This is a tool that helps make people better business writers. And better communicators all round, in my opinion.
It’s nothing more than a template for creating 100 word articles. It was created by a guy called Andrew Faulkner (if I remember right) for journalists on the Mirror newspaper in the 70s.
I call it the Mirror Triangle.
Faulkner wanted his reporters to file 100 word stories, with a first line of just 12 or 13 words. Take a look at the tabloids today, they still write articles like this.
It’s a great tool because it forces you to get to the crux of the issue. So you’ve done your interviews, you’ve got your notes, your background research, your reams of documents, and then you’ve got to take all your materials and all your thoughts and tell the story in just 12 words.
It’s a great discipline for internal communicators. It’s hard work for us but it makes life so much easier for our readers.