What key elements constitute the third step of the writing process completing a business message?

The planning process of a message consists of the following steps:

1) Determining goals: Business writing is largely performed in response to a certain situation,
and hence it is necessary to establish a clear writing goal keeping in mind the business goals.

2) Analyzing the audience: Factors such as the relationship with the audience, the message
content, and the organizational and professional and personal contexts need to be considered
when analyzing the audience.

3) Analyzing and organizing gathered information: Relevant information is gathered, analyzed,
and organized according to the situation.

4) Choosing a channel and format: Depending on the need, an appropriate format is chosen
for the message.

• Determine audience composition. Look for similarities and differences in culture, language, age, education, organizational rank and status, attitudes, experience, motivations, biases, beliefs, and any other factors that might affect the success of your message.

• Gauge audience members' level of understanding. If audience members are not well-versed in the topic, you may need to provide some background and context. Understand your readers' or listeners' expectations so you can meet their information needs without providing too much or too little.

• Forecast probable audience reaction. As you'll read later in the chapter, potential audience reaction affects message organization. If you expect a favorable response, you can state conclusions and recommendations up front and offer minimal supporting evidence. If you expect to encounter skepticism, you can introduce conclusions gradually and with more proof.

Visual, In Person | Digital

Visual Medium, Digital Channel
Business messages can really come alive when conveyed by visual media in digital channels (see Figure 5.4). Infographics, interactive diagrams, animation, and digital video have the potential to engage audiences in ways that other formats can't, which is why the use of visual elements in business communication continues to grow.

Visuals are also effective at describing complex ideas and processes because they can reduce the work required for an audience to identify the parts and relationships that make up the whole. Also, in a multilingual business world, diagrams, symbols, and other images can lower communication barriers by requiring less language processing. Finally, visual images can be easier to remember than purely textual descriptions or explanations.

The combination of the visual medium and a digital channel can be the most compelling and engaging choice for many messages, although it is not always the easiest or cheapest format.

Factors to Consider When Choosing Media and Channels

• Richness. Richness is a medium's ability to (1) convey a message through more than one informational cue (visual, verbal, vocal), (2) facilitate feedback, (3) establish personal focus, and (4) allow the use of natural, conversational language.

Face-to-face communication is a rich medium because it excels in all four of these areas: It delivers information both verbally and nonverbally, it allows immediate feedback through both verbal and nonverbal responses, it has the potential to be intimate and personal, and it lets people converse naturally.

• Formality. Your medium/channel choice is a nonverbal signal that affects the style and tone of your message.

• Urgency. Some media establish a connection with the audience faster than others, so choose wisely if your message is urgent. However, be sure to respect audience members' time and workloads. Many types of media/channel combinations offer instantaneous delivery, but take care not to interrupt people unnecessarily if you don't need an immediate answer.

In the business world today there is a constant need for communication with everyone around you. From communicating with your boss, colleagues, and other business partners from other companies that are joined to your company. And in the business world today you need to know how to communicate with both on a business level and not just only on a social level. The Three-Step Writing Process is the best method to follow to help you communicate on a business level. It is very simple and straightforward. Having you writing business messages like a professional in no time.

The first step is PLANING. Planning is one of the most important step in writing business messages out of the three-step process and also the longest step. A lot of people out there things that writing is the most important when it comes to writing a message but that’s not true nor correct. Planning is just as important and a well-written message requires a lot of planning. When planning a business message there are four basic steps you need to follow:

1)   Analyze the Situation- Defining you purpose and developing an audience profile. Knowing what your audience needs.

2)   Gather Information- Determine your audience needs and obtain the information necessary to satisfy those needs.

3)   Selecting the Right Medium- Selecting the best medium (oral, written, visual, or electronic) for delivering your message.

4)   Organize the Information- Define your main idea, limit your scope, select a direct or an indirect approach, and outline your content.

The second step in the three-step writing process is the actual WRITING. The actual writing as you can see comes after the planning which makes it the second most important part of writing a business message. When writing a business message the most important thing to keep in mind is whom you are writing the message to. And when writing the message there is only two things you have to keep in mind in mind:

1)   Adapt to your Audience- Be sensitive to audience needs by using a “you” attitude, politeness, positive emphasis, and unbiased language. Build a strong relationship with your audience by establishing your credibility and projection your company’s preferred image. Control your style with a conversational tone, plain English, and appropriate voice.

2)   Compose the Message- Choose strong words that will help you create effective sentence and coherent paragraphs.

The third and final process in the three-step process for writing a business message is COMPLETING. Completing a written message is a very important process in writing a message and also requires a lot of work. When you complete a message there are four major things you need to keep in mind to do after you complete the message. Theses steps are:

1)   Revise the Message- People often skip this step when it come to writing a message due to their high confidence in themselves that they are good writers. Everyone should always revise his or her written work. By revising the writer will see his or her mistakes and make the necessary corrections they need to make. When revising your message you must evaluate content and review readability, edit and rewrite for conciseness and clarity.

2)   Produce the Message- In this area you want to make sure you use an effective design elements and suitable layout for a clean, professional appearance for your audience.

3)   Proofread the Message- This is where you check your message for any errors in layouts, spelling, grammar, and mechanics before distributing it to your audience.

4)   Distribute the Message- This is forth and final and most important step in the three-step process business message writing. When distributing the message you want to make sure you deliver your message using the chosen medium (oral, written, visual, or electronic) you also want to make sure that all your documents and relevant files are in the correct format and are distributed to your audience successfully.

This Three-Step Process on how to write business message is a good starter for anyone looking to improve on his or her business writing skills. The step-by-step broken down method is so easy to follow that anyone could use it to compose a written material in any form not just business. I highly recommend this everyone to read these methods and use them in their writing.

References: Business Communication Today by Courtland L. Bovee and John V. Thill

Tags: Analyizing the Situation, Defining Your Purpose, Developing An Audience Profile, Finding Your Focus, Gathering Information, Optimizing Your Writing Time, Planning Effectively, Providing Required Information, Selecting the Right Medium, Uncovering Audience Needs, Understanding the Three-Step, Understanding the Three-Step Writing Process

What are the 3 steps in the business message writing process?

What are the steps of writing business message?

What are the 3 components of the 3 x3 writing process?

What are the elements steps in the planning phase of the three