BUSINESS MESSAGE PLANNING
ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
COM 259 - COMMUNICATION IN BUSINESS AND THE PROFESSIONS
STRUCTURES
SPRING 2024
Brief Description:
This chapter discusses business communication in written form, namely business
messages. This chapter will explain that writing a business message requires planning and
stages that must be passed so that the business message created is in accordance with the
objectives, audience and also ethics in the professional world.
Material description:
Business communication both orally and in writing has several characteristics that must
be considered. One form of written communication is a business message which must have
the following characteristics:
•
Messages contained in business communication are structured for audiences or
recipients who need information
•
Business messages are structured with time and cost constraints in mind
•
Business messages are usually structured for more than one purpose
•
Business messages should pay attention to tone and how it affects the audience.
Based on this, a business message has stages in writing which consists of 3 stages or
processes, namely business message planning, business message writing, and business
message completion.
Business Messaging Process:
1. Planning Phase
This stage determines what the business message will contain. This stage will include
analyzing the situation (purpose and audience), finding information or data related to
the purpose of the writing, selecting the media and channels to be used, and designing
and combining main ideas and sub ideas into a writing outline.
2. Message writing
The next stage is to put the message in written form. At this stage, pay attention to the
arrangement of words, sentences, paragraphs and
Determine the illustration according to the audience and purpose that has been planned.
Then start creating a writing draft from the main idea outline that has been made,
3. Settlement
This is the final stage of writing a business message. At this stage you revise the writing
by checking whether the message has been able to express the main idea planned. At
this stage, you will proofread and also add elements or designs to the business message.
Message writing stage
Activity Details
MESSAGE PLANNING
1. Goal setting
2. Analyzing the audience
3. Determine the main idea
4. choose channels and media
MESSAGING
5. Organizing the message
6. Formulate the message
MESSAGE COMPLETION
7.Editing messages
8.Rewrite the message
9. Create a message
10. Message Proof
Planning stage
Situation analysis and goal setting
Each business message has its own purpose, which is generally as follows:
1.
Informing
2.
Persuasion (persuading)
3.
Collaborating
General Purpose of Business Messages
General objectives
Specific objectives
Provide information
Present last month's sales to manager
marketing
Persuade
You as a marketing executive convince
potential customers to deposit their money in
a bank where
you work
Collaboration
Presenting presentation ideas
advertisement and
persuading the client
Choosing a clear purpose will help make several decisions such as the decision to
forward the message, the decision to respond to the audience, the decision to focus the
content, and the decision to establish the channels and media of the business message. The
most difficult thing in writing is when we do not know what the purpose of writing is.
Therefore, before writing, it is better to ask a few questions to test whether the business
message has a purpose? Or is the purpose correct?
Questions to test a business message objective, namely:
a. Is the goal realistic?
b. Is the timing right?
c. Is the person sending the message the right one?
d. In accordance with organizational goals.
Audience Analysis
After knowing the purpose of writing a business message, at the writing stage it is
important to analyze the audience or people who will be addressed in writing a business
message. Some things that can be done are as follows:
•
Size and Composition
A large audience will of course show different behavior with a small audience so that
different communication techniques a r e needed to deal with it.
•
Who is the Audience
If the intended audience is more than one person the communicator needs to identify who
among them holds the key/most important position. Usually people who hold key
(important) positions are those with high organizational status.
•
Audience Reaction
After knowing who the audience will be, it is necessary to know (anticipate) the reactions
that the audience might have.
•
Audience Comprehension Level
When delivering messages, the background of the audience such as education level, age and
experience needs to be considered.
When preparing messages, the audience's background such as education level, age and
experience needs to be considered by you. If you or the communicator and the audience
have a much different background, then it is necessary to pay attention to how the
communicator will express ideas in writing the business message to be created. This is done
to be able to prevent failure in delivering the purpose of the business message.
There are five stages required to fulfill the needs of the audience:
•
Find out what the audience wants, and you should determine what they want to know
and provide the requested information immediately.
•
Anticipate undisclosed statements: provide additional information that may be helpful.
•
Provide all necessary information do: checking for the desired information
•
Make sure that the information is accurate. Is the information factual? Is it ethical?
