What are the four tasks involved in planning business messages

This article discusses the importance of Five steps For Preparing and planning a business message.

Table of Contents Show

Five Steps for Planning a Business Message
Identify your Purpose
Choose your ideas
Collect data to support your ideas

The success of a business depends upon the way one communicates one’s message to others. The writer of a business message, therefore, needs to plan, organize, draft, revise, edit, and proofread his message. If a message is not properly planned and worded, it may not only tarnish the image of the writer but also adversely affect the image of the organization he/she represents. Thus excellent business results can be achieved only by sending effective messages.

Five Planning Steps for planning a business message

Therefore, to prepare effective messages, the writer should consider the following:

. Five Planning Steps for effective Business Messages . Choice of Basic Organizational Plan . Beginning and Ending of Messages . Composing of the Message

Five Steps for Planning a Business Message

To communicate effectively, consider the following five steps for planning a business message:

1. Identify your Purpose 2. Analyze your audience 3. Choose your ideas 4. Collect data to support your ideas 5. Organize your message

Identify your Purpose

The first of the five planning steps of a message is to have a clear idea of its purpose. Normally, the purpose of the message is two-fold: the reason for the message itself and the creation of goodwill. The first step when planning a message is to determine its specific purpose. Your message may be informational, such as announcing your firm’s new address. It may be persuasive, such as asking the customer to buy a particular product. Besides, all messages have an underlying purpose to create goodwill. Courtesy and consideration are especially necessary to create goodwill. Consequently, if the purpose is not clear in the mind of the sender, the communication will fail to achieve the desired feedback.

Seeing the message from the receivers’ point of view, and keeping in mind, the needs, interests, attitudes, and culture, help to analyze the audience. You can imagine the audience or reader if you know them. Much of your writing, however, will go to people or companies you have never met. So be careful with the salutation of the message. Pay attention to the proper placement of first and last names and correct titles.

Choose your ideas

Afterward, you have to choose the ideas for your message which is the second step for planning a business message. Thus, if you are answering a letter, underline the main points to discuss, and jot down your ideas in the margin. Likewise, if you are writing an uninvited or a complex message, begin by listing ideas as they come to you, and then choosing the best ideas for your receiver.

However, the ideas you include depend on the type of message you are sending, and the background and location of your receiver (national or international). For example, in a reply from a large resort hotel to a person who has asked about rates, you might send a brief list of in- and out-of-season prices. But if you will limit your response to this list, you would miss an opportunity to sell the other services you have to offer. Include the following ideas in such kind of response:

A. First, thank the reader for the letter, asking about rates. B. Then, mention the services the hotel provides. C. Similarly, Include information about the place where the hotel is located. D. Then, Give details about the facilities you offer. E. Finally, list the rates.

You might also include a brochure of your hotel along with small brochures of famous sights in your area.

Collect data to support your ideas

After this, you must determine whether you need specific facts, figures, or other forms of evidence to support your points. Moreover, be sure you know your company policies, procedures, and product details if your message requires them. Also, check your data on the names of individuals, dates, addresses, etc. Similarly, you may sometimes need to enclose a brochure, table, picture, or product sample. Lastly, be sure to collect enough data to support your ideas.

This is the last of the five steps for planning a business message. Before you write your first draft, outline your message (mentally or on paper). Moreover, the order in which you present your ideas is as important as the ideas themselves. On the other hand, jumbled and pointless messages are often confusing, and unimportant. However, different tactics are necessary for different cultures. While the U.S. businesspeople often prefer the direct style, South American, middle eastern, and Asian countries like the indirect style. Additionally, Europeans most often use the direct approach. Therefore, choose your organizational plan after you have worked through your basic five planning steps for planning a business message.

The above-discussed five steps are essential for planning a business message.

Find Us

https://www.linkedin.com/company/ewriter29/

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/ewriter29/

Chapter 5: Completing Business Messages

Test Your Knowledge:

What are the four main tasks involved in completing a business message?

When completing a business message, the four main tasks include revising the message, producing the message, proofreading the message, and then distributing the message. Each step is fairly self-explanatory. Revising the message comes after organizing and researching and the rough drafts. This step is to make sure that the readability is as easy as can be fore the audience. Then comes producing, where the actual message is written out. Many things must be taken into account when it comes to producing, including consistency, balance, restraint, and details. Proofreading the message is the final chance to go over the document and make sure it is ready to be distributed to the public. Distribution is the final step, where the message is physically given to the audience.

What are your responsibilities when you review and edit the work of others?

When reviewing the work of other people, it is important to make sure that the input give is only to make the message more effective, not to make the message seem like something that you would’ve written. The most important consideration is making sure you know what the writer’s intent was, to make sure that whatever input that is given is only helping the message, not taking away from it.

What is parallel construction, and why is it important?

Parallel construction is making sure that everything in a message is uniform. This may include tense, heading length, and more. It is important because if the headings are all different lengths, or the tense switches fro present, past, and future, the message will lose its clarity. It will not be uniform and it may become confusing for the audience to follow along.

Why is proofreading an important part of the writing process?

Proofreading is incredibly important to the writing process because it is the final chance to make sure that the message is ready to be present to the audience. It is the last time to find mistakes such writing, design, and layout errors.

What factors should you consider when choosing a method for distributing a message (other than for systems where you don’t have a choice)?

There are four main factors that should be considered when choosing a method for distributing a message: cost, convenience, time, severity and privacy. Cost may not be an important factor in many messages, but it must be factored in because of there may be a need for multiple copies or some type of expedited delivery.

Apply Your Knowledge:

Why is it essential to understand the writer’s intent before suggesting or making changes to another person’s document?

It’s essential to know a writer’s intent before making any suggestions and changes because you may not fully understand what the writer was trying to accomplish. If their intent is unknown, then the editor may try to change a piece of the message into something that was not trying to be portrayed at all.

What are the ethical implications of murky, complex writing in a document whose goal is to explain how customers can appeal the result of a decision made in the company’s favor during a dispute?

There could be multiple ethical implications if a document is complex, especially if it’s concerning appeals. If it does not clarify how to accurately try to appeal the decision, then the customers may not appeal correctly and lose their fight. The ethical thing to do would be to make sure the clarity of the message is superb to ensure that no one is confused.

What nonverbal signals can you send by your choice of distribution methods?

Nonverbal signals in distribution methods can be extremely important. If an important message is distributed in a way that is unprofessional, such as a text message or post-it note, then the receiver may be offended or may feel that it is not as important as originally thought.