‘Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail!’ This logic is never truer than when we communicate important workplace information in writing. So, to plan NOT to fail, invest the time in the Pre-Write Phase and answer these four groups of questions. Thorough and thoughtful planning will make your writing process faster and easier and increase your chances of accomplishing your objectives.
What are your Objectives?
- What do you want your message to accomplish?
- What do you want your readers to understand, do and/or feel?
- Are you telling, selling, yelling or a combination?
Who are your Readers?
- Who are your primary readers, the one’s you need to influence and impress the most?
- What do you know about their demographic details and psychographic values, mindsets, biases and potential objections? More importantly, how could these factors positively or negatively impact your message?
- What impact do you want your message to have on your relationship with your readers after they receive it?
What Tone and Style will help accomplish your objectives?
- Remember that the tone of your message is influenced by your words, structure, style, vocabulary, grammar and the length of your sentences and paragraphs.
- Your tone can overshadow and even contradict your message content. Tone can win, persuade and convince your readers. Tone can also confuse, offend or alienate them.
- What tone do you need to enhance your message, relationship and results?
- How do you want to be perceived as a workplace communicator? As a leader?
What message Format and Structure would work best?
- Your objective, reader analysis and intended tone should influence the format and structure of your message.
- Are you ‘Telling’ (informing), ‘Selling’ (persuading),‘Yelling’ (motivating) or a combination?
- Be sensitive to your readers’ needs and wants.
- Up front, let your readers know the purpose of the message. They want to know “Why are you sending me this?” and “WII-FM – What’s In It For Me?”
- Form follows function.
The more important your message, the more time and effort you should justify for a thorough Pre-Write Phase. Said another way, what’s the worst thing that can happen if your message backfires or even fails? If you’d rather avoid that consequence, then commit to Planning What You Write.