A simple three-question framework will help you jump-start your writing process — whether you’re tackling an email, a formal document, social post, or another form of written communication.

• Purpose: Think of purpose as the intention — the result you want to achieve. The most common purposes of business documents, ranging from brief emails to voluminous reports, are to inform, to request, or to persuade. Knowing your purpose in advance creates the context for your whole document.
• Person: Your document will not generate any outcome until the readers understand your message. They may agree or disagree, like or dislike, but unless they understand you, your efforts are in vain. For that you have to speak the reader’s language, anticipate the answers to questions they might have, and target their emotional trigger topics.
• Point: The point is your essential message. It is closely connected to your purpose and may at times overlap with it. If you imagine that communication is like shooting an arrow, then the purpose is the direction in which the arrow is aimed. The person is the target. The point is the arrow: It is the message you are sending to your reader. Get to the point very early in your document, preferably within the first 40 to 50 words, while your reader is still paying attention (and before they delete or archive your email).