Why is Planning Considered a Time-saver in Writing a Business Message Instead of a Time-waster?

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Have you ever feel lost or stuck in the middle of writing? Or do you sent multiple emails or letters just to clarify your email? Well, this may happen due to the lack of planning. There

have been times I felt stuck or going off the topic when writing an essay or an article for an assignment. One time, my teacher asked us to summarize a whole book for a literature assignment. And at the time, I didn't plan out how I would write the summary, as I thought I have read and understood the book. But it was a huge mistake because, in the middle of the process, I found out that the book's content was a lot more than I expected, and I have spent too much time writing on the first few chapters of the book. Therefore my schedule was completely thrown off because I planned to complete the assignment in one day. However, it had taken me an entire weekend to finish it. If I have planned out the work, I would have estimated how much time it would take to complete the assignment.

Therefore planning is needed when writing a message, especially a business message, where you have to be clear, concise, brief, and professional. When you plan, you get a picture of how you will execute the writing and how much time it would take. Skipping this pre-writing step is the same as driving without knowing your destination and how much time to get there.

Writing messages is a common thing to do, whether it is in a formal or informal situation. It may seem simple, but writing a message can be quite challenging. The letter's content must be explicit enough for the receiver to understand the intent of writing our message. Our writing's clarity is essential because when your letter is unclear, you might not get the answers or reactions you wanted. And you will have to spend more time trying to explain the purpose of your writing again. Trying to explain the main idea of your letter also consumes time. Good planning can prevent you from wasting more of your time.

Here are some ways to plan your business messages for you to save your time:

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Planning is a critical step to writing a business message. It can help you build your message so that it is more structured and informative to the audience. It can also help you stay on topic, and it will allow you to use your time effectively. So, here are 4 ways to plan your business messages:

1. Analyze the situation

There are two key points: Understanding the purpose of the message and determining the audience.

When you know the message's intent and your audience's demographic, you will know the content of your message's content. For instance, When you want to work with a manufacturer company in China, you will need to write a letter. From this, the intent of this mail is to collaborate with the manufacturer. The receiver of this mail would be the manufacturing company manager; hence, you would need to translate the message and use the mail format commonly used in China.

2. Gather information

There 2 to gather information, formal and informal techniques. But if it is not necessary for you to use formal techniques or need answers quickly, you can use informal techniques. And make sure you provide your audience with the right information. From the previous example, you will need to research the manufacturing company and the business culture in China. You also need to gather all the required information about what you want to collaborate about. Like what product do you want them to manufacture and the specifications of that product.

3. Choose a medium or channel

Some different communications mediums and channels can be used to communicate with our audience. You should use a communication medium and channel that gives clarity and easy access for the audience. See what the audience expects the information is presented and what kind of feedback you want. The best way to reach out to China's manufacturing company is through email since it is quick and repeatedly reviewed.

4. Organize the information

Start arranging the information you gathered. Start with the main idea, then continue with the message's primary key points and explain further by using examples. The main idea of the message needs to be specific and concise. And use examples to explain your message. Also, be aware of what message you are trying to tell. You need to be professional and polite when delivering a message, whether it bad news or good news. From the China manufacturing company example, start the email with the main idea. Then continue with the mail's key points, like the product you are trying manufacture and why you are choosing the company. Also, include the product's specifications, so the manufacturer would have an image of the product.

With a structured plan, we will be more knowledgeable about the topic or the purpose of writing the message, and there should be less confusion when we present the message to the receiver or audience. And with this, we would be able to spend our time effectively rather than spending it by going over things that should be known initially or causing confusion to the audience, which will require us to go over the information again. Therefore planning in writing a business message is essential. Although planning may take some time, it will be something your future self will be thankful for.

Author: Niken K.

Source:

Bovee, C.L. and Thill, J.V. 2018. Business Communication Today (13th ed.). Essex, England: Pearson Education Limited.

Learning, L. (n.d.). Business Communication Skills for Managers. Retrieved November 15, 2020, from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-businesscommunicationmgrs/chapter/planning-business-messages/