Sam,
the manager, was upset. "I sent that guy a memo telling
him what I wanted and he still didn't do it. What a loser!"
This
scenario is not unusual. In today's workplace, there are
a number of writers who blame the reader for not responding
correctly to their messages. But, more often the fault lies
with the writer-not the reader.
A
writer must take responsibility for the communication process.
You must know exactly what you want to accomplish. Do you
want to inform, persuade or request action? What do you
want the reader to do after he reads your message? This
must be clearly spelt out.
In
addition, your goal should be to enable the receiver to
read your documents quickly-from left to right, top to bottom-and
immediately know what you want. Any time the reader has
to stop to interpret a word or sentence, then you-the writer-have
failed to communicate correctly. You have wasted your own
time and the reader's.
Think
about your reader before you write and choose words matching
the reader's vocabulary level. If your reader is a "jargoneer,"
then jargon is appropriate. If the reader does not have
a technical background, or you are uncertain about his level
of understanding, choose simpler words.
Here
are some other tips to ensure that your message is easy
to understand:
1.
Start request for action letters with what you want the
reader to do. Don't bore the reader with "once upon
a time" openings.
- Weak
Opening
Last
week I attended a meeting with John Jones and Betty
Smith at our headquarters in Toronto. We put together
some recommendations to speed up the production of the
new manufacturing line.
- Strong
Opening
I would like your response on our recommendations
to speed up the production of the new manufacturing
line.
2.
Tell the reader what he wants to know and needs to know.
Omit anything else. If this is the second or third time
you've written about a topic, limit the background information.
Don't clutter your documents with irrelevant material.
3.
If your opening paragraph is longer than five lines, the
receiver will hesitate to begin reading. Keep opening
paragraphs short. (Electronic mail is harder to read than
hard copy; keep opening paragraphs in e-mails under three
lines.)
4.
If you have a series of three or more ideas, place them
in a list with bullets or numbers. It is much easier to
read.
- Weak
At the meeting, we will discuss forecasting, budgets,
bonuses, and vacation schedules.
- Better
At
the meeting, we will discuss:
- forecasting
- budgets
- bonuses
- vacation
schedules
5.
White space is crucial. It makes the page or screen more
inviting to read. On paper copy, keep the margins at least
one inch wide and use sub-heads to break up long blocks
of text.
6.
End all correspondence with the action you want the reader
to take. Business writing is psychological. If the last
word grouping on the last line of a letter, memo or e-mail
is a date or phone number, the reader is more likely to
follow through.
- Weak
Ending
Thank you for your anticipated co-operation.
- Strong
Ending
To produce the report on time, I need your figures by
October 1.
7.
When sending a memo or e-mail, make the subject line as
descriptive as possible. This helps the reader decide
whether or not to read it. It also assists the reader
if the file has to be retrieved at a later date.
- Weak
Subject Line
Costs
- More
Descriptive Subject Line
Rising Costs of Municipal By-elections
8.
Consider your reports. Many busy readers read the sub-heads
and just skim the text. To ensure your reader understands
the major points include them in the sub-heads. A two-line
sub-head is permissible.
If
you dash off a memo to 25 of your employees and don't heed
these guidelines, it may take your staff at least five minutes
extra (per person) to interpret what you want; some may
even interpret it incorrectly. Regardless, you have just
cost your company 2 hours of productivity. Be a responsible
writer!
