Planning Business Messages &
Applying the Three Step Writing
Process
Chapter 4 & 5
Plan
1.
Analyze the situation
2.Gather information
3. Select right medium
4.Organize the
information
• Define your purpose &
develop audience profile
• Determine the audience
needs & obtain the
information necessary to
satisfy those needs
• select the appropriate
method for message
• Define your main idea, select
direct or indirect approach,
outline your content
1. Analyze Your Situation
Define your purpose & develop audience profile
• to inform, persuade, collaborate with audience
• What is your specific intention
• Will there be changes as a result of your message?
• Is your purpose realistic? If it is radical, you’ll need to
propose a first step
• Is the time right? What will the impact of your message
be?
• Is your purpose acceptable by the company?
2. Define an Audience Profile
Before your audiences will take the time to read or
hear your messages, they will need to be
interested.
• What is the primary audience?
• Determine size, geographic distribution?
• Audience composition
• Understand their expectations & preferences
• Forecast their probable reaction
3. Gathering Information
•
•
•
•
Consider other viewpoints
Read reports or other related documents
Talk with coworkers, colleagues, supervisors
Ask for your audience input
What about ethical information?
3. Selecting the right medium
Oral medium
advantages
disadvantages
1. provide opportunity for immediate
feedback
1. restrict participation
2. No verifiable evidence of
communication, unless
recorded
3. Reduce the communicator’s
control over the message
4. Cannot edit spoken words
2. Allow interaction
3. Nonverbal cues in the tone
4. Express emotions within the
message
Written communication
advantages
disadvantages
• Allow you to control the
message
• Reach geographically
dispersed audiences
• Offer verifiable record
• Minimize distortion
• Can be use to avoid interaction
• De-emphasize emotions
• Not conducive for immediate
feedback
• Lack of nonverbal cues
• Often take more time and
more resources to create and
distribute
• May require special skills to
print and distribute
Visual communication
advantages
disadvantages
• Can convey complex messages
easily
• Require artistic skills
• Require technical skills
• Often less intimidating
• Require more time to create
• Reduce the burden on
audience to figure things out
electronic communication
advantages
Disadvantages
• Deliver messages quickly
• Are easy to overuse
• Reach geographically
dispersed audiences
• Privacy risks – esp with
confidential data
• Offer the persuasive power of
multimedia formats
• Security risks, like viruses
• Frequent interruptions
• Can increase accessibility and
openness in an organization
4. Organizing your ideas
Direct Approach
Indirect Approach
Use when you know your
audience will be receptive
a. Positive messages
Use when you know your
audience
a. begin softly
b. consider impact of your
message
c. Negative messages
Outlining your information
• Main idea
• Major points – details
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
Facts
Examples
Description
Narration
Reference
Visual aids
• Illustrate with evidence
Write
• Routine messages
• Positive messages
• Negative message
• Straightforward
• Daily operations message
• Convey good news
• Convey bad news
▫ Be honest, yet kind
• Persuasive messages
• Asking your audience to do
something
▫ grab their attentions
Being sensitive
• Use the “you” attitude
• Maintain standards of etiquette
• Emphasizing the positive
• Using bias-free language
The “You” attitude
Instead of this
write this
• To help us process
• So that your order can be filled
• We are pleased to announce
• Now you can take advantage
• We offer MP3 players
• Select your MP3 player
• You should never use
• That type of paper doesn’t
• You must correct
• All five copies must be
corrected
Standards of Etiquette
Instead of this
Write this
• Once again, you’ve managed
• Let’s review the last website
• You’ve been sitting on our
order
Our production schedules
depend on the timely delivery
of parts, but we have yet to
receive the order you promised
to deliver…
Emphasizing the Positive
Instead of this
Write this
• It is impossible to repair
• Your computer can be ready
• We apologize for
inconveniencing you
• The rennovations that are
under way will help us serve
you better
• We wasted $300,000
• Our $300,000 advertisement
did not pay off;
Using bias-free language
Instead of this
Write this
• The problem with this
department is a failure…
• The performance of this
department can be improved
• You failed to provide the
necessary information
• Please review the items
marked
• We will notify all three credit
• Bureaus
• Paying you overdue bill within
10 days will prevent a negative
• Cheap merchandise
• Failing
Inexpensive
Underperforming