USING THE WRITING PROCESS TO CREATE EFFECTIVE INTERNAL MESSAGE

Submitted To : Prof. Idrees-ul-Mustafa

Submitted By : M. Ehtasham-Ul-Hassan

Roll No : 0017

Session : 2017 - 19

Semester : 1st semester (M.Com)

Date : 19 Dec, 2017

Introduction:
Internal communication is often overlooked, yet it is vitally important. It is the communication
that relates directly to the foundation of your organisation: the people – staff, management and
volunteers – that give your organisation its ability to function. Developing sound internal
communication processes and evaluating these processes on a regular basis is the same as
making sure your car runs smoothly and is serviced regularly. If the many different pieces of your
car do not fit smoothly together, you will not get where you are going very quickly, if you get
there at all. Similarly, if the people that make up your organisation do not work together
effectively, your organisation will not achieve its objectives as fast, if at all. An internal
communication strategy is the key to ensuring a cohesive organisation focused on achieving its
goals and objectives.
Improving internal communication requires careful thought, creativity and detailed planning. As
well, monitoring and evaluation must be built into plan. As internal communication plan should
be integrated within organisation’s overall structure and strategic plan.

Definitions:
Communication:
“The flow of material information perception, understanding and
imagination among various parties”.

Business Communication:
“Flow of information, perception etc. either within a business
organization or outside the organization among different parties”.

Business Message:
“A business message has a precise content related to the business. It
can be a message for internal purposes such as the employees or
board of directors; or external-for clients, creditors and service
providers”.

Internal Communication:
“Internal communication is the transmission of information between organization
members or parts of the organization.”
What are the main principles of effective internal communication?
Unlike with external communication, organisations often fail to strategically plan their internal
communication. In other words, internal communication is usually either arbitrary or incomplete
and if planned, tends to be planned only in reaction to specific events.However, effective internal
communication is planned, not only to deal with specific issues, but for the long-term well-being
of the organisation.
Some basic principles to keep in mind when creating your strategic internal communication plan
are:
 Develop a long-term focus
 Identify clear values for your organisation
 Define the specific goals for your internal communication strategy
 Use comprehensive, pervasive methods
 Be consistent in your messages

Why should you spend time analyzing?

Many attempts to communicate fail. Usually these failures happen because the message senders
did not think carefully about what they wanted the message to accomplish and how they wanted
their audience to respond. Instead, in a rush to communicate, many people instinctively jump into
composing their messages without adequate preparation. This section describes four important
elements you should analyze before you start to compose: purpose, audience, content, and
medium. Analyzing each element serves a distinct purpose.

Analyzing the purpose focuses, the message:

Before thinking about what you are communicating, analyze why you are communicating.
Think about “why” from two points of view:
• What is your purpose for communicating?
• What is the outcome you would like to achieve?

Preparing for communication

Good preparation is a key to successful communications. How much you prepare depends on
the scale of the communication but below are some key areas to consider.
• Decide what you want from each stakeholder
• Develop the message that you need to send
• Develop a communications plan
• Create up-to-date contact and distribution lists
• If there is a team involved in delivering communications ensure they all have access to all
the up-to-date information e.g. a shared project calendar
• Map processes for how standard communication flows will be managed
• Consider whether you need a mechanism for communicating in an emergency
How to create an effective internal message:

Know your purpose

Every business message should have at least one purpose. Here are some common purposes
that business communications serve:
• Inform a client about a problem
• Persuade a supervisor to implement something new
• Request permission to extend a deadline
• Report financial information to a client
• Propose a solution to a problem

Know your audience:

In creating your message you need to think carefully about each audience or ‘stakeholder’ and
how they fit into your goal. Firstly clearly define your goal (you might want to look at the sections
on How to write a mission statement, and Understanding plans, policies and procedures). Next
identify the stakeholders that are affected by working towards the goal and using stakeholder
mapping. Then identify how important their support is to the success of your project.

Choose your idea:

Choose your ideas- the ideas you include depend on the type of message you are sending and
the situation.

Collect your data

Collect your data- be sure to collect enough data to support your ideas; check names, dates,
addresses & statistics for precision.
Data should be.
• Logical
• Reality Based
• Researched Based

Organize your message:

Organizing your material before writing your first draft can prevent rambling and unclear
messages. Idea presented is as important as the ideas themselves. Disorganized messages often
seem careless, confusing, and unimportant.
Drafting:
During the drafting stage, the writer should remain flexible and avoid perfectionism. The first
draft can be considered as a rough draft. Allow for revisions and do not waste time striving for
perfection. Keep going—do not get caught up on the details or get distracted. Brainstorm ideas
and suspend judgment of ideas. Use strategies to keep working productively. Move forward, and
stay focused on the goal of completing a draft. Use effective time management skills, work in an
area conducive to writing, write at your most productive time of the day, or any other strategies
to accomplish progress.

Revising:
During the revising stage, the message is carefully edited. Review the message several times to
check for clarity, purpose, organization, tone, unity, writing mechanics, etc. Professional writers
edit in three levels:
1. Revision
2. Editing
3. Proofreading

Revision
Revision level reviews whether all of the necessary information was included, if the pattern of
organization is appropriate, if the overall meaning is revealed in the message, and if the
formatting is correct and beneficial.

Editing
Editing level reviews the style of the message, including the sentence structure, emphasis, word
choice, and coherence.

Proofreading
Proofreading level reviews mechanical and grammatical elements of the message. Feedback is
another option for revising your message. Writers can overlook mistakes or errors in writing;
therefore, assistance from another individual(s) may prove to be beneficial.

Style check
An effective message needs to be
• concise
• clear from the audience’s perspective
• relevant both to the audience and to your goal
It’s a good idea to check out your message with a third party for an independent opinion before
you send it off. The Plain English Campaign provides advice, online guidance on writing clearly
and a seal of approval called Crystalmark.
Summary of steps required to create an effective internal message:
Approaches:
Direct(deductive) approach:
• When your reader or listener will have a favorable or neutral reaction to your message,
use the direct approach.
• Begin with the main idea. After the opening, include all necessary details and end with an
appropriate, friendly closing.
Indirect(inductive) approach:
• When your reader or listener might react negatively to your message, you should not
present the main idea in the first paragraph.
• Begin with a buffer, give an explanation and then introduce the main idea.

Beginnings & Endings:

• “First impressions are lasting”
• “We remember best what we read last”

Beginning:
The opening of a message determines whether the reader continues reading, puts the message
aside or discards it.
1. Choose openings appropriate for message purpose and reader.
2. Make the openings considerate, courteous, concise, clear.
3. Check for completeness.

Ending:
Closing should be strong, clear & polite, they should leave a sense of closure & goodwill with the
receiver.
1. Make action request clear and complete with 5 W’s and the H.
2. End on a polite, courteous thought.
3. Keep last paragraph concise and correct.

Appearance and design of business messages:

Business letter:
Standard parts of the letter:
1.Heading:
Headings-either letterhead or your own address- should be at the top of the letter before the
date and before the name and address of the receiver of your message.
2.Inside address:
The inside address should begin with the addressee's name, professional title and address.
3.Salutation:
They are typed below the inside address & two lines above the body of the letter.
4.Body:
Body should be typed single spaced, with double spacing between paragraphs, before and after
the salutation, and before the complimentary close.
5.Complimentary close:
Sincerely, Sincerely yours, Very truly yours, Warm regards, With best wishes, etc.
6.Signature area:
Can include in the signature area several identifications: name of your company, your signature,
your typewritten name & business title.
7.Reference section:
Reference section may include information about the message composer, the typist & sometimes
word processing data.