Where do I start? How Information Mapping helps report writers
Posted by Robert Good on Tue, Sep 08, 2009 @ 04:58 AM
As one of the trainers for Pacific Blue, I thought I’d add a few thoughts to the mix. And as this is my first post, I thought I’d say a few words about the question that bothers report writers everywhere, ‘Where do I start?’
In any writing context there is always that first, slightly alarming, confrontation with the blank page. Sometimes I have no idea what to write, and at other times I have so many competing thoughts that it seems impossible to make sense of them.
And I’m not just talking about report writing in a business context here. A few weeks ago I had the misfortune to have a rather expensive prang in a hire car. Not my fault, I hasten to add, but I have yet to get my deposit back! Anyway, I had to compose a letter to the insurance people. But I had so many confusing thoughts about what had happened, so much detail that I wanted to include – plus plenty of thoughts about who’s fault it was, along with frustration at the whole incident. For a moment I was completely unable to begin.
Using 'Maps' or topics
And that is where my Information Mapping training kicked in. Because one of the really effective concepts that Information Mapping teaches is the idea of a ‘Map’ or topic of information. Break down all your ideas into discrete topics, and life suddenly becomes so much simpler. So, I was able to start with a straightforward, factual ‘Map’ explaining exactly what happened, in objective and neutral terms. That allows me to agree the common facts of the case with the other party.
My next topic was ‘The cause of the accident’. I went on to explain the reasons why the accident happened, and put forward my case. Here I can say why I felt it was not my fault, and build up a logical argument for this point of view. I can do this without having to worry about establishing the facts of the case.
Finally, I had a topic about ‘What happens next’ – including the details about the amount of the claim and what I thought would be a fair outcome.
A letter that wrote itself
So in a very few minutes, the letter had just about written itself. Using a logical structure based around topics of information made a potentially very stressful activity into really quite a straightforward one. And, of course, this can be applied to your business writing as well.
I’ll let you know how the claim goes, though I have been advised it may be some months before it all gets resolved…