Writting process  in business communication

Effective business writing is essential to a company because it helps create efficient communication that leads to increased productivity, faster problem solving, stronger decision-making, and increased profits. It also helps boost the organization’s credibility.  To some professionals, writing is a daunting task; so much so, that they have a fear of laying ink on paper and often miss deadlines or poorly communicating company or marketing information. Poor communication ends up wasting company resources such as time and money. The truth is, writing, like any other skill, takes practice to master. Business writing skills are not only a marketer’s valuable asset but essential to the position. As part of the job, a marketing professional is required to write advertising copy, press releases, sales copy, internal reports, social media postings, blog posts, and a lot more.

The three-step writing process helps business writers and marketing professionals create useful messages in any medium. It helps them get their points across while meeting their target audiences needs. The method also ensures writers make the best use of their time as well as their audiences time. Below are the steps to the three-step writing process (See the Three-Step Writing Process chart below.). As the writer gets more practice with the three-step writing process, it becomes easier to write and more automatic.

Three-Step Writing Process

· Plan

· Write

· Complete

Three-Step Writing Process Details

 Planning

Analyze the Situation
Define the reason or purpose you are writing and develop an audience profile.

Gather Information
Determine the needs of the audience and gather information required to satisfy those needs.

Select the Right Delivery Vehicle
Determine the best medium (delivery vehicle) for communicating the message.

Organize the Information
Define the main communication idea and select a direct or an indirect approach. Then, outline the content.

Write

Adapt to the Audience
Connect with your audience by being sensitive to their needs and using a “you” attitude. (See explanation of the “you” attitude below.)

Build a healthy relationship with the audience by establishing credibility and projecting your company’s brand image. Use a conversational tone, plain English, and an appropriate voice to deliver the message.

Compose the Message
Choose strong words that create effective sentences and coherent paragraphs.

Complete

Revise the Message
Evaluate the content and review it for readability. If required, edit the content and rewrite for conciseness and clarity.

Produce the Message
Use useful design elements for a clean and professional layout.

Proofread the Message
Review the communication for errors in the layout. Check the spelling and mechanics as well.

Distribute the Message
Deliver the message using the chosen communication vehicle. Successfully distribute all documents and files relevant to the communication item. While the process of writing may seem challenging at first, practicing often and implementing the three-step writing process will help improve communication. The more that a business professional writes and uses the three-step process, the more automatic it becomes.