Written Communication in the Workplace

Written Communication in the Workplace

Within any organization where local store started by common people to an organization that has been in operation for twenty plus years, it all starts and ends within effective communication. Workplace communication is detrimental to the organizations productivity and overall operability. This communication is between all levels of management from the owner CEO down to the workers placing items on the shelves. Through effective communications the objective or mission of the organization is known and every worker takes ownership of their portion of responsibility within.

Adapted Messages to Various Audiences

In order to effectively communicate the sender must know their audience. This comes in knowing whether the audience consists of subject matter experts or even individuals known as lay audience. Subject matter experts can include management, coworkers, vendors or subordinates. Lay audiences are individuals that have no working knowledge or even an understanding of what your organization may actually accomplish. In order to determine the type of media to utilize one not only has to understand the audience they must understand their true intent. Is the sender attempting to inform, instruct or persuade the members of the audience? In understanding this, the sender is able to identify the most effective communication media. This media includes but is not limited to email, memorandum, briefing with slides or a briefing without slides. The media is truly based on what the sender is looking to accomplish with the audience and how the audience would best receive the message being relayed. An email and memorandum can be utilized to inform the audience on a subject that was previously discussed or even inform of a new policy or add to an existing policy. A document can be utilized to instruct the audience on how-to accomplish a task to ensure that there is only one way that a certain task is accomplished. A briefing may be used as a direct way of providing instruction, setting policy or even persuading the audience in what the sender is presenting. Understanding what you are attempting to relay is just as important in understanding who is receiving your message.

Many times the message of the sender is lost in translation do to extensive verbiage or unknown jargon. If we have an audience of Information Technology (IT) and vendors that deal in retail and the jargon or acronym “POP” is used, there may be confusion and the next few statements may be misinterpreted. POP in the IT career means Point of Presence while for a retail vendor POP means Point of Purchase. Choice of word usage is imperative to ensure that there is absolutely no confusion within the message. Utilizing common words to include verbalizing each letter within an acronym will ensure that despite whoever is within the audience that the message is clear and concise. Using words that do not insult ones’ intelligence is critical in maintaining involvement of the audience. Although you may find the word “slubberdegullion” interesting to use, it meaning would be unknown to most, so instead one can use the word “slob”.