As well as identifying characteristics of the individuals you're writing for, you need to consider your relationship to your readers.
YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO THE READER
s well as identifying characteristics of the individuals you're writing for, you need to consider your relationship to your readers. For example, what's their level of authority in relation to yours? Do you have a personal relationship with your readers? And what level of interest do the readers have in what you need to write?
It's important to tailor your messages based on whether they're for managers, colleagues, employees you supervise, or people outside your organization – like clients, suppliers, and the general public.
Consider how your level of authority in relation to that of your readers should affect the way you write:
You should also assess how well you know the person you're writing to.
Is it someone within your department or perhaps a colleague you've known for many years? Do you have a social as well as business relationship with the reader?
If so, you can be slightly less formal. A tone that's too reserved may offend the reader or leave him feeling his personal relationship with you has been overlooked.
Finally, you need to consider the reader's level of interest in the subject you're addressing. Will your message have a direct effect on the recipient?
For example, a manager needs to communicate a new protocol for lab procedures to all employees. For lab technicians, it's important that the manager explains the protocol and its significance in detail. This is because the technicians are the ones who need to implement it. For other employees, a short e-mail that simply references the new protocol is probably more appropriate.
Another example illustrates how to tailor messages for readers with whom you have different relationships. Steven needs to write a message about a new company policy to four people – William Benson, who's a senior manager, Noah Thompson, who's an employee Steven supervises, Lili Lung, a client, and James Brauer, a colleague with whom Steven has worked for many years. Steven decides it's best to create slightly different versions of the message for each person.
Find out how Steven tailored his messages.
WILLIAM BENSON
For the senior manager, Steven knows it's important to be fairly formal and to the point. He focuses on what's likely to be relevant to the manager – how the policy will be implemented and its effects on the company.
The message Steven sends the senior manager is "Hi William, You are probably aware of the new policy for processing claims. I wanted to point out that each employee will handle the full process for addressing the claims they receive. Supervisors have agreed to play a supportive role. It's estimated this will reduce total claims processing time by up to 25%. If you have any questions, please let me know. Regards, Steven."
NOAH THOMPSON
When addressing Noah, who's a subordinate employee, Steven focuses on the details of how the policy must be implemented. He's direct and clear, but includes a friendly ending to his message.
The message Steven sends the employee he supervises is "From today, you need to handle all claims you receive in a new way. For each claim, this include – and the next points are bulleted – logging the claim details, submitting the claim for approval, logging the outcome, and contacting the claimant. Give me a shout if you have any questions, and keep up the good work! Thanks, Steven."
LILI LUNG
It's important Steven's message makes a good impression on the client. So he uses a formal, courteous tone and focuses on how the new policy will benefit the client.
The message Steven sends the client is "Dear Ms. Lung, We have changed the way we process claims in order to make it more customer friendly. From today, a single representative will be handling all of your claims. We trust that this will make the approval process easier and faster for all our clients. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, Steven Smith, Claims manager"
JAMES BRAUER
Because James is a colleague with whom Steven has worked with for many years, the message to him can be slightly less formal. If the tone of the message is too reserved, it may offend James.
The message Stephen sends to a colleague he has a personal relationship with is, "Hi James, Just a quick note to let you know that we've changed the way we process claims to make it more customer friendly. As of now Jim will be handling all the claims. Let me know if you have any questions. Steven."
When writing his messages, Steven keeps his relationship with each recipient in mind. This ensures he includes the appropriate content and use the right tone for each reader.
You become a more effective communicator if you adjust your written messages according to the relationship you have with your readers.
READER CHECKLIST
Answer the questions in relation to a business document you need to write:
QUESTION
What attributes should you consider when defining your relationship to the reader of a business document you write?
The approach and tone you use should differ depending on whether you're addressing a senior manager, a colleague, a subordinate employee, or someone outside your
It's important to recognize a personal relationship if you have one – and to avoid being overly familiar if you don't.
Generally, a message for someone with a high level of interest in what you're communicating can be more direct and focused on details. You'll need to make the benefits of your message for other readers clear.
A reader's gender doesn't help define their relationship to you or the message you need to communicate.
A reader's physical location doesn't help define their relationship to you or the message you need to communicate.
To write effectively in business, you should consider the size, gender, knowledge level, and issues of concern to your target audience.
In addition, you should tailor your writing based on the target reader's relationship to you and your message. This involves considering the reader's level of authority in relation to yours, any personal relationship you have with the reader, and the reader's level of interest in the subject you're addressing.
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 # 004-03
