Writing Routine and Positive Messages

Much of the vital communication between a company and its customers is about routine matters, from product operation hints and technical support to refunds and ordering glitches.

The three-step writing process gives you a great way to produce these messages effectively and efficiently:

1. Planning a Routine or Positive Message
2. Writing a Routine or Positive Message
3. Completing a Routine or Positive Message

Strategy for Routine Requests
Making requests - for information, action, products, adjustemnts, or other matters - is a routine part of business. Like all other business messages, a routine request has three parts: (1) Opening, (2) Body, (3) Closing. Using the direct approach, open with your main idea, which is a clear statement of your request. Then use the body to give details and justify your request. Finally, close by requesting specific action.

Opening
Begin routine requests by placing your initial request first; up front is where it stands out and gets the most attention. Be specific!

Body
Use the body of your message to explain your request. Make the explanation a smooth and logical outgrowth of your opening remarks. If possible, point out how complying with the request could benefit the reader.
This list of tips helps organize your message and helps your audience identify the information you need:

• Ask the most important questions first
• Ask only relevant questions
• Deal with only one topic per question

Closing
Close your message with three important elements: (1) a specific request, (2) information about how you can be reached, and (3) an expression of appreciation or goodwill. If necessary, include specific dates for when information should be sent to you. Ex: Please provide the figures by May 5.

Example Routine Request:

Crafting Messages for Electronic Media

The most common modes of business communication have chaned significantly in the past decade. Years ago, business communication was largely defined by a publishing or broadcasting mindset. Externally, a company released carefully scripted messages to a mass audience that often had few, if any, ways to respond. In today's business environment, the audinece is no longer a passive recipient of messages but an active participant in the conversation. This blog post will discuss ways of communicating by means of electronic media.

Choosing Electronic Media For Breif Messages

1. Social networks and user-generated content sites. The most common sites are:
• Facebook.com
• LinkedIn.com
• Twitter.com
• Myspace.com
2. Email. High speed and low cost, e-mail is now a primary medium for most companies. However, as technologies continue to evolve and users tireof fighting the flood of spam, viruses, and other prolems related e-mail, this medium is being replaced by other means.
3. Instant messaging (IM). IM offers even greater speed than e-mail, as well as simple operation and fewer problems with unwanted messages or security and privacy problems.
4. Text messaging. Small screen sizes and the lack of a regular keyboard on many phone devices make text messaging somewhat less convenient than computer-based IM. Text messaging is, however, making its way into business communication in such areas as marketing, customer service, and online banking.
5. Blogs. The ability to update content quickly and easily makes blogs a natural medium when communicators need to get messages out in a hurry. 
6. Podcasts. Business are now using podcasts to replace or supplement conference calls, trainging courses, and other communication activities. 
7. Online video. Creating high quality videos require some time and expertise, but even the simple video functions now widely available in cameras and mobile phones can be useful for research interviews, location surveys, product demonstrations, and other communication tasks.

Although electronic means of communication are quick and easy there are certain situations where traditional printed messages should be used. Here are several situations in which you should consider:

• When you want to make a formal impression.
• When your are legally required to provide information in printed form.
• When you want to stand out from the flood of electronic messages.
• When you need a permanent, unchangeable, or secure record.

Here are some important tips to e-mailing and why they are important:

