ENGL226- Planning a Message Week 4 Discussion

This week's lesson discusses the writing process, overcoming communication barriers, organization, and strategies for both positive/routine and negative messages. At the end of this week, your first writing assignment is due, a positive/routine message. This discussion will work through the planning step of the writing process to prepare that positive/routine message.

First, review the instructions for the Week 4 writing assignment, including the message rubric.

Then, before Thursday midnight, answer the following questions concerning the Week 4 positive/routine message assignment:

• What are THREE things you know about the audience that will impact how you write this message? Consider the following:

• What do they know about the topic?

• What are their feelings about the topic or the company/author?

• What in the message will benefit the audience?

• What do they need to know?

• What do they want to know?

• What questions will they have?

• What should they believe, feel, or do after reading the message?

• What are TWO communication barriers (physical, semantic, psychological, or situational) presented by this message?

• Explain ONE strategy (the "you" approach, positive emphasis, one of the Six Cs of Communication, or one type of message formatting, such as bolding, italicizing, etc.) that you will use in the message and how that strategy helps you overcome the communication barrier and/or better target your audience. Include a sentence or paragraph from your planned message to demonstrate the strategy!

What are THREE things you know about the audience that will impact how you write this message?

• The audience consists of current employees who may want to apply for the new social media director position.

• After reading the memo, employees should feel encouraged to apply for the job. The announcement is open to everyone but some will be hesitant to apply as they have been passed over before. The memo should leave them feeling confident in their qualifications without promising they will be hired.

• The employees will want to know how to apply and the documents they have to submit. They will also want to know salary up front so they can choose to apply or not without reading the full announcement.

2. What are TWO communication barriers (physical, semantic, psychological, or situational) presented by this message?

• One psychological barrier is that the employees this memo is targeting are already biased against the hiring process. They have seen external candidates get hired who might be less qualified than them for other positions. They may believe they do not stand a chance in being hired or that their résumés will be ignored.

• One semantic barrier could be the language that might be used. We know the audience includes employees who have applied but not been selected for other positions within the company. If the memo uses words such as “passed over” or “resentment”, it can cause the employees to feel singled out.

3. Explain ONE strategy (the "you" approach, positive emphasis, one of the Six Cs of Communication, or one type of message formatting, such as bolding, italicizing, etc.) that you will use in the message and how that strategy helps you overcome the communication barrier and/or better target your audience.

• One strategy I will use in my message is positive emphasis. By using positive language throughout the memo, we will remove any negative thoughts on the hiring process and encourage employees to apply.

• Example: This is a wonderful opportunity if you are interested in the communications or marketing fields.