9. So what are your “top ten” tips on tradecraft?
1. Tell your clients what they need to do, not what you know.
2. Write before and as you research, and revise and revise, until you reach the
deadline.
3. Be overt about your clients’ values and your own.
4. Design for implementation.
5. Anticipate objections and identify tradeoffs.
6. Build internal and external support as you develop your analysis.
7. Begin with a summary (your conclusions and recommendations) and end with
a beginning (implementation plan . . . action block).
8. Make the memo simple and interesting to read.
9. When appropriate, ignore tips 1 through 8.
10. Tell the truth!