•
Emphasize the ideas that are most appealing to the audience
Media and Channel Selection
With the necessary information already obtained, your next decision involves the
best combination of media and channels to reach your target audience. As you may recall
from the discussion earlier, media is the form of the message and channels are the system
used to deliver the message. The difference between the two is not always clear, and some
people use the terms in different ways, but these definitions are a useful way to think about
the possibilities of business communications. Most media can be distributed through more
than one channel, so whenever you have a choice, think about your options to choose the
optimal combination.
Types of Media
Media
Channel
Oral Medium
Written medium
Visual Medium
Oral/Face to Face
Print
Print
Digital
Digital
Digital
1. Oral media:
Oral media through face-to-face channels involves talking to people who are in the
same location, whether it's a one-on-one conversation over lunch or a more formal speech or
presentation. Being in the same physical space is a key difference as it allows for more
nuances of nonverbal communication than other media/channels. As explained in the
previous discussion, these nonverbal signals can carry the same weight in a conversation as
the spoken word. By giving people the ability to see, hear and react to each other, in-person
communication is useful for encouraging people to ask questions, make comments and work
together to reach consensus or decisions. Face-to-face interaction is especially helpful in
complex and emotionally charged situations where building or fostering business
relationships is important. Managers who do frequent "walks", chatting with employees
face-to-face, can get feedback, answer questions, and interpret important business events and
trends.
Spoken media through digital channels includes any transmission of sound through
electronic means, either live or recorded, including phone calls, podcasts and voice mail
messages. Live phone conversations offer a give-and-take conversation and can be the best
alternative to speaking in person. Without a video component, however, they cannot provide
the nuances of nonverbal communication. Podcasts can be a good way to share lectures,
commentaries, and other spoken content.
2. Written Media:
Written and printed documents are the classic format of business communication.
Memos are short printed documents typically used for routine day-to-day information
exchange within an organization. Letters are short written messages sent to customers and
other recipients outside the organization. Reports and proposals are usually longer than
memos and letters, although both can be created in memo or letter format. These documents
vary in length, ranging from a few pages to several hundred, and usually have a fairly formal
tone.
The state of technology means that most of your business communication efforts will
involve written digital messages, from super-short tweets, to website content, to book-length
reports distributed as portable document format (PDF) files. Business use of written digital
messages continues to grow as companies look for ways to communicate more effectively.
For example, email has been the primary business medium for decades, but in many cases has
been replaced by various other digital formats.
3. Visual Media:
Print Channels such as photos and diagrams can be effective communication tools to
convey emotional content, spatial relationships, technical processes, and other content that is
difficult to explain using words alone. You can sometimes create visual print messages as
standalone items, but most will be used as supporting material in printed documents.
However, business messages can come alive when delivered through visual media on
digital channels. Examples such as Infographics, interactive diagrams, animations, and
digital videos have the potential to engage audiences in ways that other formats cannot,
which is why the use of visual elements in business communications continues to grow.
Traditional business messages rely primarily on text, with occasional support from graphics
such as charts, graphs, or diagrams to help illustrate points covered in the text. However,
many business communicators are discovering the power of messages where visual elements
are dominant and supported by small amounts of text. For the purpose of this discussion,
think of visual media as formats where one or more visual elements play a central role in
conveying the content of the message.
The choice of media and channels for business messages will come back to the
purpose of the business message and the target audience. Some factors that must be
considered in choosing media and channels are how big and wide your audience is, the
richness of the writing ideas that you will put in the business message, the importance of the
message, accuracy, and the need for the duration or time needed for the message to reach the
audience.
Determination of Main Idea:
Every business message will boil down to one main theme, which is the main idea.
Things other than the main idea are just supporting ideas. The technique to determine the
main idea is as follows:
•
Brainstorming. Working alone or with others, generate as many ideas and questions as
you can, without stopping to criticize or organize. Once you've captured all these pieces,
look for patterns and connections to help identify the main idea and groups of
supporting ideas. For example, if your main idea concerns whether to open a new
restaurant in Denver, you'll probably find a group of ideas related to financial gain,
another related to competition, and so on. Identifying such clusters helps you see the
key issues that will lead you to conclusions you can trust.
