What makes a message effective?

• Good messages meet five criteria.

Good business and administrative writing.

• Is Clear. The meaning the reader gets is the meaning the writer intended. The reader doesn't have go guess.
• Is Complete. All the reader's questions are answered. The reader has enough information to evaluate the message and act on it.
• Is correct. All of the information in the message is accurate. The message is free from errors in punctuation, spelling, grammar, word order, and sentence structure.
• Saves the reader's time. The style, organization, and visual impact of the message help the reader to read, understand, and act on the information as quickly as possible.
• Builds goodwill. The message presents a positive image of the writer and his or her organization. It treats the reader as a person, not a number. It cements a good relationship between the writter and the reader.

  Whether a message meets these five criteria depends on the interactions among the writer, the audience, the purposes of the message, and the situation. No single set of words will work in all possible situations.

Better writing helps you to,

• Save time. Reduce reading time, since comprehension is easier. Eliminate the time now taken to rewrite badly written materials. Reduce the time taken asking writters, "What did you mean?"
• Make your efforts more effective. Increase the number of requests that are answered positively and promptly. -on the first request. Present your points -> to other people in your organization; to clients, customers, and suppliers; to government agencies; to the public-more forcefully.
• Communicate you points more clearly. Reduce the misunderstandings that occur when the reader has to supply missing or unclear information. Make the issues clear, so that disagreements can surface and be resolved more quickly.
• Build goodwill. Build a positive image of your organizaion. Build an image of yourself as a knowledegable, intelligent, capable person.