“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint’, then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.”
– Vincent Van Gogh
Self-doubt.
Our battle with this colossal monster is unrelenting.
In our professional lives, we have doubted our abilities numerous times.
Cases in point, the scenarios below:
Scenario 1: Just been promoted to the C-suite.
Our inner critic (amid the rousing applause):
Surely they would realise their grave error as soon as it becomes clear that I don’t have the foggiest idea about how to tackle that huge project. And I’d become the butt of many jokes.
Scenario 2: Just been appointed the CEO of a beloved multinational in crisis.
Our inner critic (masked externally by cool confidence and an engaging smile):
How on earth do they expect me to turn around this iconic organisation, this national treasure, in six months? I don’t have a magic wand!
The truth is that at some point in your career, you will need to battle that inner critic to get the job done. This would be in spite of your confidence, expertise and qualifications. If the stakes are high enough, you will get nervous and you will doubt your ability to succeed.
And that is fine.
One challenge that we must all tackle as our careers progress is the task of writing to a very important person or to a powerful group.
1) Consider your recipient’s interests
For example, a semi-formal letter to be sent to your boss, requesting feedback on a report, depending on the level of familiarity, could be in the form of any of the three examples below:
1) Dear Mr X,
Z
(Email signature block).
3) Hello Jane,
Thanks for your email.
Best regards,
Z
By contrast, an email written to your CEO to request a change in policy will have a different ‘tone’ and style.
For example:
However, we believe that the Policy would become more effective should the junior staff be permitted to discuss work concerns with their directors as recommended by Management.
We look forward to your feedback on this issue.
Yours sincerely,
A) The project will be delayed.
B) The lack of commitment of senior staff to the Policy championed by the CEO will lead to its failure.
If the CEO does not effectively enforce the STJ Open Door Policy by ensuring that senior managers make themselves available for consultations, the lack of interest from junior staff will cause him to lose face. It will also trigger distrust in management, leading to employee disengagement, which will increase turnover and cost the company in lost productivity.
Also, observe proper email etiquette: use polite terms and address your recipient by his proper name/title/designation. Don’t ruffle any feathers because you misspelt your recipient’s name or used ‘Mr’ instead of ‘Dr’.
Addressing the what’s-in-it-for-me concern of the recipient is a critical factor in whether or not your written communication will be treated seriously or ignored.
2) Use the correct structure and observe protocols
For all forms of written communication, the three beacons of effective communication: simplicity, brevity and clarity, should be considered.
In emails, the structure is straightforward with the following visible components:
1) The subject line (which should be brief but specific)
2) The appropriate salutation (including the proper spellings of names, titles, etc.)
3) The main points
4) The call-to-action
5) The expression of gratitude
6) The closing remarks and the appropriate signature
You should also divide your paragraph according to the points made, preferably in short sentences no longer than five lines. Use double white spaces between paragraphs to make reading easier.
When writing formal letters, however, the structure differs. If you don’t adhere to unspoken ‘protocols’, you run the risk of your formal letter being discarded, thereby losing your opportunities.
As explained in detail in this post about writing a formal letter, the following elements should be present:
I) Your company address (preferably visible on the letterhead but can be stated)
II) The date
III) Your recipient’s address block, which must include his/her name, title and official address
IV) The salutation, which must include the recipient’s preferred title/official designation
V) The title/subject, which should be specific
VI) The opening remark, (which should adhere to the unspoken protocol of commending the recipient for whatever achievements or professional feats he/she has displayed)
VII) The call-to-action in the body of the letter
The main points should be written in paragraphs containing sentences no longer than 20 words whenever feasible. Note that the longer the sentence, the more likely that additional punctuation will be required. Bullet points can also be used for clarity.
IX) The expression of gratitude
X) The formal closing remark
XI) The writer’s signature and personal contact details
You’re the CEO of a Lagos-based company that manufactures combine harvesters for commercial farming. You believe that your company’s machinery will be beneficial to the pasta division of the Dangote Group. You thus wish to secure a meeting to discuss a potential business relationship with the organisation. You need to write a letter to Alhaji Aliko Dangote, the president of the Dangote Group, who is also currently listed by Forbes as the richest man in Africa.