•
Journalistic approach. The journalistic approach asks who, what, when, where, why, and
how questions to distill the main ideas from unorganized information.
•
Question and answer chain. Start with a key question, from the audience's perspective,
and work your way back to your message. You will often find that each answer
generates new questions until you identify the information that needs to be in your
message.
•
Storyteller's Tour. Some writers find it best to talk about communication challenges
before they try to write. Record yourself as you describe what you want to write. Then
listen to the playback, identify ways to tighten and clarify the message, and repeat the
process until you distill the main idea into one short message.
•
Mind mapping. You can generate and organize ideas using a graphic method called
m i n d mapping. Start with an idea
and then create branches to connect every other related idea that comes to mind. You
can find a number of free mind mapping tools on the internet.
Once you have chosen the best approach, it is time to figure out the most logical and
effective way to present your main points and supporting details. Get in the habit of creating
an outline as you prepare your business message. You'll save time, get better results, and do
a better job of navigating through complicated business situations. Even if you only write
down three or four main points, creating an outline will help you organize your thoughts to
write faster. When you're preparing a longer, more complex message, an outline is
indispensable because it helps you visualize the relationships between the various parts. You
must be familiar with the basic outline format which identifies each point with a number or
letter and which indents certain points to show which ones have the same status. Another
way to visualize the outline of your message is to create an organizational chart similar to the
charts used to show a company's management structure. Put the main idea in the highest
level box to establish the big picture. Lower-level ideas, such as lower-level employees,
provide the details. All ideas should be logically organized into divisions thinking, just as
companies are organized into divisions and departments. Using a visual chart rather than a
traditional outline has many benefits. Charts help you
(1) seeing different levels of ideas and how the parts fit together,
(2) developing new ideas, and (3) reorganizing your information flow. The mind mapping
technique used for idea generation works in a similar way. Whichever outline or
organizing scheme you use, start your message with a main idea, follow it with key
supporting points, and then illustrate these points with evidence.
Some of these things cause messages to be poorly organized, namely:
o Rambling
o Including irrelevant materials
o Presents ideas illogically
o Important information is sometimes not covered in the discussion.
Proper Word Selection in Writing
In business messaging, the role of words is important. Choose familiar words, then
use familiar words, words that are common and commonly used. Choose short words and
avoid words with multiple meanings. After the ideas have been created with the existing
approach, sometimes another thing that can happen is that the ideas are not systematic and
structured, which ultimately makes the business message unclear. Hence the need to
organize the ideas through an outline.
One way of defining ideas is to start with the main idea and find what you want the
audience to do or think and the underlying reason why they should do or think it. After that,
start stating important supporting points to support the main idea.
How to determine the order in order to be more structured between the main idea and
supporting ideas can be with 2 (two) approaches, namely the direct approach and the
indirect approach. The direct approach is also called the deductive approach, where the
main idea appears first, followed by supporting evidence. While the indirect approach is
also called the inductive approach where the main idea appears in the middle or at the end of
the message.
The direct approach is generally used for business messages that bring good news, or
routine business messages where the main idea is expected to be conveyed immediately.
Whereas the indirect approach is generally used in negative business messages. Example:
WRITE A BUSINESS MESSAGE AND COMPLETE BUSINESS MESSAGE
WRITING
1. Adapt to Audience:
A message should be tailored to the needs and expectations of the audience. A message
that is tailored to the needs and expectations of the audience will help answer questions by
the audience and make the message easier to receive. Adapt to the audience, that is:
Sensitive to Audience Needs
1) "YOU" Attitude:
"YOU" Attitude means, expressing our message in terms of the audience's interests
and needs, or in other words, introducing the idea of audience-centered communication.
Avoid using sentences with the words "I" or "we" in them if the sentences appear to
be self-serving. For example, "To help us process your order, we request a copy of the
requisition", should be replaced with "In order to fulfill your order on time, please send us a
copy of the requisition".
2) Meet Ethical Standards:
Another great way to show concern for the audience and to gain their respect is to
show etiquette in the message. Also, by being more polite to the audience, it is a sign of
showing concern for them.
Other ways to maintain ethical standards; practice courtesy, be diplomatic, and
respond quickly. For example;
•
Avoid, "Once again, you managed to show the entire website through your incompetent
programming."
