Course Highlights
This online narrative-memo writing workshop will:
- Outline best practices for creating complete and concise six-page papers.
- Offer tools to quickly establish a document’s structure and flow.
- Give concrete advice for reducing the time it takes readers to understand a document.
- Suggest ideas for reducing wordiness and removing superfluous content.
Program Overview
What is a six-page memo, and how does it work? A six-page memo is a maximum of six pages of carefully crafted text that conveys information in place of a PowerPoint presentation. In the first minutes of a meeting, attendees read the document and note any questions or comments. Following that silent work, the writer opens the floor for discussion. The result: Fewer tangents, fewer opportunities for talkers to take over or dominate, and a greater focus on substance over style.
When memos are the standard, content creators can’t rely on charisma and charm. They must present a cogent argument. The challenge? Without some training, the task of writing can flummox the smartest among us.
This three-part workshop teaches participants a system for writing a tight six-pager. The program lasts six hours and is ideally suited for groups new to the format and those who could benefit from formal instruction.
Note: While we can teach the course in a single day, it works best when delivered over several days.
Segment One Objectives
At this segment’s conclusion, participants should be able to:
- Articulate what is important to readers.
- Explain the difference between what a writer wants to say and what a reader wants to read.
- Create a purpose statement.
- Use three distinct tools to identify potential content for a document.
- Distinguish need-to-know content from nice-to-know information.
- Organize information logically.
Segment One Modules
- Say What and So What?: Identifying What Matters to Readers
- Purpose: Getting Something on Paper
- Maps, Questions, and Headings: Finding a Framework
- Wheat and Chaff: Grading Content
Segment Two Objectives
At this segment’s conclusion, participants should be able to:
- Explain the characteristics readable sentences share.
- Write in the active voice.
- Identify and remove jargon.
- Make formatting choices that improve a document’s readability.
Segment Two Modules
- An Easy Read: Creating Substantive Succinct Sentences
- To Be and Not To Be: Getting Active
- Goodbye Fluff: Tightening Text
- Bullets, Numbers, Lists: Making Memos Scannable
Segment Three Objectives
At this segment’s conclusion, participants should be able to:
- Create headlines to quickly explain charts, graphs, and other illustrations.
- Leverage various online tools to proofread a text.
- Anticipate a reader’s questions.
- Craft a narrative.
Segment Three Modules
- Help from a Headline: Highlighting a Message
- Virtual Assistance: Using Online Tools to Spot Problems
- Asked and Answered: Anticipating and Preparing for Questions
- Pen to Paper: Practicing Skills
By the conclusion of this six-hour training program, participants should have a basic command of the tools they need to write a clear and concise six-page memo.