Given the profile of your recipient, you realise that the letter you must write will be one of the most important letters of your professional life, so you need to compose it carefully.
Below is a sample that will have the desired impact.
June 29, 2017
Dear Alhaji Aliko Dangote,
Request for Meeting to Introduce the Hozard Combine Harvester: the Highest-Selling Combine Harvester in West Africa
We humbly request a meeting at your office to discusss potential business relations with the Dangote Group.
Established in 1990, we are the sole manufacturer of combine harvesters in Nigeria and are based in Lagos State. With an annual turnover of NX billion, we share your vision of positioning Nigeria as the manufacturing hub for Africa. Our commitment to quality has resulted in our combine harvesters adopting the standards recommended by the International Organisation for Standardisation. Just like your organisation, we were awarded the NIS ISO 9001:2000 International Quality Management Award by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria. We have also won several awards in the country, one of which was the Governor’s Award for the ‘Most Innovative Company for 2016’. The Hozard Combine Harvester has been the highest-selling combine harvester in West Africa for the third consecutive year, with an average quarterly volume of NX million.
Our research has shown that the Dangote Group uses Heits Combine Harvesters from Germany. Kindly note, however, that routine engineering tests conducted by the renowned engineering group, MUSE Plc, from Japan, have attested to the durability and competence of the Hozard Combine Harvester. Our machines are also cheaper than Heits’ and are regularly serviced by highly skilled technicians to ensure optimal performance.
Kindly be advised that our unique combine harvesters, which are environmentally friendly, are powered by biodiesel, and are specifically designed for the Nigerian terrain. They will thus be beneficial to your pasta division in Dangote Flour Mills Plc because they will reduce the harvesting time of wheat, minimise crop wastages and save fuelling costs.
In view of the points above, we humbly request an invitation to your office to deliver a presentation of our operations. We would be grateful if we could discuss how we could add value to Dangote Flour Mills Plc by efficiently harvesting the wheat yields with more powerful, durable combine harvesters, at a fraction of the cost.
Please find attached for your consideration, our brochure, a list of clients and an official video of our operations. We look forward to receiving a response from you at your convenience.
Yours sincerely,
(Signature)
Dr Peter Hozard
President/CEO
Hozard Nigeria Limited
Email: Peter.hozard@hozard.com
Mobile: 0800 000 0001
Website: www.hozard.com
The allure of value is undeniable in all communication, particularly in business writing. Therefore, explicitly state the benefit you would provide to your recipient for the response you seek.
Conclusion
So whether the most important content you will write in your career is an email, a letter, or a report, remember the two critical elements mentioned earlier: consider the recipient’s needs and use the appropriate structure.
You will write.
You must write.
Since your career depends on it, write and that inner monster will be silenced every time. Remember that the more you write, the better you get.
And now, over to you:
What other tips can you give for writing important documents in your career?
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I like the writing style; simple and concise.
Thanks, Yinka. Glad you enjoyed the article.
Great article. I found it very useful. Thanks Lucille!
Thanks, Valentina. Glad you found it useful.
Thanks for reading Kola. It wasn't a short post but I hope people find it useful.
Especially in this day and age of text speak and emojis, it's nice to see someone remind us of the importance if good writing skills. Excellent. Thx.
Thank you Alistair Brunning for reading. Glad you found it useful.
Useful, common sense tips that everyone should adhere to.
Thank you for your response.
Given that one of the main points of the article is the notion that when writing to an important person, you should align your business communication to the recipient's interest, I appreciate you conceding that the letter might be 'OK' for Nigeria.
From my experience in writing to highly important people, including top government officials, I can assure you that not only will the formal letter be acceptable, it will be expected by a recipient of such calibre.
I thus disagree that it is 'sycophantic'. Remember that it is a formal letter and not an email, and that it would preferably be sent via courier.
I would imagine that for such a formal letter to be effective, it should provide value or should suggest that value will be provided, otherwise there's no point in seeking a business opportunity with the Dangote Group.
I'm curious – perhaps you could provide a sample of a similar formal letter to an important person that will be acceptable in the UK. It will be interesting to see how culture determines what might be effective and what might not.
The tone of the last example strikes me as being sycophantic and much too reminiscent of scam emails; it might be OK for Nigeria, but not in the UK.