•
Instead, "Let's review the last website update to explore ways to improve the process."
3) Emphasizing Positive Things:
When you are in management, you are inevitably faced with a situation where
negative news can affect various parties. When negative news is delivered in a tone that also
sounds negative, it can put another strain on business relationships.
Avoid,
•
Failure
•
Spotty
•
High-calorie food
It should be,
•
Not yet a champion
•
Skin problems
•
High-energy food
4) Using Unbiased Words:
•
Gender Bias, using words containing "man". Avoid, mankind; man-made; businessman.
Should be, Humanity; artificial; executives.
•
Racial and Ethnic Bias, establishing stereotypes.
•
Age Bias, including age in a sentence makes it irrelevant.
•
Disability bias, prioritizing disability over the person's ability.
Build a Strong Relationship with the Audience
In order to get the point across, the sender of the message has to establish
relationships with the audience, in a way:
1) Building Credibility:
Audience response to a message is strongly influenced by their perception of the
credibility of the message sender. To demonstrate credibility in front of a new audience, the
messenger must demonstrate:
•
Honesty
•
Objectivity
•
Responsiveness to audience needs
•
Credentials, knowledge and expertise
•
Endorsements
•
Performance
•
Self-confidence
•
Appropriate communication style
•
Sincerity
2) Display Image:
When communicating with external parties, the messenger becomes the
spokesperson for the company. The impression created by the messenger can either enhance
or degrade the company's image. Therefore, the company's communication style should be
placed above the personal taste of the messenger.
Controlling style and tone:
Style is the way the messenger uses words to create a certain tone (overall
impression). It is recommended to use a conversational tone (not too formal but also not too
informal) and use words that are easy to understand.
Using Straightforward Language:
Audiences easily understand and act on plain language without reading it over and
over again using plain or simple language. In addition, straightforward language can make
companies more productive and more profitable because people spend less time figuring out
messages that are confusing or not written to meet their needs.
Selecting Active and Passive Sentences:
Our choice to use active or passive voice will affect the tone of the message and can
use active voice when the subject is performing the action or the object is performing the
action. Example:
•
Active sentence: Jodi sent an email message
•
Passive sentence: The email message was sent by Jodi
2. Business Messaging:
Message organization is much easier when you have considered what to say and in
what order. Feel free to reorganize, delete and add to your outline ideas.
Choosing Powerful Words,
Pay close attention to word accuracy. The rules of grammar and word usage change
continually, reflecting the changing way people speak. Making grammatical errors or word
usage mistakes, will lose credibility with the audience even if it is the correct message. Just
as important as choosing the correct word is choosing the word that best fits the task at hand.
Using Functional Words and Content Words Correctly
Functional words express relationships and have only one meaning that does not
change in every context of use. They include conjunctions, prepositions, articles and
pronouns. Content words are multidimensional words. It is therefore the subject of many
interpretations. Both are necessary, But your effectiveness as a communicator depends
largely on choosing the right content for your message.
Content words have both denotative (the literal meaning according to the dictionary)
and connotative (including all the relationships and feelings evoked by the word) meanings.
Words differ dramatically according to their degree of abstraction and concretization.
Abstract words express concepts, qualities and characteristics. They usually encompass a
broad category of ideas and these abstractions are often intellectual, academic or
philosophical in nature. Concrete means something that can be touched or seen (tangible).
Finding a Communicable Word:
Things that must be considered in composing a business message so that the message can be
communicated appropriately:
1. Choose strong words (Use Strong, Precise Words)
2. Choose familiar words (Use Familiar Words)
3. Avoid Clichés and Buzzwords
4. Use jargon carefully
Creating Effective Sentences
Creating effective sentences can be done by choosing from four types of sentences: simple
sentences, compound sentences, complex sentences, and complex compound sentences.
1. A Simple Sentence is a sentence that has only one main clause (a single object and a
single predicate) although it can be supplemented with nouns and pronouns that
function as action objects and by modifying phrases. Example: Profit (subject)
increased (predicate) in the last year
2. Compound Sentence is a sentence that has two parent sentences that express two or
more thoughts of equal importance and are independent but interconnected by using the
words and, but, or a compound sentence is a combination of two or more simple
sentences (independent clauses) that are interconnected. Example: The wage rate has
fallen by 5 percent, and employee turnover is high.
