Reports and Proposals: New Techniques for High-stakes Business Documents

Oakland, CA, November 18, 2014 (Newswire.com) - Reports, Proposals, and Procedures is a new book that offers a host of techniques for using each section of a complex document to advance specific business needs. Author Natasha Terk has been the managing director of the consulting and training firm Write It Well since 2004. The firm has 35 years of expertise in helping clients streamline their work and deliver effective messages.

The Wall Street Journal and Forbes interviewed Terk this year to ask how investing in communication skills boosts professional success. Here are some of the ways:

• To explain exactly how readers will benefit from working with the writer
• To consider the informational needs of very different reader groups — e.g.,
  • People with and without specific technical knowledge
  • Readers who’ll only have time to skim an executive summary
• To present a clear, concise analysis of a complex topic
• To set out a step-by-step procedure to achieve a specific objective

Any long document makes significant demands on its readers’ time. This book helps businesspeople organize information with clear snapshots of the contents of each section as well as the document as a whole.

For instance, busy readers may not notice it if a writer includes a helpful introductory list of eight topics for a twenty-page section of a technical report. But that list will help readers skip seven items they don’t need and jump straight to the eighth item they do need. That fact will save them time and send an image of the writer as a clear, efficient communicator.

Reports, Proposals, and Procedures goes far beyond document templates for stock business needs by putting an array of writing tools at businesspeople’s fingertips. Here are some of the writing tasks the book demystifies:

• Write an executive summary
• Decide what to include, and what to leave out
• Organize a large amount of necessary information
• Keep dense information user-friendly

A chapter on outlining helps writers put themselves in the shoes of all the future readers, identifying what information people will need to see. This kind of clear thinking prevents wasteful returns to the drawing board, it keeps document easy to follow, and it boosts the writer’s credibility.

This approach is also highly flexible. The book’s readers learn how to break down a document into focused subsections and also see it as a unified whole. They can sidestep one-size-fits-all document templates by starting with their own unique concerns and the most likely questions people will have as they read the report or proposal.

Terk and her team of instructional designers and trainers use the book to deliver onsite and online trainings for Write It Well clients — either off the shelf or custom-tailored for one client’s reports, proposals, and written-communication goals. 

The book is available in three formats:

• Print and digital editions through Barnes & Noble
• A Kindle e-book
• An e-learning course on proposal writing through the Write It Well Academy

Reports, Proposals, and Procedures helps businesspeople present clear information, set out easy-to-follow steps, and explain exactly how customers or clients will benefit from proposed work. The book helps businesspeople break the ice, avoid the hassle of rewriting, land new projects, and benefit their bottom line.

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