Business Communication Today: An Analysis (part 8)

Writing Business Messages

Adapting to Your Audience

by: Charles Lamson

Whether consciously or not, audiences greet most incoming messages with a question: "What's in this for me?" If your intended audience thinks a message does not apply to them or does not offer them anything useful or interesting they will be far less inclined to pay attention to it. By adapting your communication to the needs and expectations of your audience, you will be providing a more compelling answer to this question and improve the chances of your message being successful.

However, adapting your message is not always a simple task. Some situations will require you to balance conflicting or competing needs. Other situations may tempt you to adapt your personal style, but do so carefully. Although adjusting your style is a positive move, do not go so far that you come across as someone you are not. You will  not be comfortable with this approach, and your audience will probably see through it.

A good relationship is vital to conveying your messages effectively, whether you are sending messages across the office via-email, or to the other side of the planet in an online meeting. Like every relationship, successful communication meets the needs of both partners - you and your audience. To adapt your message to your audience, try to be sensitive to your audience's needs, Build a strong relationship with your audience and control your style to maintain a professional tone.

Being Sensitive to Your Audience's Needs

Even in simple messages intended merely to share information, it is possible to use all the right words and still not be sensitive to your audience and their needs. You can improve your audience receptivity by adopting the "you" attitude, maintaining good standards of etiquette, emphasizing the positive and using bias-free language.

Using the "You" Attitude

You are already becoming familiar with the audience-centered approach - trying to see a subject through your audience's eyes. Now you want to project this approach in your messages by adopting a "you" attitude - that is, by speaking and writing in terms of your audience's wishes, interests, hopes and preferences.

Instead of This To help us process this order we must ask for another copy of the requisition. We are pleased to announce our new flight schedule from Atlanta to New York, which is any hour on the hour. We offer MP3 players with 10, 15 or 20 gigabytes of storage capacity.

Do This So that your order can be filled promptly, please send another copy of the requisition. Now you can take a plane from Atlanta to New York any hour on the hour. Select your MP3 player from three models with 10, 15 or 20 gigabytes of storage capacity.

Be aware that on some occasions, it is better to avoid using “you," particularly if doing so will sound overly authoritative or accusing.

Instead of This You should never use that type of paper in the copy machine. You must correct all five copies by noon.

Use this That type of paper doesn’t work well in the copy machine. All five copies must be corrected by noon.

Maintaining Standards of Etiquette

INSTEAD OF THIS Once again, you’ve managed to bring down the website through your incompetent programming. You’ve been sitting on our order for two weeks and we need it now!

USE THIS Let's go over what went wrong with the last site update so that we can find out how to improve the process. Our production schedule depends on timely delivery of parts and supplies, but we have not yet received the order you promised to deliver two weeks ago. Please respond today with a delivery commitment.

Emphasizing the Positive

INSTEAD OF THIS We apologize for inconveniencing you during our remodeling. I’ve been working on this proposal for six months, and I hope the time wasn’t wasted.

USE THIS The renovations now under way will help us serve you better. This proposal identifies $4 million in potential savings companywide without reducing staff.

INSTEAD OF USING THIS Cheap merchandise Used cars Failing Elderly Fake	USE THIS Economy merchandise Resale cars Underperforming Senior citizens Imitation faux

*SOURCE: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION TODAY 8TH ED; BY COURTLAnD  L. BOVEE AND JOHN V. THILL; PGS. 118-122)*

END

Instead of This

To help us process this order we must ask for another copy of the requisition.

We are pleased to announce our new flight schedule from Atlanta to New York, which is any hour on the hour.

We offer MP3 players with 10, 15 or 20 gigabytes of storage capacity.

Do This

So that your order can be filled promptly, please send another copy of the requisition.

Now you can take a plane from Atlanta to New York any hour on the hour.

Select your MP3 player from three models with 10, 15 or 20 gigabytes of storage capacity.

Instead of This

You should never use that type of paper in the copy machine.

You must correct all five copies by noon.

Use this

That type of paper doesn’t work well in the copy machine.

All five copies must be corrected by noon.

INSTEAD OF THIS

Once again, you’ve managed to bring down the website through your incompetent programming.

You’ve been sitting on our order for two weeks and we need it now!

USE THIS

Let's go over what went wrong with the last site update so that we can find out how to improve the process.

Our production schedule depends on timely delivery of parts and supplies, but we have not yet received the order you promised to deliver two weeks ago. Please respond today with a delivery commitment.

INSTEAD OF THIS

We apologize for inconveniencing you during our remodeling.

I’ve been working on this proposal for six months, and I hope the time wasn’t wasted.

USE THIS

The renovations now under way will help us serve you better.

This proposal identifies $4 million in potential savings companywide without reducing staff.

INSTEAD OF USING THIS

Cheap merchandise

Used cars

Failing

Elderly

Fake

USE THIS

Economy merchandise

Resale cars

Underperforming

Senior citizens

Imitation faux