ORORPlanning Steps for Planning Steps for Effective WritingEffective Writing

Preparing effective business message

In order to be effective, one needs to plan, organize, draft, revise, edit, and proofread a message.

Even with the most advanced office technology, one needs to prepare oral or written messages carefully.

Five planning stepsFollowing steps must be considered before writing a message:Identify Your PurposeAnalyze Your AudienceChoose Your ideasCollect your DataOrganize Your Messages

Five planning stepsIdentify your purpose

The first step to planning is to determine the purpose of the communication.

[Is the message informational, such as announcing a new location of your firm? Or the message is persuasive such as asking customers to buy your products?]

Identify your purpose

Generally, the objective of most messages is twofold: the reason for the message and the creation of goodwill.

Five planning steps

Analyze Your Audience

Audience analysis helps the sender see the message from the receiver’s point of view.

Once the sender is acquainted with the receiver, she can actually visualize individuals.

Five planning steps

Analyze Your AudienceAudience analysis involves:

Receivers’ demographics such as age, gender, income, education, profession, etc.

Receivers’ position in the organization – superior, peer, or subordinate.

Receivers’ attitudes, beliefs, culture-specific values.

Five planning steps

Choose Your IdeasThe ideas to be included in the message

depends on the type of message, the situation and the cultural context.

If the sender is replying to a letter, then the main point in the letter could be ideas for the reply.

For a new letter, some brainstorming is needed.

Five planning steps

Collect Data to Support Your IdeasOnce the ideas to be included are

decided, the sender must determine the data needed, like specific facts, figures, quotations, or other evidences to support the points.

Five planning steps

Organize Your MessageOutlining the message (mentally or on

paper) is essential before making the first draft.

Organizing the sequence of the ideas to be presented in the message can prevent rambling and unclear messages.

Five planning steps

Basic Organizational Plans

The choice of organizational plan depends upon following:Expectation about receivers’

responseKnowledge of the receiver about the

topic of the messageReceivers’ cultural conventions

For letters and memos, there are four basic organizational plans: direct request, good-news, bad-news, or persuasive-request plan

First two of the above use Direct (Deductive) Approach, which begins with the main idea.

Last two plans use the Indirect (Inductive ) Approach, which states the main idea later.

Basic Organizational Plans

Direct (Deductive) ApproachWhen you think that the audience will

have a favorable or neutral reaction to your message, use direct approach.

Use this plan for making direct requests, announcing favorable or neutral news, and exchanging information within or between companies.

Basic Organizational Plans

Indirect (Inductive ) ApproachWhen you expect resistance to your

message, choose the indirect approach, such as in a bad-news message or a persuasive request.

Begin with a buffer – a relevant pleasant, neutral, or receiver-benefit statement; then give explanation and then introduce your idea.

Basic Organizational Plans

Beginning and EndingsTwo of the most important positions

in any business message are the opening and closing paragraphs.

Remember the old sayings:“First impression is lasting”“We remember best what we read last”

Opening ParagraphsOpening of a message determines

whether the reader continues reading, puts the message aside, or discards it.

Choose openings that is appropriate for the purpose of the message and the reader.

Beginning and Endings

Opening ParagraphsMake the opening considerate,

courteous, concise and clear.Keep the first paragraph relatively

short.Use conversational language in

clear and concise sentences.Ensure the completeness of the

message.

Beginning and Endings

Closing ParagraphsThe closing is more likely to

motivate the reader to act as requested if it is appropriately strong, clear, and polite.

Make an action request clear and complete with 5 Ws and 1 H.

End on a positive and courteous thought. Keep the last paragraph concise and correct.

Beginning and Endings

Composing the MessageComposing the message involves following:Drafting Your MessageRevising Your MessageEditing and Proofreading Your Message

Drafting Your MessageFirst draft is often the most difficult to

write. The important thing is to get the most important information in the message.

Regardless of the style, the important thing is to get on paper the information to be included.

Composing the Message

Revising Your MessageIt involves adding necessary and

deleting unnecessary information, making sure all points are supported, checking organizational approach, and reviewing the language in terms of 7 Cs.

Composing the Message

Editing and Proofreading Your MessageEditing and proofreading are important

to ensure that the message has no mistakes in grammar, spelling, punctuation, or word choice.

Minor mistakes, such as typographical errors could reduce the effectiveness of the message.

Composing the Message

Thank You