Notes from 51st International STC Conference
Baltimore, Maryland, May 9-12, 2004

White Papers in Your Future

Beau Cain
San Jose State University

Beau Cain, San Jose State University (SJSU), is a past president of the Silicon Valley Chapter (STC's largest) and is the new Region 8 director-sponsor. He teaches "Writing White Papers" at SJSU's Professional Development Center.

Session Description: This session described the distinguishing characteristics of white papers, illustrated different kinds of white papers, and explained how to plan them, as well as what to include and what to avoid.

• White papers are becoming increasingly important to us as technical communicators.
• White papers = informatively persuasive writing that supports sales.
• Goals
   
• Describe ways white papers help decision-makers make business decisions at each stage of the development and sales process.
• Consider how white papers can help technical communication professionals sell our communication skills to decision makers.
• Winston Churchill white paper 1922: justification of British government decision to intervene in Middle East.
• White paper is a well-established tool for disseminating persuasive content.
• The skills we use to provide useful and compelling user assistance and instruction we can also apply to producing informative, persuasive justifications (.e., white papers)
• What is a white paper?
   
• A business or government treatise that justifies decisions about a situation, concept, product, or service targeted to a specific audience or audiences, based on the audiences' needs
• A marketing document that persuasively describes how a decision, situation, concept, product, or service satisfies or fails to satisfy an identified need
• What isn't a white paper? Any business or government document that doesn't offer purposeful information targeted to an audience to influence that audience's perception, belief, or attitude about a decision, situation, concept, product, or service.
• Why are white papers important?
   
• They convey information about decisions, situation, concepts, products, and services to decision-makers (both corporate and government)
• Technical communication professionals need to address decision makers' concern for profitability.
• Tech writing skills = marcom skills? Yes, and especially with white papers, because white papers use a factual technical tone to be subtly persuasive (as opposed to marketing "hype") Technical communicators' skill set is, in fact, particularly well suited to that. Both types of writing require knowledge of audience, requirements, features, authoritative communication, and the production cycle.
• White papers try to influence, change paradigms, etc; proposals seek to prompt a specific action and present an offer.
• Marketing = features and benefits vs documentation writing = actions and results. White papers are halfway in between.
• White papers address a problem or requirements.
• White papers aid decision-makers by describing the best approaches for communicating solutions (identify market need and present product or solution information persuasively) and lead decision-makers in making decisions.
• What are requirements? Qualities or characteristics that are fundamentally necessary to define a product, service, or process.
• Ten types of white papers that support development and sales
   
1. Thought leader
2. Business benefit
3. Competitive review
4. Position paper
5. Corporate overview
6. Evaluator’s guide
7. Technical review
8. ROI analysis
9. Implementation and configuration summary
10. Services guide
• For a detailed table on the 10 types of white papers, see Slide 19 in the handout to Beau Cain's presentation, available on the conference materials web site. It's with Session #WE 8S, under Cain.
• Thought leader: early review in the development/sales process (R&D; product development). These are the white papers that define the playing field, set the agenda, and specify decision criteria, as well as establishing the credibility and authority of your organization. Significant opportunity for hype at this stage.
• Business benefit: establishes the reasons why the organization needs the product (still in early review stage). Similar to a business case.
• Competitive review: positions product and differentiates it from its competitors (early review). Parallels our Black Hat/White Hat reviews.
• Position paper: clarifies an organization's position on an issue relevant to the purchase, such as a standard or regulation (early review)
• Corporate overview: positions the company and defines its strategy (still early review stage)
• Evaluator's guide: provides a thorough explanation of features, functions, and position (move to technical evaluation phase). Can be written from a requirements document or a spec.
• Technical review: offers an in-depth discussion of technical issues that may become obstacles (technical evaluation stage; like our INAR)
• ROI analysis: provides a framework for evaluating the return on the investment (pricing-financial negotiation). Bottom line = profitability, not ROI. Bonnie Graham has expertise in this area: "Corporate 101." www.manuallabour.com
• Implementation and configuration summary: provides guidance on selecting the appropriate configuration of product and add-ons (detailed evaluation)
• Services guide: explains accompanying services and support programs (detailed evaluation).
• Format of white papers should be audience-driven. The conventional idea of a document that is largely text is not necessarily the right model for all white paper applications. In some cases, it could be more of a brochure.
• White papers can also serve as raw material for marcom materials that do add hype and press for sales.
• White papers inform decision-makers in management, marketing, design, engineering, finance, sales, support, giving technical communicators an outstanding opportunity to add value and improve professional standing.
• White papers fit into an overall strategic communication plan for a product line that includes all kinds of communication products as the product goes through its development and sales cycle.
• Extensive bibliography available in handouts on conference materials web site.