Page 52 - Today’s Business Communication; A How-to Guide for the Modern Professional

WhY MUST I PUT MY AUDIENCE FIRST? 41

You should also capitalize titles when they precede a person’s name (e.g.,
Vice President Jenkins). You do not need to capitalize the title when it
either follows a person’s name (e.g., Trevin Jenkins, vice president of mar-
keting) or is not associated with a person’s name (e.g., the vice president
of marketing).

Commas

Commas can be a real head-scratcher for even the most experienced
writers. We hope these guidelines will help you in most situations:

• Add a comma after a person’s name when followed by a
degree (e.g., Robert Forbus, PhD).
• Add commas to set off elements that are not essential to the
meaning of the sentence (e.g., Next Wednesday, the same day
I go to the dentist, is the only afternoon that my calendar is
clear).
• Add a comma after an introductory clause or phrase
(e.g., When you’re ready to meet, give me a call).
• Add commas when words are repeated (e.g., He was
really, really hungry).
• Add a comma when two coordinate adjectives are
used to describe a noun (e.g., His boss was an angry,
little man).

Conclusion

In business communication, we have many opportunities to put our
audience first. Having a clear purpose gives us the opportunity to tar-
get our communications to the appropriate audience while respecting
the time and energy of those who do not need to receive our messages.
Considering more detailed objectives as we craft our messages provides
us with opportunities to demonstrate respect for our audiences and
nurture our relationships with them.
Working to improve our writing’s conciseness and clarity gives us
the opportunity to demonstrate that we care about our audience’s time.