Understanding the Audience:
Before composing any message, all writers should be well informed about the subject and should have a clear picture of what they want to convey and what they wish to achieve through the communication. If these prerequisites are not met, one cannot even begin to write.
Understanding the audience is often a more challenging task. It requires the cultivation of a “you” or “reader oriented” attitude. Then, as a writer, you have to transfer this understanding or mental picture of the audience into written form through careful selection of content and the effective organization of the different parts of the message.
Cultivating a “You” Attitude:
Readers find ideas more interesting and appealing if they are expressed from the reader’s point of view. A letter reflecting a “you” attitude indicates sincere concern for the reader’s needs and interests.
To think from the reader’s point of view – that is, cultivate a “you” attitude – concentrate on the following questions:
i. Does the message address the reader’s major needs and concerns?
ii. Is the information stated as truthfully and ethically as possible?
iii. Will the reader perceive the ideas to be fair and logical?
iv. Are ideas expressed clearly and concisely (to avoid misunderstandings)?
v. Would the reader feel this message is reader-centered?
vi. Does the message serve as a vehicle for developing positive business relationships – even when the message is negative? Are ideas stated tactfully and positively and in a manner that preserves the reader’s self-worth and cultivates future business?
vii. Does the message reflect the high standards of a business professional: quality paper, correct formatting, good printing quality, and absence of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors?
Concentration on these points will boost the reader’s confidence in the writer’s competence and will communicate non-verbally that the reader is valued enough to merit the writer’s best effort.
Understand the Audience from the Point of View of the Reader:
To help you see a situation from the point of view of the reader, focus on relevant information about the reader – background, values, opinions, preferences, and so on. Your knowledge of the reader’s reaction in similar, previous experiences will help you greatly in anticipating how this reader is likely to react in the current situation.
Empathizing with those you know is often an unconscious act, but empathizing with those you do not know requires additional effort. To make a mental picture of readers you are unfamiliar with, thoughtfully consider all you know about the reader and how this information might affect the content and style of your letter.
Consider the following major factors carefully:
1. Age:
A letter answering an elementary-school student’s request for information from your company would not be worded like a letter answering a similar request from an adult.
2. Economic Level:
A banker’s collection letter to a prompt-paying Customer is not likely to be the same form letter sent to clients who have fallen behind on their payments for small loans.
3. Educational/Occupational Background:
The technical jargon and acronyms used in a financial proposal sent to bank loan officers may not be suitable in a proposal sent to a group of private investors. In the same way, a message to the CEO of a major corporation may differ in style and content from a message to one of the stockholders.
4. Culture:
The vast cultural differences between people increase the complexity of the communication process. A letter containing expressions like “they were clean bowled” and “clear the pitch” would confuse a manager from a different culture.
5. Rapport:
A sensitive letter written to a long-time client may differ significantly from a letter written to a newly acquired client.
6. Expectations:
Letters containing errors in spelling and grammar will cause the reader to doubt the credibility of the source, particularly when the letter is sent by a professional like a doctor, a lawyer, or an accountant.
7. Needs of the Reader:
Just as successful sales personnel begin by identifying the needs of the prospective buyer, an effective writer attempts to understand the reader’s frame of reference as the basis for developing the message’s organization and content.
Understanding the audience helps the writer see the issue or subject from the reader’s point of view.
Observe the lack of empathy in the following response to a claim letter:
Dear Mr. Kumar,
This letter is in response to your letter of October, 20 asking for a replacement of your stained Tiger Tuff carpet. There seems to be a misunderstanding of what commercial quality implies. Commercial quality refers to the durability of the nap, not to stain resistance.
You purchased pale-blue commercial quality, but then installed it in an industrial plant. This represents a misuse of the product. I have no control over the care and use of the carpet after it has been installed. This message clearly shows no concern for the reader’s problems and no regard for his status as a client.
The tone is aggressive and accusatory, conveying not only a bad image of the Tiger Tuff Company, but also alienating the client and destroying the rapport that had been built up over many years.
Although knowledge about the recipients assists writers in developing empathy, writers can learn to predict reader’s reactions with reasonable accuracy by placing themselves in the reader’s shoes..
To do so, they should ask themselves the following questions:
i. Would I react favorably to a message saying my request is being granted?
ii. Would I experience a feeling of disappointment upon learning that my request has been refused?
iii. Would I be pleased when an apparently sincere message praises me for a job well done?
iv. Would I experience some disappointment if I am informed that my promised pay increase is being postponed?
To understand your audience and develop a sense of empathy toward it, ask yourself how you would react if you were in the other person’s position. Asking that question before you write a message greatly simplifies the task of organizing the message.