Excellence in Business Communication

1. Planning is crucial: Invest half your time in preparation

As a general rule, set aside roughly 50 percent of that time for planning, 25 percent for writing, and 25 percent for completing.

Effective planning saves time and energy. By dedicating half of your available time to planning, you ensure that your message is well-conceived and targeted. This upfront investment pays off by making the writing process smoother and reducing the need for extensive revisions. Planning helps you:

• Clarify your purpose and main idea
• Understand your audience's needs and expectations
• Gather and organize relevant information
• Choose the most appropriate medium and channel

Planning also helps you avoid common pitfalls like going off-topic, including irrelevant information, or missing key points. By thinking through your message structure in advance, you can create more coherent and persuasive communications that achieve your goals more efficiently.

2. Define your purpose and analyze your audience before writing

The more you know about your audience members, their needs, and their expectations, the more effectively you'll be able to communicate with them.

Understand your audience deeply. Before crafting your message, take time to analyze your audience thoroughly. Consider factors such as:

• Demographics (age, education, cultural background)
• Organizational roles and responsibilities
• Prior knowledge of the subject
• Potential interests and concerns
• Likely reactions to your message

By developing a clear audience profile, you can tailor your content, tone, and approach to maximize effectiveness. This audience-centered approach helps ensure that your message resonates with recipients, increasing the likelihood of achieving your communication goals.

3. Gather quality information to meet audience needs

Quality of the information you provide is every bit as important as the quantity.

Prioritize accuracy and relevance. When assembling information for your message, focus on providing high-quality content that meets your audience's specific needs. Key aspects of quality information include:

• Accuracy: Double-check facts, figures, and calculations
• Relevance: Include only information that directly supports your purpose
• Currency: Ensure data is up-to-date and reflects the latest developments
• Completeness: Provide enough detail to fully address the audience's needs
• Ethics: Present information honestly and avoid misleading omissions

Carefully curate your content to deliver maximum value to your audience while avoiding information overload. This approach demonstrates respect for your audience's time and enhances your credibility as a communicator.

4. Choose the right medium and channel for your message

You don't always have the option of choosing which medium or channel to use for a particular message. For example, many companies have internal IM or social networking systems that you are expected to use for certain types of communication, such as project updates.

Match the medium to the message and audience. When selecting a communication method, consider factors such as:

• Message complexity and urgency
• Need for interactivity and feedback
• Audience preferences and expectations
• Security and privacy requirements
• Cost and resource constraints

Different media and channels offer varying levels of richness, formality, and efficiency. For example:

• Face-to-face communication: Best for complex, emotionally charged, or relationship-building conversations
• Video conferencing: Useful for remote teams needing visual cues and interaction
• Email: Suitable for formal communications and detailed information sharing
• Instant messaging: Ideal for quick updates and informal team coordination
• Social media: Effective for broad announcements and community engagement

Choose the medium that best supports your message goals and audience needs while aligning with organizational norms and technological capabilities.

5. Organize your message for maximum impact and clarity

Good organization helps your readers or listeners in three key ways. First, it helps them understand your message. [...] Second, good organization helps receivers accept your message. [...] Third, good organization saves your audience time.

Structure your message logically. A well-organized message enhances understanding, acceptance, and efficiency. To achieve this:

1. Define your main idea clearly
2. Limit the scope to essential information
3. Choose between direct and indirect approaches
4. Create an outline to structure your content

By organizing your thoughts coherently, you demonstrate respect for your audience's time and cognitive resources. This approach not only makes your message more effective but also reflects positively on your professionalism and critical thinking skills.

6. Use the direct approach for routine and positive messages

The direct approach starts with the main idea (such as a recommendation, a conclusion, or a request) and follows that with supporting evidence.

Lead with your main point for receptive audiences. The direct approach is most effective when:

• Delivering good news or routine information
• Communicating with an audience likely to be neutral or positive
• Addressing time-pressed readers who need key information quickly

Structure your message as follows:

1. Open with the main idea or good news
2. Provide necessary details and context
3. Close with a call to action or positive statement

This approach allows readers to grasp the essential information immediately, making it ideal for busy professionals and straightforward communications.

7. Apply the indirect approach for negative or persuasive messages

The indirect approach starts with the evidence and builds up to the main idea.

Build your case before presenting challenging information. Use the indirect approach when:

• Delivering bad news or unwelcome information
• Persuading a skeptical or resistant audience
• Addressing a complex or controversial topic

Organize your message in this sequence:

1. Open with a buffer or neutral statement
2. Present your reasoning and evidence
3. State the main idea or conclusion
4. Close with a forward-looking or positive statement

This approach allows you to establish context and build a logical argument before presenting potentially sensitive information, increasing the likelihood of acceptance and positive response.

8. Create an outline to structure your message effectively

Get into the habit of creating outlines when you're preparing business messages. You'll save time, get better results, and do a better job of navigating through complicated business situations.

Map out your message before writing. Outlining helps you:

• Organize your thoughts logically
• Ensure all key points are included
• Identify gaps or redundancies in your argument
• Visualize the overall structure of your message

Use hierarchical formatting to show relationships between ideas:
I. Main point
A. Supporting point
1. Specific example
2. Evidence or data

For complex messages, consider using visual tools like mind maps or organization charts to represent the structure of your content. This pre-writing step saves time and improves the coherence of your final message.

9. Start with the main idea and support it logically

Everything in your message should either support the main idea or explain its implications.

Build your message around a central concept. When crafting your message:

1. Clearly state your main idea
2. Present major supporting points
3. Provide specific examples and evidence

Use various types of supporting details to strengthen your argument:

• Facts and figures
• Examples and illustrations
• Descriptions
• Narratives (storytelling)
• Analogies and comparisons
• Expert opinions or research findings

Ensure that each element of your message contributes to understanding or reinforcing the main idea. This focused approach helps maintain clarity and purpose throughout your communication.

10. Adapt your communication style to mobile devices

Even for accomplished texters, typing on mobile keyboards can be a challenge. Voice recognition is one way around the keyboard limitation, but anyone using it in public areas or shared offices runs the risk of sharing private message content and annoying anyone within earshot.

Optimize for small screens and on-the-go reading. When creating messages likely to be viewed on mobile devices:

• Keep content concise and scannable
• Use short paragraphs and bullet points
• Prioritize essential information
• Consider limitations of mobile input methods
• Be mindful of data usage and connectivity issues

Mobile-friendly communication strategies:

• Use descriptive subject lines and headers
• Front-load important information
• Minimize large attachments or complex visuals
• Provide clear calls-to-action
• Test your message on various devices before sending

By adapting your communication style to mobile constraints, you ensure that your message remains effective and accessible for an increasingly mobile workforce.

Last updated: September 22, 2024