Planning Business Messages

Checklist for Planning Business Messages
A. Analyze the Situation.

• Determine whether the purpose of your message is to inform, persuade, or collaborate.
• Identify what you want your audience to think or do after receiving the message.
• Make sure your purpose is wothwhile and realistic.
• Make your the time is right for your message.
• Make sure you purpose is acceptable to your organization.
• Identify the primary audience.
• Determine the size and composition of your audience.
• Estimate your audience's level of understanding and porobable reaction to your message. 

B. Gather information.

• Decide whether to use formal or informal techniques for gathering information.
• Find out what your audience needs to know.
• Provide all required information and make sure it's accurate, ethical, and pertinent.

C. Select the best medium for your message.

• Understand the advantages and disadvantages of oral, written, visual, and electronic media.
• Consider media richness, formality, media limitations, urgency, cost, and audience performance.

D. Organize your information.

• Define your main idea.
• Limit your scope.
• Choose the direct or indirect approach.
• Outline content by starting with the main idea, adding major points, and illustrating with evidence.    
  

**The following provides detailed analysis of the above checklist**

Understanding the Three-Step Writing Process
The three-step writing process helps ensure that your messages are both effective (meeting your audience's needs and getting your points across) and efficient (making the best use of your time and your audience's time):

• Step 1: Planning business messages. To plan any message, first analyze the situation by defining your purpose and developing a profile of your audience. Then, gather information that will meet your audience's needs. Then, select the right medium (oral, written, visual, or electronic) to deliver the message. Finally, organize the information be defining your main idea and outlining your content.
• Step 2: Writing business messages. After you've planned your message, adapt to your audience with sensitivity relationship skills, and an appropriate writing style. Compose your message by choosing strong words, creating effective sentences, and developing coherent paragraphs.
• Step 3: Completing business messages. After writing your first draft, revise your message by evaluating the content, reviewing readability, and editing and rewriting until your message comes across concisely and clearly.

Planning Effectively
Analyze your situation. A successful message starts with aclear purpose that connects the sender's needs with the audiences needs. If you launch directly into writing without clarifying both your purpose and your audience, you'll waste time and energy, and you'll probably generate a less-effective message.

Define your purpose.  All business messages have a general purpose: to inform, tp persuade, or to collaborate with the audience. With the scope of its general purpose, each message also has a specific purpose, which identifies what you hope to accomplish with your essage and what your audience should do or think after receiving your meessage.

Gathering Information
When you have a clear picture of your audience, your next step is to assemble the information that you will include in your message. You can often use a variety of informal techniques to gather insights and guide your research efforts:

• Consider the audience's perspective. Put yourself in the audience's position.
• Read reports and other company documents. Annual reports, financial statements, news releases, blogs by industry experts, marketing reports, and customer surveys are just a few of the many potential sources.
• Talk with supervisors, colleagues, or customers. Fellow workers and customers may have information you need.
• Ask your audience for input. If you're unsure what audience members need from your message, ask them. 

Factors to Consider When Choosing Media

  The Importance of Good Organization
• Good organization helps audience members understand your message, accept your message, and save time.
• Good organizational skills are also good for your career becuase they help you develop a reputation as a clear thinker who cares about your readers.

Choosing Between Direct and Indirect Approaches
• The Direct Approach. When you know your audience will be receptive to your message, use the direct approach: Start with the main idea (such as a recommendation, a conclusion, or a request) and follow that with your supportive evdience.
• The Indirect Approach. When your audience will be skeptical about or even resistat to your message, use the indirect approach: Start with the evidence first and build your case before presenting the main idea.