Writing: A Core Competency Of The Intelligence Analyst

Here are some tips to help convey a clear and concise written message to consumers of intelligence analysis. Writing is a core competency of the intelligence analyst.

If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.

Albert Einstein

• The bottom line, sometimes referred to as the “BLUF” (bottom line up front), belongs in the first sentence of the first paragraph; the title is an abbreviated version of the bottom line.
• Use active voice.
• Write concisely. Vary the length of your sentences to keep the narrative smooth. Opt for a shorter paper rather than a longer one provided you’ve made your argument.
• Try to avoid repetitive words if synonyms are available; simpler words are generally preferable to complex ones.
• Cut unnecessary words, such as intensifiers like very, really, extremely, and so forth.
• Write objectively.
• Be apolitical; the reader should have no idea of your politics or the politics of your agency.
• It is sometimes helpful to create a PDF of a document as you proofread—this can highlight errors more clearly than proofreading an onscreen document.
• As you proofread, read silently, and then again out loud. You’ll “hear” different things both ways.
• Have a co-worker read your report out loud and take note of sentences he or she stumbles over, which may indicate sections that need smoothing.
• The order of words matter.
• Two (or more) proofreaders are better than one.
• Consider the “newspaper test”; if your (unclassified) report accidentally gets released and lands on the front page of a newspaper (or on a prominent Web site), would there be any wording that might embarrass your agency?
• Use pictures sparingly, if at all. Your words are what matter. Don’t distract from them.
• Graphs and diagrams that support your narrative are helpful.