A Wordsmith's Manifesto

Part 2: “I couldn’t have said it better myself!”

You are busy and your time is valuable. You have learned that, to succeed, you must focus on what you do best and delegate the rest. And when you need something in writing, you need a professional job. Whether  documenting new policies and procedures, upgrading existing materials for emerging needs, or presenting your services in a fresh new way, you need an experienced specialist on call.

seek an ally

As an experienced specialist, a professional wordsmith can dependably produce the documents you need to train staff, inform clients, or win approval - cost-effective documents that reflect well on you and reflect you well. To find the right wordsmith, begin by examining writing samples and look for signs that they deliver.

claritas: clarity and transparency

Writing that has claritas really delivers. The Romans used this Latin word to communicate both clarity and transparency. Thus the quality of claritas ideally allows your target audience to receive your message like a direct transmission, and to accept that message intuitively. When you find claritas, you will have narrowed your search for the right wordsmith. It is the pinnacle of audience-appropriate wordcraft.

his master’s voice

It is not enough for your message to speak to your readers, unless it speaks to them in a voice that reflects your own. To that end, as a wordsmith strives to attain claritas, he or she also takes care not to lose your mark. This requires strong learning skills and a facility to get it - to understand things essentially.

Balance the perfect neutrality of a true intermediary with

purposefully pushing readers' buttons.

it comes in stages

Whether the project is to create a new document or to renew an old one, the document development process starts with learning that occurs in three phases: 

• familiarization and overview
  • getting acquainted with project goals, subject matter experts and representative readers through interviews and direct experience.  
• research
• quickly developing a full understanding of the subject through interviews, focused study of related documents, and direct experience.  
• draft reviews
  • gathering feedback on document drafts through interviews or questionnaires.

get understood

In each of these phases, a wordsmith collects data, forms impressions, and checks assumptions. He or she gets it and tests it during this process. Only then can he or she balance the perfect neutrality of a true intermediary with purposefully pushing readers' proverbial buttons. Getting it also grants the power to convey nuances of spirit and character that reflect your business persona authentically. Then your audience gets it, too.

reap the rewards

A true wordsmith has the skills to gather, analyse, and interpret  information thoroughly and acutely. This allows him or her to convey your message strategically, so that your readers really understand what you need them to understand. In the meantime,  you can focus on activities that transform that understanding into your success.  

- Glenn R. Harrington, Articulate Consultants Inc.

Click for A Wordsmith's Manifesto part I

Click for A Wordsmith's Manifesto part III

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