The Art of Professional Communication
Professional writing a form of communicating
information – instructions, processes, and arguments, among other directives –
to an audience in efforts to influence their decisions or actions. It is the
literature of science, technology, and systems development, from journalism to advertising,
copy writing, and other technical and nontechnical prose. This art of written communication
depends on clear, concise language to express easily understood information to
an intended audience.
Professional writing relates to the discipline of
rhetoric, the act of persuading or informing readers to initiate an approach,
in one direction or the other, while considering the measures in which the
outcome will impact their existence. Careers and personal lives are affected by
word choices and meanings, and empower audiences to bring into account their
experiences, projections, and reluctance to embrace what is being advocated
through written communication.
Complexities of Communicating to Audiences
Language in Translation
Language may not effectively translate across cultures,
international borders, and genders. Therefore, one primary element of professional
writing is to consider connotation and denotation in relation to the audience’s
innate and developed belief systems, as well as traditions. Readers of
communicative pieces are not necessarily located nationally or within an
internal organization; global diversity exists. Colors, phrases, and images all
suggest varying meanings in disparate parts of the world, in addition to vast
nationalities. To appropriately address the target audience while delivering an
intended message represents the complexity of professional prose.
Some commonalities, such as figurative language and
idioms, are not particularly understood by every reader. Writing in non-English
languages tends to be more formal than in English, and some languages rely
heavily on passive voice (Weymouth 144). Documents translated in other
languages pose special challenges. In translation or in a different cultural
context, some words have insulting or negative connotations; for example, in
certain cultures, “male” and “female” refer only to animals (Coe 17).
Humor, or lack thereof, also leaves room for messages
to misconstrued data. Readers can find humor to be offensive in its approach to
information exchange. In appropriate word choice, unforgiving jokes, and
imprecise terms and phrases distract the audience interrupting flow and
clarity. Although professional communication does not have to be uninteresting
to be deemed instructional, credible, or informative, readers are unable to
witness body language proposing humor. Avoiding the risk of alienating readers is
achieved by focusing on inflections in tone and writing style rather than the
use of comedy in written communication.
Experiences and Attitudes
Since audiences reflect upon their experiences and
traditional construct when reviewing written communication, they also bring
along with them biased attitudes. Our accumulated knowledge and experiences,
beliefs and values, attitudes and roles – in other words, our cultures – shape
us as individuals and differentiate us as a people. Cultures differ over which
behaviors seen appropriate for social interaction, business relationships,
contract negotiations, and communication practices (Lannon and Gurak 4-5). An
imperative movement toward understanding the complexities of communicating with
diverse audiences must concern itself with responding sensitively to global
differences.
Tone
Tone can affect professional writers’ ineptness to
relate information to audiences. When speaking to someone in person,
expressions, body language, and other visual cues are signals for the listener
– and the presenter. Each interacts with the other and has the opportunity to
alter comments and vocal tones due to such indications. However when
communicating through written language, words, data, diagrams, charts, and
images do not enable visual or auditory clues. Professional writers must
establish and maintain a “you” perspective, be polite and tactful, use plan
English, and decide upon a strategic organizational layout for their work to
manage information control of their documents to achieve proper tone (Lannon
and Gurak 381-383).
Effective Communication and the Writer
In every industry, nearly every employee compose a
professional document, whether an e-mail, a memorandum, or a proposal. However,
some highly skilled communicators choose professional writing as a full-fledged
career. Fields including marketing and advertising, medicine and health care,
academia, law, and so forth, rely on qualified writers to converse with
audiences (Lannon and Gurak 5-6). Foremost, successful effective professional
writers determine their:
- Purpose for Writing/Intended Message
- Target Audience
- Possible Counterarguments
- Writing Style
Purpose for Writing/Intended Message
Professional writers deliver information related to
internal/external policies, services or products, financial operations,
organizational progress, among other pertinent news. They work with personnel
and executives to conclude the information to be presented and how it would be
used (Sims 2-3). Once the initial motivation is defined, professional writers
are plagued with:
- Gathering facts or statistic that should be included within the document.
- Determining if the document should exhibit more visuals – diagrams, charts, and images – rather than statements.
- Realizing information that should be emphasized rather than passively addressed.
Analyzing the Audience
Professional writers must keep in mind their target
audience, whether they are writing for the majority or for the minority. In
other words, they identify readers who will be in the position to enforce a
decision or promote an action. Writers also ascertain backgrounds and
experiences readers have, as well as the audience’s level of expertise of the
subject matter, and a multitude of other impacting factors (Sims 4-7).
When trying to persuade the general public within
predetermined demographics to purchase a product, writers often use cues and
visuals, in addition to verbiage from a particular era. These cues serve as
manipulations and promote a sense of nostalgia to influence an audience’s
decision or action.
Professional writers who need to communicate good or
bad news to employees – from hourly to lower management – usually produce
e-mail, memos, or short letters to be distributed internally. Yet to provide
explanations to executive teams and external partners, writers tend to delve
deeper in more confidential data from company records. They perform in-depth
research to collect specifics, alter industry language/jargon, and procedure
with more formal documents related to operational strategies (Lannon and Gurak
53-56).
Because writers are tasked with modifying what is
being presented and the measures they employ to present information, it is essential
to understand individual audiences in order to utilize motivational techniques
to acquire desired results in support of their writings.
Possible Counterarguments
Effective written communicators consider an audience’s
level of skepticism about an issue (Lannon and Gurak 583). Professional writers
place attempts to think as their audience and formulate questions such as:
- Why should a customer purchase product from Company A when Company B is less expensive?
- How will adding the expense of hiring and training new personnel benefit efficiency – and increase revenue?
- Will productivity improve if the company purchases the new equipment? If so, what will be the projected improvement?
- If the grant is approved, how will the funds be used and in what ways will local communities benefit?
- Which numbers listed represent third-quarter growth?
Writing Style
Once preliminary SME collaboration
and initial research has been conducted, the writing stage commences. Successful
professional writers coordinate an indirect or direct approach to deliver to
their intended audiences. This stage comprises an introduction with brief
background leading to the subject matter, a message, argument, or proposal,
advantages or disadvantages, costs and statistics, previous methods attempted, and
other relative factors.
They provide supporting evidence through
ethical, clear, concise language catering to their audience and perspective to
the industries for which they write. Professional writers take great measures
to make certain statements are not choppy, unordered, or too wordy, which
eliminates waste and additional printing expenses (Rude 382). They also ensure
documents are visually appealing, including white space, headings, and fonts
and sizes that enhance readability and flow (Rude 115-116).
Editing is usually the final phase to
the writing process. Professional writers evaluate semi-final copies followed
by reorganizing sections, and in many cases, submittal to a secondary
department for final edit (Rude 240). Afterward,
audiences are then able to analyze the information presented to formulate a
decision, initiate an action, and occasionally, both.
Works Cited
Rude, Carolyn, D. Technical Editing. New York:
Longman, 2002. Print
Lannon, John M. and Laura J. Gurak. Technical
Communication. New York: Longman, 2011. Print.
Blake, Gary and Robert W. Bly. The Elements of
Technical Writing. New York: Macmillan. Print.
Sims, Brenda R., Technical Writing. Dallas: University
of Texas Press, 1995. Print.
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