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Business Writing Tip: Question & Answer Format

Traditionally, business writing uses the "one thing after another" format, which usually means a plain recitation of the facts, circumstances, or whatever else needs to be said.

But, we have a number of other options, and some of them may provide more responses or better responses. Consider the Q & A format, for example:

Question: What's the Q & A format?

Answer: It's a series of questions and answers, used to communicate important information to readers.

Question: Where can a Q & A be used?

Answer: It can be used in advertising, employee communication, or any other business situation where you want to provide written information to other people.

Question: Why or when would you use this format?

Answer: When I have a lot of information and want to keep up the interest of readers, for example. The Q & A format breaks up the information into smaller, more digestable chunks, and makes the content seem less formidable to readers.

Question: But don't you need at least two people for this kind of format?

Answer: In the news media, Q & A means one person asks questions and another person answers. But, in a business writing context, Q & A also can mean the same person asks and answers.

Question: Can you give a real-life example?

Answer: Sure. I wrote one to promote my book, A Manager's Guide to Newsletters: Communicating for Results. In that case, the Q & A provided an insight into my motivations for writing the book, and its evolution from a descriptive to a strategic approach. The material might have been handled conventionally, but the Q & A gave it a ring of detachment with inherently more interest, I think. You can evaluate it for yourself, at: http://www.managersguide.com/unique.htm .

Question: Is there anything special about writing a Q & A?

Answer: I think a Q & A can take many forms, but generally I'd recommend that you use a conversational tone if possible. By doing that, you'll embrace the conventional sense of a Q & A, which is a discussion between two people.

Question: Did you write this Q & A by yourself?

Answer: Yes.

Question: And who are you?

Answer:

About The Author

Robert F. Abbott writes and publishes Abbott's Communication Letter. If you subscribe, you will receive, at no charge, communication tips that help you lead or manage more effectively. You can get more information here: http://www.CommunicationNewsletter.com

abbottr@managersguide.com

MORE RESOURCES:

Course shows companies what NOT to put in writing - Reuters

Coens nominated for writing prize - BBC News

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Gonzales writing book on years in Bush administration - Austin American-Statesman

Children#39;s creative writing class is Saturday at Writers#39; Gallery - Yucaipa/Calimesa News Mirror

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Russia says will restore gas when monitors in place - guardian.co.uk

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The Flat Stanley Project gets kids reading, writing, and learning ... - Examiner.com

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Ex-broker guilty of writing bad check - Billings Gazette

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/6-0fd=Rurl=http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2009/01/08/news/state/55-badcheck.txtcid=1287866693ei=GINmSbuNE4rFmQf01aS6BAusg=AFQjCNG2ttwtLsynJZO9vAxdupRKqpWdOAEx-broker guilty of bwriting/b bad check/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fBillings Gazette,nbsp; USAnbsp;-/font nobr13 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By LINDA HALSTEAD-ACHARYA Jeanne Rizzotto, a former Red Lodge real estate broker, pled guilty Wednesday in District Court in Red Lodge to bwriting/b a bad b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/6-1fd=Rurl=http://www.kxmb.com/News/317363.aspcid=1287866693ei=GINmSbuNE4rFmQf01aS6BAusg=AFQjCNHWDAHXeqzkCdWgd7HpegwwG_pc5gRed Lodge woman pleads guilty in bad check case | KXNet.com North b.../b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrReiten Television KXMB Bismarck/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1287866693hl=ennobrall 6 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

The business press: The horror of writing your own obit - BloggingStocks

Manhattan Public Library holding art and writing contest for MLK ... - KTKA.com

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How about if Steve Jobs smoked a pipe? - guardian.co.uk

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Sailors had it for years. Great explorers had it as well.

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Short Story Writing Tips -We've established what a title should be and we've also established your title is your selling tool. So if it can make or break the sale of your story, then we'll have to agree that it is extremely important.

Zany Ideas That Increase Writing Productivity And Quality
Welcome to the zany ideas of a productive writer. My students keep reminding me of my unusual tools and how helpful they have been for them.

Basic Word Processing Tips for Writers
Word processors are so widely used now that I tend to take it for granted that most writers know how to perform basic tasks (e.g.

Idea-Mining for Writers, 102
As many authors are fond of stating, "Ideas are all around!" when asked to be more specific. Well, in a way, that's true.

How To Become a Freelance Grant Writer
What is a freelance grant writer? These individuals have a lot of power in their hands. When they work for companies, they are essentially trying to help gain free money for that company to help the company expand, do research, or to stay in business.

Effective Editing: It Spells the Difference!
If you think proofreading equals editing, then you're wrong! Editing is a lot more than just scrutinizing your manuscript for misspelled words or missing punctuation marks.As a whole:Edit only *after* you've written the *whole* piece.

When I Run Out of Ideas
I do on occasion run out of ideas for my column writing. I do this after finishing a huge writing project like a book.

Get Published: The Nuts and Bolts of Good English, and How to Impress a Publisher (1)
Not all writers write good grammar. That's a fact.

The Writer and the Web
If your dream is to get published, the chance is before you.The web has opened the portals of opportunity to all aspiring writers, freelance writers, established writersactually to all writers.

Create A Dream Diary
How many times have you forced yourself to sit in front of a computer and waited for inspiration to strike?Most of us at some point, whether just starting out or even an experienced published writer, have suffered from the proverbial writers block or have struggled to kick-start their creativity.Sometimes ideas just flow and writing our article or story is easy.