I’m sure it has happened to you at least once that you send an email or instant message to someone, only to find that the information you sent has been completely misunderstood. With no facial expressions, no body language, and no patois or emphasis, it happens very easily and often. Therefore, the message must be framed with something to set the scene for the reader. In technical writing, this is accomplished by assuming that the reader has no prior knowledge of the subject. Information is presented using a “:top-down” approach, or what is also known as the inverted pyramid.

Let’s illustrate this: we’re going to use an example of writing ad copy, but you’ll see quickly how this can work in any type of verbal or written communication.

Top of the pyramid: (the main message I’m trying to convey to the reader)

First: Buying this car will make your life fantastic. (Framing what’s coming next.)

Second: This car makes you look very sexy. (High impact statement – generates interest and desire to hear more.)

Third: This car makes you look sexy because it is fast and sleek. (Justifies statement #2.)

Fourth: Guys, women love men who drive fast, sleek cars, that are also good on gas. (Rationalization.)

Fifth: Your life will be fantastic because when women see you driving a car that is not only fast and sleek, but also good on gas, and has all the latest safety features plus a bonus built-in child booster seat, they will try to pick you up at the gas pump. You will not be able to fend them off with a hockey stick. (Summary to re-state your framing statement and your high-impact statement.)

It’s easy to see how this can be applied to sales and marketing communication, but think of how using this method in an email to your co-workers might improve team function and clarify vision.

What if you sent out this message to your team: “Let’s build a website where customers can track their orders in real-time. We will all look like geniuses for participating in this visionary project. When sales improve because of this, our yearly profit-sharing will go up. This will make it easier for customers across all time zones to self-serve, taking stress off our customer service department. Customers love easy-to-use self-serve websites where they can get information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Everyone in this company is going to worship us and buy us donuts for the rest of our careers!”

As you begin to use this formula, you’ll see it starts to become an automatic function of your personal communication. How do I know this works? Let’s just say that when I met my husband, he was a gawky computer nerd who drove a red 5-litre Mustang Cobra.