• When you request information or action, make it clear what you're asking for, why it's important, and how soon you need it; don't make your reader write back for details.
• People will be tempted to ignore your messages if they're not clear what you want or how soon you want it.
• When responding to a request, either paraphrase the request or include enough of the originial message to remind the reader what you're replying to.
• Some businesspeople get several hundred or more e-mail messages every day and may need to be reminded what your specific response is about.
• If possible, avoid long, complex messages via e-mail.
• Long messages are easier to read as printed reports or web content.
• Adjust the level of formality to the message and the audience.
• Overly ormal messages to colleagues are perceived as stuffy and distant' overly informal messages to customers or top executives are perceived as disrespectful.
• Activate a signature file, which automatically pastes your contact information into every message you create.
• You save the trouble of retyping vital information and ensure that recipients know how to reach you through other means.
• Don't let unread messages pile up in your in-box.
• You'll miss important information and create the impression that you're ignoring other people.
• Never type in all caps.
• ALL CAPS ARE INTERPRETED AS SCREAMING.
• Don't over-format your messages with background colors, colored type, complicated fonts, and so on.
• Such messages can be difficult and annoying to read on-screen.
• Remember that messages can be forwarded anywhere and saved forever.
• A moment of anger or poor judgment could haunt you for the rest of your career.
• Use the "return receipt requested" feature only for the most critical messages.
• This feature triggers a message back to you whenever someone receives or opens your message; many consider this an invasion of privacy.
• Make sure your computer has up-to-date virus protection.
• One of the worst breaches of "netiquette" is uknowingly infecting other computers becuase you haven't protected your own system.
• Pay attention to gramma, spelling, and capitalization.
• Some people don't think e-mail needs formal rules, but careless messages make you look unprofessional and can annoy readers.
• Use acronyms sparingly.
• Acronys such as IMHO ("in my humble opinion") and LOL ("laughing out loud") can be useful in informal correspondence between close colleagues, but don't use them in important messages.

If you put these tips you use, you will be able to construct effective and proffesional electronic messages. For more tips, visit these sites:

http://www.businessemailetiquette.com/
http://www.emailreplies.com/

Completing Business Messages

In any medium, readers tend to equate the quality of your writing with the quality of your thinking. When you finalize your written product, there are four steps to account for:

1. Revise your message to achieve optimum quality
2. Produce
3. Proofread
4. Distribute

Revising
If you have time, put aside your draft for a day or two before you begin the revision process. When you begin, focus your attention on content, organization, style, and tone. To evaluate the content of your message, answer these questions:

• Is the information accurate?
• Is the information relevant to the audience?
• Is there enough information to satisfy the readers' needs?
• Is there a good balance between general information (giving readers enough background information to appreciate the message) and specific information (giving readers the details they need to understand the message)?

When your are satisfied with the content of the message, you can review its organization by answering these questions:

• Are all the points covered in the most logical order?
• Do the most important ideas receive the most space, adn are they placed in the most prominent positions?
• Would the message be more convincing if it were arranged in another sequence?
• Are any points repeated unnecessarily?
• Are details grouped together logically, or are some still scattered through the document?

Some points to improve your messages readibility:

• Vary sentence length. Varying the length of your sentences is a creative way to make your messages interesting and readable. By choosing words and sentence structure with care, you can create a rhythm that emphasizes importent points, enlivens your writing style, and makes information more appealing to your reader. 
• Keep paragraphs short. Large blocks of text can be visually daunting. Keep paragraphs short to avoid intimidating even the most dedicated readers.
• Using lists and bullets to clarify and emphasize. How easy is this blog to follow?
• Adding headings and subheadings. Headings and subheadings improve a message's organization, attention, and connection.

Producing
Design affects readability in two important ways. First, if used carefully, design elements can improve the efectiveness of your message. If used poorly, design elements can act as barriers, blocking your communication. Second, the visual design sends a nonverbal message to your readers, influencing their perceptions of the communication before they read a single world. To achieve an effective design, pay careful attention to the following design elements:

• Consistency
• Balance
• Restraint
• Detail

Proofreading Your Message
Use these techniques from professional proofreaders to help ensure high-quality output:

• Make simple passes. Go through the document several times, focusing on a different aspect each time.
• Double-check high priority items. Check the spelling of names and the accuracy of dates, addresses, and any number that could cause grief if incorrect
• Give yourself some distance. If possible, don't proofread immediately after finishing a document; let your brain wander off to new topics and the come back fresh later on
• Be vigilant. Avoid reading large amounts of materal in one sitting and try not to proofread when you're tired.
• Stay focused. Concentrate on what you're doing. Try to block out distractions. 
• Take your time. Quick proofreading is not careful proofreading.

Distributing Your Message
 With the production finished, you're ready to distribute your message. As with every other aspect of business communication, your options for distribution multiply with every advance in technology. When choosing a means to distribute messages, consider the following factors:

• Cost
• Convenience
• Time
• Security and privacy

Worthy Sites/Links: 

Eight Steps to Effective Document Writing (PDF)
www.powa.org