Tuesday, June 7, 2011

5th Commandment of Business Writing: Benefit your readers!


Identify the benefits your readers are looking for and then highlight them! Whether by new product or policy or an announcement of some sort, look between the lines and make sure your readers know. Benefits can be psychological, intrinsic or extrinsic. Psychological benefits are perceived by the reader and help make a happy reader, intrinsic is by proxy of the new product, service or policy being announced and extrinsic is added on solely for the reader. Make sure to develop the benefit fully, use more than one sentence to enlighten the reader on how this benefits them. This strategy makes a happy reader who looks on you and your company more favorably.
 
E-mail is an integral part of office work and a highly useful tool: But use discretion! E-mail is not private and any questionable information sent can come back to you days, weeks, years even, later.  E-mail should be as formal as a memo in a business situation, although it is tempting to become lax when using e-mail, the same principles apply. The spelling, tone, and image all still contribute to the reader’s image of you and your company. Also, always avoid sending e-mail when angry or upset in any way, use discretion with all caps, NEVER SEND A WHOLE E-MAIL MESSAGE LIKE THIS BECAUSE IT IS EXTREMELY ANNOYING.

No comments:

Post a Comment