learn the Principles of Business Writing PHẦN 9 doc

issue. Either way, you will need to define the scope of the assignment, establish the

deadline and writing requirements and mobilise resources to get the desired result.

The initial brief tends to be vague. It is often described in general terms such as ‘writing

about your company’s expertise in supply chain management’ or ‘sharing your views on

the dilemma between social responsibility and the needs of shareholders’. This means

that the subject matter and the perceived need are broadly defined, and that people

are looking to you to create a more detailed story. This translates into freedom for you

to decide what is best for your organisation, as well as the responsibility to lead people

to develop the focus, substance and other ingredients for your story.

The best way to use this freedom is to write a brief. The chapter on focus already sug￾gested a number of questions to ask when developing a brief, but more preparation is

needed, for example:

- Doing preliminary research. This is important if you do not have in-depth

knowledge of the issues you need to address. You can browse through trade

journals, strategic analyses, newsletters, or similar documents. The goal is

not to become an expert, but to get the highlights.

- Holding exploratory talks with stakeholders. Finding two or three insiders for

a brief chat can often yield priceless insights into the state of an industry or

the topics that are really hot. This will provide further clues about what to

focus on in your research and writing.

- Analysing your individual stakeholders. As described previously in this book,

you need to identify their interests, needs, attitudes, behaviours, values,

beliefs and ambitions. This will show you the force field within which you are

writing and will show you how to align your writing with those stakeholders

most crucial to you.

- Analysing the strategic and operational field. This involves understanding

the organisation’s strategy, the internal dynamics of your organisation and

changes in the competitive field. This will help you decide on what writing

strategy to adopt.

- Deciding on the impact you want your text to have. You will need to keep in

mind the organisation’s (team’s, department’s, business unit’s etc.) business

and communications strategy. One important question to ask is: how should

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