From the course: Tips for Better Business Writing

Consider your reader first when writing

From the course: Tips for Better Business Writing

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Consider your reader first when writing

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- I have a question for you. Is your reader lingering over each and every word of your document? Probably not. More likely, they're looking at a large stack of documents on their desk, a full email inbox, and information coming from a lot of different directions. Your reader has their own priorities, interests, and concerns, and they're probably skimming and scanning, looking through all the information, including what you sent them, to find what they need to know, what addresses their interests and concerns. Avoid the impulse to tell them what you find interesting or relevant. Your job is to use what you know they are interested in to pull them into the content. Put yourself in your reader's shoes and ask yourself these types of questions: how interested are they in this subject? What do they know about this subject? How will they use the information? If you're writing about a technical subject, what are the reader's levels of technical knowledge? How much detail or background information do they need? If your purpose is to persuade them to do something, what's the benefit to them? What if you don't know your reader, or you have multiple readers? Try gathering some intelligence about them. Ask questions or do online investigations. If that's not possible, doesn't seem like a good idea, or doesn't yield much, start with what you do know about them. Now, go back to the document you're about to write. Put yourself in your reader's shoes. After considering their interests, needs, and concerns, you'll be able to articulate and address the issues that matter most to them.

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