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Things to Consider Before you Communicate Anything

Author: Essential Skills

Written communication is essential to the modern workplace because it allows people to communicate in a way that can be saved and accessed even when they’re not face to face. You can use written communication to send an email to your boss, create handbooks and contracts, or text a colleague. No other form of communication lets you plan so much or communicate with such efficiency.

In this lesson we’ll explore how to create effective communication by thinking of the following:

  • Purpose
  • Audience
  • Tone
  • Structure

The first component of excellent written communication—purpose, or the author’s reason for writing in the first place. The purpose of a résumé, for example, is to convince an employer to hire you, while the purpose of a user manual is to explain how to use a certain product.

Purpose is crucial to consider when creating written communication, but the ultimate target of communication is the audience—the person or group of people you want to receive your message. In fact, as you learned earlier, communication cannot exist without the people who receive it. To ensure that your communication is effective, you need to take the time to think carefully about these people.

Structure
is one of the most fundamental components of good writing. When we talk about structure in written communication, what we mean is the way we choose to lay out our ideas and information and how those elements connect and progress throughout our writing to deliver a clear message. What needs to be presented to the reader upfront or last, and why? Structure exists to let the reader know where a written communication is going, and it’s essential for ensuring that your writing is logically organized.

Tone is often difficult to define or describe, but it’s basically how a writer uses language to ensure the reader is interpreting the message in the way it was intended. Tone is important because it can change the way readers feel about your purpose and is therefore an effective way to impact your audience.

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But, what does that purpose, audience, structure and tone look like in the modern workplace?

In this interactive experience, you’ll get the chance to find out as you play along on our multiple-choice writing adventure! Click Here for Unleashed: An Email Adventure