Business communication of any type has an impact on your public image. It's important to carefully plan your business message to be sure that your communication will be effective and meaningful. Haphazardly putting business communication into the media without careful planning can create negative publicity if your message is misunderstood.

Things You Will Need

  • Word processing program

  • Internet access

Determine the purpose of your message. Are you communicating a sales message or a private business message to another business owner? Are you writing an article for your company newsletter or a press release? Maybe you're writing a speech that you'll deliver at a training seminar. The purpose of your article will help determine your format in the next step.

Based on the purpose of your message, decide on a proper format for your message. Communication to another business owner might take the form of a business letter. A newsletter article or press release should both be in article form, and a speech should be slightly more conversational in format than a written article. Think about your audience and how your message will best be communicated.

Create bullet points of the information you want to communicate in your message. Be sure to include any background information that may be needed for your audience to fully understand the impact of your message. If you're writing a press release, for example, you may need to include some basic information about your business and what you do for the benefit of readers who are unfamiliar with your business.

Determine the tone and voice of your message. Advertising messages should be less formal in tone than a speech or a business letter. Your target audience will also have an impact on the tone and voice of your message as well. A speech delivered to a group of fellow professionals at a convention might use specialized industry terminology, whereas a similar speech delivered to the general public would use layman's terms.

Write your message, keeping your tone, format, and dialogue in mind. Try to present your information in a logical order and in a manner that will make sense to your target audience.

Review what you've written for spelling and grammatical errors. Revise any awkward sentences or paragraphs. Read your communication over for accuracy, and check any facts that you're unsure of. It may help to read your message out loud or to have another person review your material. You may pick up on pieces that are unclear or need more editing.

Publish your message. A speech or article may only be delivered or published once, but a press release may need to be submitted to multiple media outlets.

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Tip

If you're writing a speech, keep in mind the time frame allotted for presenting your material. Time yourself as you read it aloud at a normal pace to be sure that your message fits well into the time provided.

Warning

The best planned business communication can still go awry. Be prepared to conduct damage control if your message was misunderstood by your audience by releasing a new message that clarifies your points.