As a person climbs the corporate ladder, their list of responsibilities grow proportionally. These responsibilities often include delivering communications, memos, reports and so forth to clients and colleagues, and possibly even representing the business at large-scale events. If writing reports and memos isn’t a strong suit (or if time constraints prove a problem), ghostwriters are assigned to write on their behalf. Let’s say your boss is head of a department and you need to write their message for the company brochure – how can you craft an easily understood description of your firm’s expertise and accomplishments? Join Wordsmith as we peek behind the curtains in the world of corporate ghostwriting!
Important considerations before you get started
Before we get to writing, it pays to pay attention to few important factors. Maryann V. Piotrowski, author of the book Effective Business Writing: A Guide for Those Who Write on the Job, suggests keeping a close eye on the following:
· Sensitive information
Anytime you are dealing with confidential material, be it personal or company-related, Piotrowski recommends going “off the record” via verbal discussions rather than through electronic means. Paper/digital trails are prone to leaks and sensitive information that leaves the room can devastate both career and company if the worst were to happen. “Information that is confidential or critical, bombastic or sarcastic should not be written either,” she adds.
· Signing rights
Whenever you write something on someone else’s behalf, it’s common courtesy to ask whether or not they want to place their signature at the end of the document. Although it’s for vanity reasons more than practicality, it demonstrates that you are considerate of the client’s position.
· “CC-ing” the right people
If multiple parties and/or individuals are involved with the project (as is the case with annual reports where departments are often expected to have some overlap between their messages), you need to ensure that all relevant parties are included in your correspondence.
“Send a copy to anyone affected by, or interested in, the subject, anyone in a direct line of authority between you and the addressee, and anyone you have mentioned in your memo,” explains Piotrowski. “Avoid sending copies to curry favour or to put someone on the spot.”
Piotrowski brings up an important point – leaving someone out (regardless whether intentional or not), can be perceived as bad manners or possibly even sabotage!
· Turf wars
Stepping on another department’s toes is the easiest way to trigger an inter-office war. If you feel like what you have to write about crosses into another department’s threshold, it may be more prudent to consult with them first to prevent any avoidable conflict. “Acknowledge their involvement, complement them for their contributions, or invite them to collaborate in writing the memo,” points out Piotrowski.
For example, if you are writing the president’s message and one of the key messages involves sales figures and a few inspirational lines about prospects for the next quarter, you want to be sure that what you are writing gets the greenlight from the sales department first – it’d be a major pain to get into several rounds of editing and then the sales department butts in demanding changes!
· Unexpected surprises
Surprises aren’t for everyone… even more so in the workplace! Although the unexpected can and will often occur, it’s usually not a good idea to drop a bomb on someone via an email when you can soften the impact by delivering it in-person or through a phone call first. Once they’ve had time to mentally prepare, then you deliver the finer details digitally.
· Getting priorities straight
“If you are disseminating important information, consider sending it a couple of days ahead to important people or to those who would be embarrassed if they did not know about it before others,” warns Piotrowski.
Beyond just a professional courtesy, this is especially true if top management is involved – since they have many responsibilities, they may not always be on top of their schedule or in the loop with what is going on. Giving them ample time to prepare (or to even look at their emails) is essential.
The unscrupulous will always find ways to weaponise office politics (eg. blackmail, backstabbing, malicious alliances and so on), but your job as a copywriter/ghostwriter is to avoid any accidents that could trigger disputes – it’s unprofessional and marks you as a potential liability. Stay tuned for more on ghost writing and editing!