Page 38 - Today’s Business Communication; A How-to Guide for the Modern Professional

WhY MUST I PUT MY AUDIENCE FIRST? 27

Dear Paul,
Please submit to me your unit’s plan for cutting 10% from next fiscal year’s budget.
Alternatively, you may lay off two members of your unit.
kristin

Figure 3.1 Email about 10% budget cut

These four questions matter. The first question is pragmatic and forces
you to think deeply about what you want. The second question is political
and may make your audience more receptive to the message. Ideas that
are attached to bigger organizational goals are more likely to be successful.
The third question is self-serving. The final question serves as a reminder
that communication is about relationships.
Before we look at these four questions in greater detail, consider the
email message in Figure 3.1. The email is brief and clear, and it also fulfills
the purpose. It is, in fact, a good message. But is it truly effective? No. If
you want to transform your messages from okay to truly powerful and
effective, you need to consider the four questions we outlined above.
For instance, if you look at the purpose statement we crafted above
concerning the 10% budget cut, a deeper consideration of the four ques-
tions may help us to craft a more effective message. Let’s consider the four
questions in relation to our purpose statement:

What is it that you really want to achieve with your message?
In answering this question, you will find that you will make a
handful of strategic and tactical decisions. How much autonomy
do you plan to give the regional manager in making budget cuts?
Where specifically in the budget would you like cuts to be made?
Should the regional manager treat the request as confidential?
When do you need the cuts? In what format do you want the cuts
to be delivered? Are you open to suggestions that do not include
budget cuts, layoffs, or both?
What organizational goals are fulfilled by your message? If your
message supports one or more organizational goal, it is a good idea
to remind your audience about those goals.