Miirror: a framework for writing

Message, information and intention. Reader, rapport and order. Rewrite.

I received feedback that it would be nice to have a more concise version of the writing tips I wrote the other day. So I transformed my simple process for good (enough) writing into a mnemonic acronym!

If you care about improving your writing skills and having a more effective communication in a professional environment, this might be a useful tool.

Miirror writing

Miirror stands for:

Message, information and intention. Reader, rapport and order. Rewrite.

Message

Before writing it, think about the message you want to communicate.
The message can be broken in two pieces:

- Information

What you want to communicate - facts, data, instructions, requests, etc.

You want the information to be clear and precise.

- Intention

How you want to communicate - mood, state of mind, tone, etc.

You want to minimize the risk of the reader misrepresenting your intentions.

Reader

While writing it, think about the person who will read your text.
The care with the reader has two dimensions:

- Rapport

Creating empathy with the reader to improve the effectiveness of the communication.

You want the reader to be comfortable with your language and style. You don't want them to be distracted by how odd you sound, confused by unknown words or annoyed by longer than necessary texts.

- Order

Organizing your message so your reader never feels lost or wasting time.

You want the reader to know the objective of your text and being provided context from the start. If presenting complex concepts, your message should flow from familiar concepts to new information. The order should be also visually present through formatting. Make sane use of headings, bullet points, bold and italic fonts, and proper spacing between paragraphs.

Rewrite

After writing it, rewrite it.

This is not optional. Once you finished writing the first version, re-read it from start noticing what could you improve.

Check that the information is clear and precise, the intention is correctly reflected in the text, the reader will be comfortable reading it, and the message is presented in a visually and conceptually ordered way.

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Write in the miirror framework and your communication will become more effective.

• Message
  information
  intention

• Reader
  rapport
  order

• Rewrite

This is just a playful effort to make it easier for people to remember some simple and useful tips on writing. If you want to read longer thoughts on these pieces of advice, check this.

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