary first and then back it up with the full document.

Both processes work because developing the summary helps you figure out your real story. This truth applies to a range of reports and proposals as well as white papers, grant applications, business plans and most other business documents. Your aim in the executive summary is to predigest the information and give the reader a meaningful perspective. You accomplish these goals by understanding your own material in depth.

Suppose you’re reporting on what you did last month. Two quick tricks presented earlier in this chapter can trigger your thinking for the summary:

• Without looking at the already-written report, ask yourself: What settles out as important, interesting, provoking, promising or enlightening about what I covered? Write that down.
• Imagine your partner or a good buddy was away for the last month and upon return asks, “What happened in your work while I was gone?” What would you say? Write that down.

If you’re following a report format that your company or department prescribes — with preset categories (trends, new projects, profits and losses and so on) — try one of these shortcut processes for each category. Also, take time to determine what matters with a bigger-picture brainstorming so that you know what perspective to give the full report.

Determining what matters

Your executive summary should not march through a series of mini-versions of the larger document’s sections. After the opening statement — think of it as the summary of the summary — follow the document’s sequencing and integrate the material and ideas for a crystallizing statement.

Figure out what’s important — what is most worth sharing — especially in terms of your readers’ interests. If you’re writing a report, review your answers to the questions presented in “Focus reader attention” earlier in this chapter; if it’s a proposal, look back at “Writing informal proposals.”

For models of how to handle an executive summary, check out the best. Warren Buffett, the financier, is justly famous for his crystal-clear communication of tough material. His “To the Shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway” letters strike readers as honest, but at the same time, present a point of view very persuasively. Back in 2007 when the U.S. housing market was beginning to implode, his letter began:

• Our gain in net worth during 2007 was $12.3 billion, which increased the per-share book value of both our Class A and Class B stock by 11 percent. Over the last 43 years (that is, since present management took over) book value has grown from $19 to $78,008, a rate of 21 percent compounded annually.
• Overall, our 76 operating businesses did well last year. The few that have problems were primarily linked to housing, among them our brick, carpet and real estate brokerage operations. Their setbacks are minor and temporary. Our competitive position in these businesses remains strong, and we have first-class CEOs who run them right, in good times or bad.
• Some major financial institutions have, however, experienced staggering problems because they engaged in the “weakened lending practice” I described in last year’s letter. John Stumpf, CEO of Wells Fargo, aptly dissected the recent behavior of many lenders: “It is interesting that the industry has invented new ways to lose money when the old ways seemed to work fine.”

Buffett goes on to explain the housing crisis in a paragraph, then moves on with sections titled: “Turning to happier thoughts, an acquisition”; “Finally our insurance business”; and “That party is over,” warning investors to anticipate lower insurance earnings and more.

The whole introduction occupies seven paragraphs. It sets readers up to read the full report, with all the statistics, charts and financial detail — in the frame of mind Buffett chooses.

Notice how Buffett’s quoted statement aligns with the principles of good writing as shared in this book. His goal is obvious: to reassure his investors that his company is on solid ground despite troubling financial events. To make that view convincing, he takes account of the negatives as well so the picture he presents appears to be balanced. Understanding his audience — Hathaway investors — makes obvious why he chose a fact-rich lead as his first paragraph. While not catchy, the comparative numbers are nevertheless riveting to those whose eyes are glued to his (and their own) bottom line.

Buffett’s use of colloquial language helps everyone relate to his subject. His assurance that “we have first-class CEOs who run them right, in good times or bad” is both conversational and confident. The 2007 letter ends with a paragraph about how lucky he and his partner feel: “Every day is exciting to us; no wonder we tap-dance to work.” You’re never too successful or sophisticated to share your passion and enthusiasm. In fact, it’s essential if you aim high.

Try This: Look at how Buffett does it. Check out a bunch of his shareholder letters at www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters. Even if you have no interest in the financial details, observe his clear, concise word choices and organized presentation style. This complex information is delivered at a tenth-grade reading level. Notice too how he creates each letter’s tone. Spend ten minutes analyzing what makes him such a credible writer and how he conveys trustworthiness, even when reporting bad news.

One more recommendation for executive summaries: Don’t call it “Executive Summary,” which is sleep-inducing. Give it a real headline that says something concrete about your content, positions it and promotes reader interest. You can still use the words but amplify them:

Executive Summary: How the Audit Shifts Company Priorities for Next Year

The next section looks specifically at using headlines and subheads.

Putting headlines to work

To make all your business documents more engaging and reader-friendly, adapt some good journalism techniques. One energizing approach is to stop thinking of section headings as labels and to start writing these elements as headlines.

The difference is that labels are static, dull and uninformative. Headlines, on the other hand, tell readers what’s happening right now and pique curiosity for what they’re about to read. Headlines have a feeling of action and movement.

You can use headlines to begin sections of reports, proposals, white papers and business plans. They are easy to write when you think about delivering information rather than naming a category. Here are some labels transformed into headlines:

• Label: Admissions: Results compared to forecasts
• Headline: September admissions exceed forecast by 10%
• Label: Calumet Program case history
• Headline: How the Calumet program turned an oil company's image from black to green

If you’re responding to given categories and must use them, simply add a headline after the label. Adding a colon at the end of the standardized label line works fine:

• Admissions Performance:
• This year’s enrollment leaps 19 percent over last

Most reports, proposals and business plans benefit enormously from working in subheads as well as headlines. Use this method to solve problems with organization. As I suggest in Chapter 6, write a series of subheads before drafting the material itself and then add the appropriate information and ideas under each.

Breaking long sections of big documents into sequences of smaller sections with subheads pulls readers along and helps them make sense of what you’re presenting. Plant these guideposts to help focus your audience on what is most important for them to know, and what you want them to know.

If you have a multipage section on financial indicators, for example, write a headline to capsulize the whole picture and then a set of action subheads for each topic. For example:

• March Indicators Promise Much, Move Little
• Skilled worker recruitment loses traction: down .5 percent from plan
• Stock price climbs to 126, up 2 percent
• Sales jump to 2012 levels, led by Jumex breakthrough
• Company economists feel cautious confidence for April

You may question whether the preceding headlines and subheads are too specific, encouraging readers to not look past them. Actually, the more specific and compelling you can be, more of the “right” readers — the ones you target — will read the material. And you’ll have a ready-made Table of Contents, which most business documents that are longer than two or three pages should have.

The more clearly you signal where you’ve located specific types of information in your document and why that information matters, the better the response. People are extremely selective about investing their energy and time. Helping them choose what to read is an excellent technique. Further yet: The headline/subhead technique makes your material look more interesting and communicates that you are a take-charge, action-oriented leader. This is true even when the news you’re delivering is bad!