It takes less than one minute to draft one sentence in your own words.
Then, as time permits, it might take two minutes to re-read that sentence and make it better. On some occasions, up to five minutes to research the information you’d like to add or verify. Another one or two minutes to show the sentence to someone else, and discuss it.
I’ve had Public Affairs professionals spend hours and days — I’m not exaggerating — writing a collection of sentences like photo cutlines or Q&As for public affairs guidance. Even then, the final product is an exhausting collection of copy and pasted lines. Hours! These types of products are not major initiatives … they’re incidental elements of your day-to-day responsibilities. Just like you exhale because you inhaled, you write these sentences because you have a clear understanding of your organization’s priorities.
How do you drive toward a first draft and avoid turning small requirements into day-long hauls? These tips are basic, but important enough to discuss and adopt with your team:
Set a deadline. Even if it’s arbitrary and make-believe. This empowers you to tell visitors and distractions, “I’ve got to get this off my desk by 10, can I call you later?”
Outline what you need to say. I do this in a notebook or on a white board. Use three big ideas, tied to your forever lines, as your guidelines.
Time yourself. Start with 10 minutes to write 10 Q&As, or talking points. You can go back and edit later. I bet you’ll find after 10 minutes you’ll have more than your planned amount of entries, and a list of more thoughts to explore.
Say it in your own words. Imagine your copy and paste function is disabled. Use your knowledge of the situation to write something original, and you won’t waste time searching through old e-mails and releases.
No-judgment first reviews. The point of the first draft is that it will get better as a second draft. Whether you’re the writer or the editor, it’s not about you.
We teach the inverted pyramid so you can organize news articles and press releases fast, on deadline. Photographers pay attention while shooting an event so describing the action in a cutline is second nature. Spokespeople on the podium have a matter of seconds to answer reporters’ questions—the least you can do is invest a minute or two into the answer on the front end. All of these things are ultimately just words and sentences on a page, so don’t overthink them.