3. Complex Sentence is a sentence that expresses one main thought (independent clause)
and one or more subordinate clauses subordinate clauses (dependent clauses) that relate
to the main thought and are usually separated by a comma. Example:While you may
question conclusions, you have to admit that his research was thorough.
4. A Compound-Complex Sentence has two parent sentences, at least one of which
contains a subordinate clause. Example: Profits increased last year, and while you may
question Gerald's conclusions, you have to admit that his research was thorough.
To create effective writing we should try to use sentence types in a varied and balanced
way by making the first thought subordinate to the second, thus establishing a causal
relationship that makes the sentence much more effective. Example: Since the chemical
products division is the strongest division in the company, its management techniques
should be adopted by other divisions.
Using Sentence Style to Emphasize the Main Thought In every message some ideas are
more important than others we can emphasize the main idea or key idea through sentence
style there are several techniques of emphasizing the part of the sentence that is recommended
to get the attention of the reader, namely:
1. Giving the biggest share to the main point
2. Increase the stress by adding a separate short sentence to support the first sentence
3. Draw attention to a particular thought by making it the subject of the sentence
4. Another way to emphasize a particular idea is to place the idea at the beginning or end of
the sentence.
Creating Paragraph Elements:
There are three elements or parts in a paragraph, namely:
1. Topic Sentences
An effective paragraph deals with one topic, and the sentence that introduces that
topic is called the topic sentence. In business writing the topic sentence is generally explicit
and is often contained in the first sentence in a paragraph. Topic sentences give readers a
summary of the general idea that will be discussed throughout the paragraph.
In addition to helping the readers, topic sentences can also help the writer as they remind the
writer of the purpose of each paragraph and thus encourage the writer to stay focused. In
fact, a good way to test the effectiveness of a piece of writing is to prepare a summarized
version consisting of only the first sentence of all paragraphs.
2. Support Sentences
In most paragraphs, the topic sentence needs to be explained, justified, or extended
with one or more support sentences. These related sentences should have a bearing on the
general subject and should provide enough specific details to make the topic clear. Support
sentences are more specific than topic sentences. Each provides another piece of evidence to
show the general truth of the paragraph's main thought. In addition, each of these sentences
clearly relates to the general idea being developed, which gives the paragraph unity.
3. Transitions
Transitions connect ideas by showing how one thought is related to another.
Transitions can also help alert the reader to what lies ahead, so that shifts and changes in
sentences won't cause confusion in reading them, and can result in smoother writing.
Depending on the specific needs in the document, transitional elements can range in length
from one word to an entire paragraph or more. Authors can create transitions in the various
ways below:
a. Use conjunctions. In this case, you can use conjunctions such as and, however, or,
however, besides, and so on.
b. Echo words or phrases from the previous paragraph or sentence. For example, "A
system should be established to monitor inventory levels. This system will provide... "
c. Use a pronoun that refers to the noun used previously. For example, "Ms. Arthur is
the leading candidate for the position of President. She has excellent qualifications. "
d. Use words that are often paired. For example, "The machine has a minimum output
of... its maximum output is..."
There are five techniques for developing paragraphs:
a. Illustration
Provide an example that shows the general idea of the paragraph.
Example: Some of our most popular products are available through local
distributors. For example, Everett & Lemmings carries our frozen soups and appetizers. J.B.
Green Company has our full line of condiments, as well as frozen soups. Wilmont Foods, as
a major distributor, now carries our new line of frozen desserts.
b. Comparison or contrast
Use similarities or differences to develop the topic.
Example: Queen Elizabeth has little interest in fashion, but always tries to look in
public the way her subjects expect her to. When out on the town, she prefers to wear
practical clothes. She likes hats and scrafes. Margareth Thatcher was a different case. Since
becoming leader of the Conservative Party, she has softened her dress and hairstyle. She
buys clothes all at once twice a year. She is more likely to shop in rather cheap places. She
only wears hats to weddings, funerals and the official opening of parliament.
c. Cause and effect
Focusing on the reasons for something
Example: Kebon Jati Street has recently become congested and chaotic again. More
than half of the carriageway has been taken up by trading activities and street vendors. To
resolve this, the government will install a fence separating the carriageway from the sidewalk.
