Chapter 2: Planning Business Messages

Which of the following represents a goal for business writers?

• You should concentrate on your feelings in business messages.

• You should get your audience to believe and accept your ideas.

• You should create messages that are lengthy to demonstrate your superior intellect and language skills.

• You should write business messages from your perspective.

When preparing a business message, you should make your writing audience oriented. Audience oriented means you should

• write to solve a problem or convey information.

• attempt to get your audience to believe and accept your message.

• present ideas clearly but concisely.

• concentrate on looking at the problem from the receiver's perspective.

Business writing should be purposeful. In this context purposeful can best be defined as

• presenting ideas clearly and concisely.

• concentrating on the receiver's perspective instead of your own.

• solving problems and conveying information.

• getting your audience to believe and accept your message.

Business writing should be economical. In this context economical can best be defined as

• presenting ideas clearly and concisely.

• concentrating on the receiver's perspective instead of your own.

• solving problems and conveying information.

• getting your audience to believe and accept your message.

Business writing should be persuasive. In this context, persuasive can best be defined as

• presenting ideas clearly and concisely.

• concentrating on the receiver's perspective instead of your own.

• solving problems and conveying information.

• getting your audience to believe and accept your message.

The first phase of the writing process involves analyzing the audience and your purpose for writing, anticipating your audience's reaction to your message, and

• investigating background information.

• composing your message.

• adapting your message to the audience.

• looking for previous company documents on the topic.

Adapting your message to the audience involves

• thinking of the right words and tone to use in your message.

• rewriting your message several times to ensure it is clear.

• selecting the best research to incorporate within the message.

• conducting a thorough audience analysis.

During the second phase of the writing process, you conduct research,

• clarify the audience demographics, and edit word choices.

• anticipate audience reaction, and adapt the message.

• organize ideas, and compose the message.

• evaluate message effectiveness, and revise as needed.

In the final phase of the writing process, check the message for clarity and readability, proofread for errors, and

• evaluate for effectiveness.

• assess the cost in the selected delivery channel.

• solve the problem.

• forward the document to the publishing department.

Experts say that writers should spend the most time in the ____ stage of the writing process.

• prewriting

• writing

• revising

• transmission