Communications

Objective: Identify the four aspects of being sensitive to audience needs when writing business messages.

I believe the first aspect you would want to possess in your business message is creating the “you” attitude. The “you” attitude is demonstrated by, “speaking and writing in terms of your audience wishes, interests, hopes, and preferences (Bovee 72).” Basically what this means is to replace terms that refer to yourself and your company with terms that refer to your audience. It is recommended to use words “such as you and your instead of I, me, mine, we, us, and ours (Bovee 72).” By choosing to write and communicate this way it will show your audience that you have them and their needs in mind and not just you or your company’s needs. You will gain buy in much faster if it seems like you and your company are trying to appeal to their needs.

Second, it is imperative to have good etiquette because this is a direct reflection of you and your company. It will show that you have respect for your audience, as well as “foster a more successful environment for communication by minimizing negative emotional reactions (Bovee 72).” You do have to keep in mind what type of audience you will be working with, so that you can cater to them because there might be times when you should use a less formal approach. You must also be aware of how you communicate with people that outrank you within your company or outside the company as well because you would not want to be informal with them.

Third, you will have a time in your career where you will deliver news to someone or some group that they will not want to hear. When doing this you will want to observe your approach to ensure you “understand the difference between delivering negative news and being negative. Never try to hide the negative news, but look for positive points that will foster a good relationship with your audience (Bovee 74).” In times such as these, “look for the appropriate opportunities to use...