This fence will also serve as a boundary for the street vendors' tents where they are allowed
to trade. The installation of this fence was forced because the violations of the street vendors
at that location were so outrageous, causing traffic jams.
d. Classification
Shows how a general idea is broken down into specific categories.
Example: In composing or writing, several skills are required, including skills
related to language and writing development or presentation skills. Language skills include
the ability to apply spelling, punctuation, vocabulary, diction, and sentences. Meanwhile,
what is meant by development skills is the ability to organize paragraphs, the ability to
distinguish subject matter, subpoints, and the ability to divide the subject matter in a
systematic order.
e. Problems and solutions
Present the problem and discuss the solution.
Example: Selling handmade toys online is a challenge, as consumers are used to
buying heavily advertised toys from major chain stores or well-known sites like
Amazon.com. However, if we develop an attractive website, we can compete on the basis of
product novelty and quality. In addition, we can provide unusual crafts at competitive prices:
Birch rocking horses, with hand-knitted tails and manes; music boxes with the child's name
painted on top; and real teepees made by Native American artisans.
3. Using Technology to Write Messages:
There are five techniques to effectively write messages to mobile readers, namely:
1. Use a Linear Organization
To simplify reading, organize it with a linear flow from top to bottom of the message or
article and use elements such as summaries, tables and other supporting visuals. So the
reader won't lose their way and won't be slowed down.
2. Prioritize Information
Prioritize the information that the writer knows about the reader's information needs and
put that information first.
3. Write Shorter and more Focused Messages and Documents
Write the message briefly and use sentences that are easy to understand. In this case it is
required to write two documents:
∗ Shorter executive summary for mobile use.
∗ Longer, PC-accessible supporting documents if you want more details.
4. Use Shorter Subject Lines and Headings
Create a subject line or heading with words that are calculated to be visible on mobile
devices and make sure it starts with a keyword so that readers can immediately see the
subject and the point.
5. Use Shorter Paragraphs
Create shorter or shorter paragraphs that are clear and easy to understand but still
provide the necessary information, so that the reader does not have to spend a lot of
time reading the paragraph.
Completing and Revising Business Message Writing:
Once both stages are done from planning and writing the draft, for important messages,
schedule time to set your draft aside for a day or two before you start the revision process.
Before reaching the design stage, however, it's important to refine the content you've
diligently researched, organized, and created. Successful communicators realize that first
drafts are rarely as narrow, clear, and compelling as they could be. Careful revision can
mean the difference between a rambling, unfocused message and a lively, direct message
that gets results.
Also, revision tasks can vary depending on the medium and nature of your message. For
informal messages to internal audiences, especially when using instant messaging, text
messaging, email, or blogs, the revision process is often as simple as taking a quick look at
your message to correct any errors before sending or posting it. However, don't get caught
up in the common thinking that you don't have to worry about grammar, spelling, clarity,
and the basics of good writing when you use such media. These qualities can be very
important in digital media, especially if these messages are the only contact your audience
has with you. Audiences tend to equate the quality of your writing with the quality of your
thinking. Poor quality messages create the impression of poor quality thinking and can lead
to confusion, frustration and costly delays. The scopes to look at are as follows:
- The entire document needs to be read first in its entirety
- Focus on the content, organization and flow of business letters
- Whether the key points have been included in a logical order
- Is there a good balance between the general and the particular?
- Are the most important ideas given enough space?
Rereading
After confirming the content, organization, style, and tone of your message, skip a
second to improve readability. Readability indexes offer a useful reference point, but are
limited by what they can measure: word length, syllable count, sentence length, and
paragraph length. They cannot measure other factors that affect readability, such as
document design, "you" attitude, clear sentence structure, smooth transitions, and proper
word usage.
In addition to using shorter words and simpler sentences, you can improve the
readability of your message by making the document attractive and easy to skim. Most
business audiences especially influential senior managers tend to skim documents, looking
for key ideas, conclusions and recommendations. If they think a document contains valuable
information or requires a response, they will read it more carefully if time permits. Four
techniques will make your message more readable and skimmable: varying sentence length,
using shorter paragraphs, using lists and bullets rather than narrative, and adding effective
headings and subheadings.
