Effective Writing – How much information?

You have started with the most important first steps in writing your business document: You understand that the purpose of the document is so that the audience can take an action. And you are writing to the reader's viewpoint and not to yourself. The next question is how much information needs to be included in the document?

Again, this is another area where you need to keep the reader in mind. Ask yourself, “What information does the reader need to know to make the decision?” Create a list for yourself and guard against including things on the list that you just want to share. Stay focused on what information the reader needs to make a decision.

Now that you have your subject areas outlined, the next step is to decide how much information to include to support the decision making criteria. Is your reader knowledgeable about the subject matter from their point of view? They do not need to be a technical expert, just an informed consumer – keep those separate. Include just enough information to support the decision making criteria and no more. Sometimes this information will be very detailed, sometimes less, it depends on your reader every time – know your reader.

Will the reader generally believe the information you provide? Surprisingly you should answer “Yes” most of the time. If the reader believes the information you are providing to them, then don’t spend time justifying your information. There are times when you will need to justify the informative elements but realize that you need to make a deliberate choice and know why you are providing justification.

Why do you need to carefully analyze the level of detail to provide? It is your job to keep the reader engaged, understand the decision making criteria and lead them to a decision. Too much information and your message can get lost leading to no decision. Too little information and the reader cannot make a decision. Both cases lead to inaction and frustration.

If you want to know more, drop me a line. I am happy to help.