Tips for Writing a Successful Business Message

The three-step writing process is the essential structure for every quality business communication. It’s a simple, straightforward method of planning, writing and completing your message that maximizes the time spent on your correspondence, by you and your recipients. Following this development process will ensure you’re creating the most efficient, effective message you can deliver. When you are ready to begin the process, try to divide your time between the three steps so you use about half your time on planning, one-fourth for writing, and the remaining one-fourth for completing final revisions. As you practice using this method, it will become more and more automatic, and eventually it will become a natural process for creating every new business message.

Planning is the first step, and includes four tasks: The first is to analyze your situation, by defining your purpose in general and specific terms, and then create a profile of your audience. What will they be looking to you for? Can you deliver it? Will anything change as a result of your message? Is your purpose realistic, and the timing appropriate? The second task involves gathering information, utilizing informal methods like asking for others’ viewpoints, seeking out related surveys and reports, and requesting input from members of your audience. You must ensure the content of your message is accurate, ethical and complete. Whether your message will be delivered in person or in writing, what will your audience need to remember? Be sure to articulate it clearly.

Selecting your delivery medium is your third task, and it’s vital that you make an appropriate choice, as a successful impact on your audience depends on it. Oral, written, visual and electronic media all offer distinct advantages and disadvantages you must weigh, when considering the makeup of your audience. Next you will organize your communication, taking care to strongly position your main idea, decide whether your approach will be direct or indirect, depending upon your audience’s expected reaction, and then proceed to outline your overall content. To do this, start by stating your main idea, strengthen it with your major points, and then provide strong supportive evidence. Some commonly used outlining approaches include alphanumeric, decimal and organization chart outlines. It’s not necessary to utilize a complicated or confusing method to outline your message. Use a system that helps you to expand your thought process comfortably, so you can address all the information you identified in your original analysis.

Then it’s time to write your message, by putting yourself in your recipients’ shoes, and drafting a communication that honestly, ethically and sensitively conveys what they need to understand. Emphasize a positive attitude as often as possible, and avoid using language that places blame or is biased against any members of your audience. When you feel as though you’ve completely addressed all the necessary elements of your main point, then just stop, and walk away. Leave your communication alone for a day or so, and then return with fresh eyes to complete it. Now you can make any revisions necessary to alter the message length, re-emphasize your main idea, better illustrate your supporting points, and correct errors. That’s all there is to it! You’ve succeeded in creating a concise, audience-focused message. You are now ready to deliver it through the most appropriate channel, knowing you have done your best to create a quality business communication.