Weekly News

A have taken up the habit of writing down a weekly summary. Every week. At Friday. Take the time and put the pen to the paper.?

I write about the events of the week. I write about the highlights. I write about important things that people should be aware of. I write about the next important things. One paragraph per area; or one paragraph per the news item.?

I call those notes often the weekly news. I’ve come to like that label.?

News is not only facts. News is allowed to be an interpretation of what is pertinent and what do the events mean. It gives me nice freedom to express my thinking and viewpoint but still convey valuable information.?

News is also nicer than project progress report. It is less formal. But news can also be much richer than a project progress report. You dig inside the numbers and convey what they mean. News is also much lighter for the reader than a dry report.?

It is sneaky how we don’t usually share enough of our progress. We think we’ve said or communicated enough. But often we’ve only said something once. People mostly miss our communication.?The weekly summary news fights this.

I never know who exactly reads my news. Sometimes it feels nobody is listening. But I’ve come to learn bit by bit that there are readers. I get requests to be people are added to list and I just know there is some value in the news.?

I’ve usually started with maybe 8 people on the list. I think I had 50 recurring readers just a while back. We underestimate who should know. People should know and they want to know.?

I write for myself too. During the week, making a bulletpoint list of weekly happenings summarises everything for me. Then have to search for more information to be more aware of what is happening. Then I have to form thoughts of what everything means. I always tend to try to find the positive and progressive angle. Then I have to form that path ahead in my head.?

My writing trains my thinking.?

I’ve come to learn how communication is power. And weekly news is, I think, is a positive way to get in front of the discussion. But it is not forcing your way and putting everyone else down. It is an information service to people in the project. I’ve then come to view this as one part of servant leadership.?

Writing is of course an investment. Writing does not appear out of nothing. I mentally prepare the week for the Friday. I make small notes over the week. I try to keep the Fridays relatively calm. Then I put the pen to the paper and I proof-read twice. Then I take a few anxious breaths and push the send button. To this day, I’ve have not regretted any news I’ve sent. But still I’m anxious that the message is right.?

Sometimes I write a page. Sometimes there are 4 pages of news. Maybe you try this someday?

PS: Thanks Maiju Fernelius for inspiration.?

PPS: This newsletter took me 35 minutes (including the 2 proof-reads)