You don't speak to your boss at work in the same way as you talk to your best friends. Similarly, in your business correspondence, you pitch your content differently depending on who your readers are.
TARGET AUDIENCE CHARACTERISTICS
ou don't speak to your boss at work in the same way as you talk to your best friends. Similarly, in your business correspondence, you pitch your content differently depending on who your readers are. To write successfully in business, you really need to know who your audience is.
Four main considerations about your reading audience should guide your writing. These are the size of the audience, the gender, the knowledge level of the intended readers, and the issues that are of concern to them.
Take each of the following into consideration to help guide your writing:
SIZE
The size of your audience is relevant because it can be more difficult to write to multiple readers than to a single reader. If you have multiple readers, you should determine who your key readers are. Although you may include some extra explanation or definitions for other readers, this shouldn't become cumbersome for the key readers.
GENDER
A simple but important point is to know the gender of a reader so you can use the appropriate title. This may require a phone call on your part – remember that many first names are used by both genders. If you address a female manager as "Dear Sir," for example, the reader may be offended. This indicates you haven't taken the time to do your research.
KNOWLEDGE LEVEL
The knowledge level of your audience should guide the content and style of your message. For example, you should explain technical content simply and avoid using jargon in messages for readers who may not share your level of expertise. More technical content would be appropriate if you were writing to a peer or manager in your field.
If you're addressing a message to multiple readers, you may not know their knowledge levels. Then it's generally best to keep things simple. If you assume your readers know more than they actually do, your message is likely to frustrate many.
ISSUES OF CONCERN
It's critical to know the issues of concern relevant to your audience. For instance, always start a message with the information that's most important to the reader. Make it clear how your message will benefit them, rather than focusing on what you want to achieve. Generally, use the word "you" more often than "the company" or "I."
You should also try to predict any questions the reader might have and acknowledge these in your writing.
As an engineer in her company, Wendy is responsible for writing a proposal for a new client, whom she hasn't yet met. The client's name is Cary Whitwell.
Consider the research Wendy conducts about her readers before writing the proposal.
SIZE
First Wendy contacts the client's secretary and asks who will need copies of the proposal. The secretary calls back to say that only Cary herself, who's the managing director, will be responsible for reviewing the proposal. So Wendy knows she can tailor the proposal for just one reader.
GENDER
Cary can also be a man's name. But the secretary has made it clear that the client is a woman. So Wendy knows to address her as Ms. Whitwell in the cover letter she includes.
KNOWLEDGE LEVEL
Because the client is a managing director and may not be qualified as an engineer, Wendy knows to explain her plans clearly and in simple terms. She avoids using overly technical jargon.
ISSUES OF CONCERN
Wendy also knows that as a managing director, the client will be most interested in how the proposed plans will benefit her company. Wendy makes sure this information comes first and receives the most focus.
Because Wendy did the necessary research, she is able to write a proposal that meet the needs and expectations of the client.
Information about your audience can come from various sources. You might check a company web site before writing a business proposal for the company's management, for example. Or you might contact a conference organizer for details of who'll be attending the presentation you're planning to write.
You might not always know exactly who you're writing for. But the more information you gather, the better you'll be able to tailor your writing so it has the desired impact.
QUESTION
What are the main characteristics you should consider when analyzing the targeted readers of a business document?
You need to know the gender of a reader so you can address this person using the appropriate title.
Writing for multiple readers is generally more complex than writing for a single reader. Knowing the size of the target audience you are writing for is important as it will determine the style and information you will use.
The knowledge level of readers should determine the level of detail you include, and whether more technical terms must be explained.
It's important to focus your writing on the issues most relevant to your readers.
The ethnicity of readers is unlikely to influence the appropriate style or content of your writing. If your audience consists of second-language English speakers, however, you may need to focus on keeping wording simple and easy to understand.
The age of readers isn't generally a major factor to consider in a business environment. You may alter your style slightly for a younger or older audience, but it would be condescending to overdo this.
I have been teaching and training agents, team leaders, supervisors, managers and admins of call centers and other businesses in BPO related fields. This series, comes as a result of that experience. I have more than 4,000 modules that I plan on sharing here. This is # 004-02
