When there is no clarity, confusion reigns supreme. We cannot claim to have communicated just because we have written something ...
To be successful, our text must "capture" the recipient in order to spontaneously make him a reactive subject. To achieve this effect, we must keep in mind the principles of communication and have a method that promotes a good use of time, both in the writer and in the reader. Tips and addresses apply to letters, manuals, procedures, reports, e-mail messages.
Principles of communication
We do not communicate what we write ... but what our reader has understood! We must therefore take care of the different components that govern the communicative capacity of a text.
In communicating in our relationships, our body messages and tone affect the literal meaning of words. Something similar happens in a written text: here too there are three components. In detail:
- content,
- linguistic form,
- graphics.
The linguistic form concerns the choice of words and the structure of sentences. The graphic component of the text is decisive. Before reading a text, we look at it… It must therefore be well set up. The goal is to create a reading map so that the reader can walk peacefully and get to our thoughts.
Applying this "triad" view of text increases the likelihood of success!
Method of drafting
For a good text, that is, easy to understand, it is also necessary not to immediately throw yourself into writing. The method starts from the objective, and, after drafting, provides for a check before firing the text. In concrete terms, three steps need to be implemented:
- Think
- Write
- Prune
In practice, the actual writing phase is the one that takes the least time! The success of the text is fundamentally entrusted to the clarity of the objective, from which the articulation of the contents also derives. Equally challenging is phase 3: Prune. It consists of a careful commitment to remove… the superfluous. The lightened text will be less demanding to read and certainly more effective.
The drafting of emails also requires other commitments related to the social dimension: that is, the definition of behaviors both in the role of writer and recipient. With these measures, the risk of becoming victims of emails is reduced, in terms of number and length. This is how success is promoted: that is, being masters!
