Unit 3: Drafting Your Message
Now that you have researched your audience, decided the purpose of your message, and understand your ethical responsibilities, it is time to draft your document. In this unit, we discuss the best way to format or display the content you want to communicate to your audience. How should you craft or present your message to reinforce your main points and persuade your readers to accept your arguments? We also learn how to eliminate common problems that may be distracting.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 3 hours.
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- identify how to use structural elements to capture your reader's attention, such as headers, keywords, and salutation;
- explain how to use tone to capture your reader's attention;
- describe how to organize your materials to reinforce your message and create a compelling narrative;
- articulate techniques for writing clearly and succinctly;
- explain the importance of writing collaboratively in a professional environment; and
- compare strategies for improving your ability to write effectively as a team.
3.1: Document Titles and Subject Lines
Include a short descriptive title or file name when writing a document or memo. This is especially important for email messages because your subject line should capture the main point of your missive to encourage your reader to open it. You also want to ensure your email is easy to find when your reader wants to refer to it later.
Using keywords throughout your message can help reinforce your point and make your documents easier to locate using email and computer search tools. On this note, employers scour the resumes and cover letters they receive for keywords when recruiting and screening potential candidates. Include keywords from the job description when you write these documents.
3.2: Making a Professional Connection – Greeting, Netiquette, Tone
One of the best ways to connect with your reader is to say their name. When writing letters or emails, avoid generic salutations, such as "Dear Colleague," "Dear Sir," or "Dear Madam," unless you have no alternative. Do your research to find the person's name at the company so you can include a personalized salutation – Dear Dr. Johnson or Dear Sylvia lets your reader know your message is for them. If your group is too large to list everyone individually, write "Dear Sales Team" or "Dear Board of Directors" to let your readers know others will read your message.
Your greeting will set the tone of your message. What is tone? Read this article on how the writing style you use will set a tone in your work, whether it is colloquial, casual, or formal.
Watch this video on the importance of your tone. Using tone appropriately sets the course for the relationships you develop.
3.3: Organize Your Writing
What is the most salient point you want your reader to remember from your correspondence? Write your main point on a blank page. Then, add sub-points to support your main objective. We often use numbering or lettering systems (with Roman or Arabic numerals) to organize or group similar information. This helps create a sense of coherence in paragraph and essay writing. Whatever system you use, you should create a hierarchy that organizes your information.
Here is an example to demonstrate this type of numbering and lettering system.
- Claim Number One
- Supporting idea or reason
- Supporting detail or evidence
- Supporting detail or evidence
- Supporting idea or reason
- Claim Number Two
- Supporting idea or reason
- Supporting detail or evidence
- Supporting detail or evidence
- Supporting idea or reason
Depending on the level of development, each letter, number, or Roman numeral can indicate a separate paragraph. This will not always be the case, but it will help you think about the components of an outline. As you locate and find information to support your claims and reasoning, an outline helps you organize your information logically and clearly. Read this article for a more detailed example. The section on writing outlines offers a sample outline that uses this development system from the introduction to the conclusion.
- Read this section, which explains how to organize your content coherently. If your document has several sections, consider using headers to summarize your sub-point and reinforce your main point. This will make it easier to review your written materials and understand your message.
Flow refers to how you move from one concept or idea to another. How can you transition smoothly from one section to the next so your content is enjoyable, easy to read, and not jarring?
3.4: Write Clearly and Succinctly
You can convey your message and supporting arguments more clearly by avoiding complicated language and unnecessary words or "fluff". Construct sentences in the active, rather than passive, voice. Avoid unfamiliar jargon (technical terms) and acronyms that may confuse or alienate your reader. The same acronyms can have different meanings in different professions or contexts.
As we discussed in Unit 2, you need to know your audience – their knowledge and comfort level. Using complicated language they do not understand will leave them confused and frustrated. You will sound pretentious, not smart. However, using language that is too simple can destroy your credibility, making your audience think you do not know the subject matter. This is not easy! Try to express complex ideas using language your reader can understand. Remember your purpose. You want your reader to focus on your ideas and supporting arguments. You have wasted your time and theirs if they leave wondering what you were talking about.
Watch this video to develop practices that enhance your written clarity.
This guide sheet explains how you can write using fewer words that are less convoluted and more memorable due to their relevancy and precision. Pay attention to the section on using active, rather than passive, voice since this practice can make your sentences much easier to understand.
Watch this video for more on how to use passive voice rather than active voice. Understanding the difference between the two and the impact it makes will help you decide when to use which construction.
3.5: Writing Collaboratively
In most jobs, you must collaborate with team members and people from different departments who bring their expertise to your effort. Work documents are rarely written without input from others. For example, you are wise to seek recommendations from your boss – to capitalize on their knowledge and experience – and lucky if you have access to the company's PR department to proofread your work.
The advantage of teamwork is that everyone brings their own ideas, expertise, and perspectives. Voicing different viewpoints early during the drafting stage allows the group to address potential concerns, clarify misunderstandings, and eliminate problems that may otherwise arise – before you have spent a lot of money on printing costs or before the text reaches your client.
These discussions may seem long and tedious, and frustrating when co-workers disagree. But, others may see red flags you missed and prevent issues from becoming future problems, such as when a customer misunderstands your intent or cannot follow a convoluted set of directions.
Companies involved in large projects written by different people, such as a complex grant proposal, establish clear style guidelines. Hence, the material reads or flows well, follows the same grammatical conventions, and makes a coherent argument or appeal.
When writing work documents, ask if you should include a company logo, template, or boilerplate language. For example, many companies use a carefully-worded paragraph the marketing department created to describe the mission or goals of the organization.
Read this text on how to write with other members of your team.
Read this text on the practices you can adopt to help your writing group move your project forward.
Watch this handout on the collaborative writing process. It explores how groups write together, tips for improving the process, and common pitfalls when writing as a team.