When re-reading and looking at the word guide, one should also look at the selection of
effective sentences such as; choose familiar words, choose short words, and avoid words
with multiple meanings. In writing, it should be noted that short paragraphs have the main
advantage of being easy to read. Short paragraphs, generally 100 words or less (this
paragraph has 92 words), are easier to read than long paragraphs, and make your writing
look interesting. You can also emphasize ideas by isolating them in strong short paragraphs.
However, don't go overboard with short paragraphs. In particular, be careful to use one-
sentence paragraphs only occasionally and usually only for emphasis. Also, if you need to
divide the subject into sections to keep the paragraph short, be sure to help your readers keep
the ideas connected by guiding them with plenty of transitional elements.
Title Selection in business messages:
A heading is a short title that tells the reader about the content of the next section.
Subheadings are below the headings, indicating subsections within the main section.
Headings and subheadings have the following important functions:
•
Organization.
Headings show your readers at a glance how the document is organized. They act as labels
to group related paragraphs and organize long material into shorter sections.
•
Attention.
Informative, inviting, and in some cases, catchy titles grab the reader's attention, make the
text easier to read, and help the reader find the section he needs to read - or skip.
•
Connections. Using headings and subheadings together helps readers see the connection
between main ideas and subordinate ideas so that they can understand your message more
easily. Also, headings and subheadings visually show the shift from one idea to the next.
Headings and subheadings fall into two categories. Descriptive headings, such as "Cost
Considerations," identify the topic but go no further than that. Informative headings, such as
"Redesigning Material Flow to Cut Production Costs," guide the reader to think in a certain
way about the topic. No matter what type of theme or headline you choose, keep it short and
use parallel construction throughout the document.
Editing Messages:
Once you have reviewed and revised your message for readability, your next step is to
make your message as clear and concise as possible by editing the content and format of
your message. Some ways to go about this when reading and deciding what to edit are as
follows:
o Break up sentences that are too long. Sometimes when writing you get stuck in long
sentences. At first you may try to make the sentence do more than it should, such as
expressing two different thoughts or peppering the reader with too much supporting
evidence at once. So in the end, the sentence loses the point of the writing.
o Rewrite the hedging sentence. Hedging means withdrawing from making a confident
and definitive statement about a topic. Indeed, sometimes you have to write may or
seem to avoid stating a judgment or prediction as fact. However, if you hedge too often
or without good reason, you feel unsure of what you are saying.
o Apply parallelism. If you have two or more similar ideas to express, make them parallel
by using the same grammatical construction. Parallelism shows that the ideas are related,
of equal importance, and at the same general level.
o Fixing an adjective or adverb (replacement word). Sometimes the modifier is not just an
adjective or adverb but an entire phrase modifying a noun or verb. Be careful not to
leave this type of modifier hanging, with no connection to the subject of the sentence.
How to Edit Writing Style:
Pay attention to the writing style, convince yourself if you have given a good
impression to the audience? Use words and phrases that can make a good impression on the
audience.
How to Edit the Format:
Review of grammar, spelling, writing errors, punctuation, and formatting.
Effective Sentences:
A sentence is a form of language that tries to organize and express one's ideas openly to be
communicated to others.
An effective sentence is one that is lively, fresh, easy to understand or catch. How can it
accurately represent the content of the author's thoughts or feelings, how can it
represent it freshly, and be able to attract the attention of readers and listeners to what
is being said?
Unity of Thought:
A good sentence must clearly show the unity of ideas, containing one main idea. In the
flow of a sentence, there should be no change from one idea to another that has no
connection, or combining two ideas that have no connection at all.
Example:
When a scholar has to formulate concepts into terms, in other words when he or she has to
form terms, there is sometimes a (good) difficulty. He had left his house at six in the
morning, and had left by plane an hour ago (good)
The Unclear Unity of Ideas:
The unity of ideas is usually blurred because the position of the subject and predicate is
unclear, especially because of the wrong use of prepositions. Other mistakes occur because
the sentence is too long and the writer or speaker doesn't know what to say.
Example:
Education is also closely related to language. Education requires language as a means of
communication between students and educators.
