Making Messages Effective

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MAKING MESSAGE

EFFECTIVE

Module: 4



Making Messages Effective

Clear

Complete

Correct

Save readers time

Build good will



PAIBOC

Purpose

Audiences

Information

Benefits

Objections

Context



Bias-free Communication

Managers and their wives will

Managers and their spouses will

Manpower PersonnelMan-hours Hours or working hours

Manning Staffing

Workman Worker, employee, writer

Chairman Chair, chairperson



Gender Bias

Plural nouns and pronouns

¾ Supervisors musttheir departments.

Use you.

¾ You must work for your department.

Substitute with article or revise sentence

¾ Supervisor...time sheet for the department.

¾ The nurse will fill out the accident report.



Planning Business Messages

Basic tasks in composition process

General and specific purposes of messages

Testing message purposes

Audience profiles

Determining message main ideas

Channels and media for transmitting

messages



Composing Processes

Planning

Composing

Revising



Planning Activities Defining purposes

Analyzing audience(s)

Establishing main ideas

Selecting channel and medium



General Purposes Of

Business Messages

Informing

Persuading

Collaborating





Composing Business

Messages

Characteristics of well-organized business

messages How organization benefits both audiences and

communicators

Logical subdivisions of main ideas

Direct and indirect message patterns, and when

each is appropriate



Composing Business Messages

Style and tone appropriate for subject,

purpose, audience, and format

You-attitude

Appropriate e-mail formats



Well-Organized Messages

Get to the point quickly

Excise irrelevant material Note points according to relative

importance

I

nclude all necessary information



Why Good Organization

Matters

Helps audience understand your message

Encourages audience to accept your message

Saves audience time and attention

Simplifies the writers task



Defining and Grouping

Ideas

Prewriting techniques to generate content

Visualizing how ideas fit together

Deciding on main idea

Deciding on major points that support main

idea

Illustrating with specific evidence



Messages That Follow

A Direct Approach

Most appropriate when audience is receptive

Direct requests

Routine messages

Good-news messages

G

oodwill messages Longer direct messages use informational

pattern or conclusions/recommendations



Messages That Follow

Indirect Approach

Most appropriate when audience is likely to

resist message

Bad-news messages

Persuasive messages

Longer indirect messages use logical

arguments as support



Establishing Good Audience

Relationships

Use appropriate tone

You-attitude

Emphasize the positive

Establish credibility

Be polite Project the companys image



Shaping E-mail

Messages

Tailor message for audience

Organize points in easy-to-follow sequence

Be brief

Include interesting typographic details when

appropriate



Revising Business

Messages

Edit for content, organization, style,

readability, and word choice

Choose correct and most effective words tomake your point

Rewrite sentences to clarify relationships

between ideas and to add interest to yourwriting



Revising Business

Messages

Identify paragraph elements

Develop well-structured paragraphs that

address only one main idea each

Design documents that will reach your

audience

Proofread for mechanics and format



Editing Content And

Organization

Have you covered all points in the most logical

order?

Do the most important points appear inprominent positions?

Have you provided enough support and

evidence? Can you cut wordy or redundant passages?



Elements Of Readability

Word choice

Sentence length and structure

Organization/paragraphing Documents physical appearance



Assessing Word Choice

Correctness

Effectiveness

Plain English

Connotations

Concreteness

Length



Bias-Free Language Avoids

Cultural bias

Gender bias

Racial/ethnic bias Age bias

Disability bias



Three Sentence Types

Simple sentences

Compound sentences

Complex sentences



Effective Sentence Styles

Keep sentences short

Rely on active voice

Eliminate unnecessary words or phrasesAvoid obsolete, pompous, or overblown language

Break up strung-out sentences

Express parallel ideas in parallel formEmphasize key thoughts



Elements Of Coherent

Paragraphs

Clear topic sentences

Each sentence relates to topic sentence.

Transitional elements show relationships

between sentences.



The Case for Effective

CommunicationsWhat Happens when Youre Misunderstood?

Answer more phone calls

Write more explanatory emails and letters

Make explanatory documents

Effective communication means you will:

Write with more impact

Get better results

Provide better service



The Benefits of Plain Language

Reaches people who do not read well, or who do not

have time to read well

Helps all readers understand information

Avoids misunderstanding and errors

Saves time, because it gets the job done well the first

time



You Know Youve Used Plain

Language if

Readers can:

Find what they need

Understand what they read

Use what they read



What Is Plain Language?

1. Write Like You Talk

2. Common words

3. Short sentences

4. Active voice

5. Easy-to-read layout6. Logical organization

Writing Pointers:



1. Write Like You Talk

Use you and other pronouns

A

void artificial language

Sound like yourself



1. Write Like You Talk: CautionCaution

Avoid regional dialects and expressions

Use complete sentences

Spoken English is sloppy

Written English requires more care

than spoken English



2. Choose Common Words

I never use a word like metropolis when I can

get the same price for city .

- Mark Twain



2. Common Words

Prefer the plain word to the fancy

Use familiar words

Avoid jargon



2. Common Words

Prefer the Plain Word to the Fancy

Instead of:

accomplish

ascertainendeavorfacilitateformulate

optimumutilize

Use:

do

find outtryhelpform

bestuse



3. Short Sentences

Cut Out Unnecessary Words

Avoid cluttering phrases

Cut out surplus words

Avoid roundabout construction



3. Short Sentences

Instead of:

At the present time

For the purpose of

In very few cases

With regard to

Use:

NowFor

Seldom

A

bout

Cluttering phrases:



4. Active Voice

It emphasizes the action

Its stronger and shorter than passive voice

± Avoid passive voice



4. Active Voice

The test was performed.

or

ABC performed the test.



5. Easy-to-Read Layout

Keep Paragraphs Short

Use white space

Separate topics into paragraphs

Use lists and tables



6. Logical Organization

Know your audience

Write to be understood Avoid ambiguity




Know Your Audience

Write to everyone who is interested

Engage your reader

Anticipate the readers questions

Organize to meet your readers needs




Write to be Understood - Not to Impress

Dont be arrogant

Business communications should seek only to

communicate

Provide enough information for your reader to

take action



Email Pointers

Start with a salutation.

Ask for a response.

Use Spell Check & proof read.

Treat it like a business letter. Avoid emoticons & Internet abbreviations

Create a professional signature at the end of theemail that includes your name, professional title,

business name, phone number, and email address.



Using these tips will help you:

Reach people who do not read well, or who do not have

time to read well

Help all readers understand information

Avoid misunderstanding and errors

Save time, because it gets the job done well the first time

Write with more impact

Get better results

Provide better service