Analyzing a Corporate Message

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LO6.1 Describe and

apply the

following

principles of

writing style

that improve

ease of reading:

completeness,

conciseness,

and natural

processing.

Improving Ease of Reading with Completeness

Most of your messages in the workplace have a clear goal: to update your team members, to promote a service to a client, to give an assignment, and so on. Your goal of completeness means that your message provides all the information necessary to meet that purpose. Your colleagues, clients, and other contacts expect complete information so they can act on your message immediately. Otherwise, they will need to contact you to get additional information or, worse yet, ignore your message altogether. You can achieve completeness with three basic strategies: (1) providing all relevant information; (2) being accurate; and (3) being specific.

 

Provide All Relevant Information

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One challenge is to judge which information is relevant for your message. After all, providing too much information can distract your readers and weigh down your document. On the other hand, not providing enough information can leave your reader wondering how to respond. The key to providing all but only relevant information is to plan, write, and review your message strategically. Repeatedly asking yourself what information is necessary for the purpose of your message will help you accomplish this.

A recent survey of corporate recruiters from 2,092 companies showed which elements of writing style are most important. Accuracy was the most sought after characteristic of writing style (95 percent), followed by clarity (75 percent), language mechanics (59 percent), conciseness (41 percent), precision (37 percent), and visual appeal (11 percent).

In Stephanie’s case, her basic purpose is to attract qualified individuals to apply for franchises. In the limited space of a two-page brochure, she wants to accomplish several objectives to encourage applications of qualified individuals: show that she is committed to their success, describe the basic business model, and explain the financial qualifications for franchisees. As long as she keeps these objectives in mind, she can ensure that the brochure contains only relevant information.

Be Accurate Accuracy is a basic objective of all business communications because your colleagues, customers, and clients base important decisions on your communications. In short, accurate information is true, correct, and exact. You should aim for accuracy in facts, figures, statistics, and word

2

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choice. Inaccuracies may result from miscalculations, misinformation, poor word choice, or simply typos (see Table 6.1 for examples). Accuracy, like specificity, strongly impacts your readers’ perceptions of your credibility. Just one inaccurate statement can lead readers to dismiss your entire message and lower their trust in your future communications as well.

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TABLE 6.1 Being Accurate

Less Effective More Effective

Your store should spend

roughly 30 percent of annual

sales on local advertising.

Your store should spend

roughly 3 percent of annual

sales on local advertising.

A typo (30 percent instead of 3

percent) implies an expense

commitment that is ten times

higher than the actual

recommendation.

The revised version contains

the corrected figure.

We estimate that you will need

an initial investment of

between $240,000 and

$425,000. The initial

investment costs include the

following: fixtures ($60,000–

$90,000); inventory ($80,000–

$190,000); store improvements

($20,000–$130,000); retail

equipment ($20,000–

$35,000); miscellaneous

expenses ($10,000–$30,000);

and an initial franchise fee

($50,000).

We estimate that you will need

an initial investment of

between $240,000 and

$525,000. The initial

investment costs include the

following: fixtures ($60,000–

$90,000); inventory ($80,000–

$190,000); store improvements

($20,000–$130,000); retail

equipment ($20,000–

$35,000); miscellaneous

expenses ($10,000–$30,000);

and an initial franchise fee

($50,000).

Incorrect calculation leads to

one of the figures being off by

The revised version contains

the corrected figure.

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$100,000.

Be Specific Your readers expect you to be precise and avoid vagueness in nearly all business situations. The more specific you are, the more likely your readers are to have their questions answered. If you are not specific, your readers may become impatient and begin scanning and skimming for the information they want. If they can’t find that information, they are unlikely to respond to your message as you intend.

Being specific also affects the judgments your readers make about your credibility. Specific statements lead your readers to believe that you know what you’re talking about (competence), that you are not hiding anything (character), and that you want your readers to be informed (caring). Being vague, on the other hand, detracts from your credibility. See Table 6.2 for examples of less specific and more specific writing.

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TABLE 6.2 Being Specific

Less Effective More Effective

Once approved, new

Sunrise stores can be

opened quickly.

Once approved, new Sunrise stores

can typically be opened in between 3

and 12 months.

The term quickly is not

specific.

The phrase between 3 and 12 months

is specific and avoids ambiguity.

The minimum store

size is based on

location. Typically, the

minimum size is larger

in strip shopping

centers than in

shopping malls.

The minimum store size is based on

location. In shopping malls, the

minimum size should be approximately

2,500 square feet. In strip shopping

centers, the minimum size should be

approximately 3,400 square feet.

The term larger is not

specific.

By stating specific figures for square

feet, the difference is not open to

interpretation.