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Marketing Manager Mary is preparing to create an important message for the VP of Engineering at Cutie Baby Products, Inc. She thinks that her new idea should be produced for the upcoming year's line of products. Her new idea is to have a diaper that will illuminate a small light when it is dirty.
She plans to use the three-step writing process to communicate her message to the VP. This process entails planning, writing and completing a message so it has a clear purpose, will reach the receiver effectively and meet their needs. Let's take a look at each of the three steps to see how you can create an effective message in a medium such as an email, letter, memo or presentation. We will use Mary's example to illustrate the process.
The first part of the three steps process is all about planning or preparing to write the message. Mary must complete the following:
She must analyze the situation by deciding what the purpose of her message will be in her report. A writer must research the situation so that the correct main idea is stressed. For example, Mary's purpose is to get her diapers accepted into production. She has researched the product and also who will be receiving the proposal. She knows that in order to get a product approved, it must contain specific financial, marketing and design information.
She then has to research the message receiver. She wants to get the VP to move forward with her Dirty Diaper Light. She already knows that she can motivate the VP to produce the product if she can show him it will make money.
Next, she must gather information to decide if she has enough to persuade the VP to accept her product idea.
Mary then needs to select the right medium to deliver her product proposal. The medium can consist of emails, phone calls, presentations, memos, etc. She feels that a detailed report sent via email will be the best medium because he can spend time looking at her proposal and refer back to it if needed.
Lastly, Mary has to organize the information in the report so that the VP understands her proposal. In her report, she has stressed the main idea and created supportive details for why the diaper should go into production.
The second part of the three step writing process is writing, where the actual creation of the message takes place. Part of the writing process is the pre-work, which involves making sure that the writer adapts to the audience of the message, researching the material and ensuring that the facts are correct.
Writers have to make sure that the receiver will understand the message. It is important to use basic language and avoid business jargon in order to strengthen the delivery. If there's anything that could be unfamiliar to the receiver, the writer should break down the information into simple terminology.
Ironically, since Mary is trying to influence the VP of Engineering, she has written her proposal with technical terminology to further detail how the diaper signal product can be produced with company specifications. She would not have included this particular information if she was targeting a marketing or sales group.
The last stage of the three step writing process is to complete, or finish, the message. There are four parts to completing the message.
1. Revise the message to ensure that the content is correct, readable and clear.
2. Produce the message in the correct medium layout to allow the receiver to easily understand the message. Mary has formatted the proposal clearly in a Word document with specific charts showing profitability.
3. Proofread the message so that any last minute mistakes in terminology, spelling or format are fixed.
4. Distribute the message to the recipient in the correct manner and ensure all documentation and attachments are sent as well. Mary completed her dirty diaper light proposal and emailed it off to the VP of Engineering.
Effective business writing is a necessary skill for all employees to develop as part of their skill set. The three-step writing process entails planning, writing and completing a message so it has a clear purpose, will reach the receiver effectively and meet their needs. This process is used to communicate both routine and persuasive messages in the work place.
The first step is planning, or preparing to write the message. The next step is writing, where the actual creation of the message takes place. Lastly, the final step is to complete, or finish, the message. Each of the three steps have guidelines that need to be followed to ensure that the message is crafted effectively and delivered in the appropriate manner.
Once you are done with this lesson, you should be able to:
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Communications 103: Workplace Communications with Computers11 chapters | 89 lessons
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