Good Coherence and Compactness:
Good and compact coherence is a clear reciprocal relationship between elements (words
or groups of words). How is the relationship between subject and predicate, the relationship
between predicate and object. Coherence is broken because the place of words in the
sentence does not match the sentence pattern
Example:
GOOD : My smallest brother hit the dog in the garden yesterday morning, with all his
might.
NOT GOOD: my littlest brother hit with all his might yesterday morning at the dog park.
The cohesiveness of a sentence will also be damaged by the wrong use of prepositions,
conjunctions and so on.
Example sentence:
The interaction between personality and language acquisition development is decisive for
the pattern of the developing personality (without dividing). Since birth, humans have a soul
to fight against the cruelty of nature, or to other parties because they feel they are stronger
(without to).
Determination of Writing Format
Another thing to look out for in a business message is the writing format. Any space
that does not contain text or artwork, whether in print or online, is considered white space.
(Note that "white space" isn't always white; it's just empty.) These unused areas provide
visual contrast and important break points for your readers. White space includes margins,
paragraph indents, spaces around images, open areas around titles, vertical spaces between
columns, and horizontal spaces between paragraphs or lines of text. To increase the chances
of readers reading your message, be generous with spacing; it makes pages and screens feel
less daunting and easier to read.
In the general writing format, the things that are considered are:
1. Margins define the space around text and between columns of text. In addition to their
width, the look and feel of margins are affected by the way text lines are arranged.
They can be set (1) flush (which means even, or vertically aligned, on the left and
right), (2) left flush with an uneven right margin, (3) right flush with an uneven left
margin, or (4) centered. Most business documents use a flush left margin and an
uneven right margin.
2. Typeface/Font refers to the visual design of letters, numbers, and other text characters.
3. Type style refers to any modification that provides contrast or emphasis to type,
including bold, italics, underlining, color, and style.
highlighting and other decorations. Avoid using any type of style that hinders your
audience's ability to read your message.
Design writing format on mobile devices
•
Think small parts. Remember that mobile users consume information one screen at a time,
so try to divide your message into separate, easily consumable parts. If readers have to scroll
through a dozen screens to piece together your message, they may miss your point or give
up completely.
•
Make good use of white space. Blank space is always helpful, but it's especially important
on a small screen as readers try to get the point of each message as quickly as possible. Keep
your paragraphs short (four to six lines), and break them up with blank lines so that the
reader's eye can easily move from one point to the next.
•
Simple format. Avoid anything that might get in the way of a quick and easy read, including
busy typography, complex graphics, and complicated layouts.
•
Consider horizontal and vertical layouts. Most phones and tablets can automatically rotate
their screen content from horizontal to vertical when the user rotates the device. A layout
that does not work well with a narrow vertical perspective may be acceptable at a wider
horizontal perspective.
Proofreading
Proofreading is the quality check stage for your document, your last chance to ensure
that your document is ready to convey your message; and your reputation to the intended
audience. Even a small mistake can ruin your efforts, so take proofreading seriously.
When pro-reading look for two types of problems: (1) undetected errors from the
writing, design, and layout stages and (2) errors that arise during production. The first
category of problems can be solved by enlisting the help of a colleague to check the writing.
The second category of problems can include anything from computer glitches such as
missing fonts to broken web links to problems with the ink used in printing. Be especially
careful with complex documents and complex production processes involving multiple
colleagues and multiple computers. Strange things errors can occur as files move from
computer to computer, especially when many fonts and multimedia elements are involved.
Be sure to observe details when proofreading including language errors, missing material,
design errors, and typographical errors.
Summary
By adapting communication to the needs and expectations of the audience, it can
provide clearer answers to their questions and improve the chances that the message will be
received successfully. The audience's response to the message you send depends on their
perception of your level of credibility, trustworthiness and the trust you evoke for them. To
ensure that the message is clear and concise, use a conversational tone, avoid outdated and
grandiose language, avoid lecturing, grumbling. Support the conversation by using language
that is straightforward and easy for everyone to understand. Also check the grammar and
word usage guidelines, making sure that they are effective. Ask a colleague to read it again,
make sure all formatting, grammar, writing style is appropriate without any errors. During
the business message production and distribution process, it should be proofread before it is
given to the audience.
