Designing a message that gets you the desired response from an audience burdened with information overload is a blend of science and art. There are thumb rules around the structure and design that you could adopt, which, combined with the right tone and style, will deliver the perfect message. Thinking through your scenario in terms of the framework of questions below, before actually putting pen to paper, will go a long way towards fetching you the desired response from the audience.

Pre-work

Who is your audience? Is the audience external or internal, senior or junior, known or known somewhat, or maybe not known at all? Whatever the case may be, remember that the audience is content driven and hard pressed for time.

What is your goal in writing the message? Is it to inform, sell an idea or elicit information?

What would you have the audience do as a result of reading your message?

What level of detail do you need to provide in order for the audience to take action?

Is writing the best medium for the task at hand? Or would you be better off with a face-to-face or a telephonic conversation?

This pre-work will hold you in good stead in designing a message that elicits the required response.

Structure

A long winding story, punctuated with innumerable details, slows the reader down. People do not have the patience to unravel the mystery of your message after negotiating through a jungle of detail. The ?once upon a time? approach, where the writer creates the environment, builds the tempo, before revealing the punch line, is appropriate for a mystery novel, but not for business communication. The ?bottom line on top? approach, where you state your business upfront, and then follow up with relevant details, works much better, as it makes things easier for a rushed audience. The traditional structure of ?opening, body, conclusion? is a proven, all weather friend, on account of its simplicity. State your business upfront in the intro, after giving a brief context. Once the reader is equipped with the objective, take him through the details that will help him respond to your requirement. In conclusion, reiterate your objective and express gratitude.

Style and tone

Use active as opposed to the passive voice. Active voice is crisp, assertive and concise. For example, it is preferable to say ?Hema opened an account? vs ?An account was opened by Hema?.

Prefer the specific to the general. Strunk and White have observed in their book The Elements of Style that ?the surest way to arouse and hold the attention of the reader is by being specific, definite, and concrete.? For example, instead of saying ?the majority of the tests?, say ?more than 60% of the tests?. Similarly, ?almost 800 forms? would be preferable to ?a large number of forms?.

Marcus Cicero, a statesman of ancient Rome, could not be closer to truth when he stated: ?If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.? Unnecessary words slow down the reader and distract him from the key message. Be ruthless in eliminating unnecessary words. It is easier to ramble and beat around the bush, but it takes some skill, energy and time to remove the layers of redundant words. Make every word tell! Remember, however, that brevity does not mean compromising on detail. The skill lies in being concise while providing all the relevant details.

?We are masters of the unsaid words, but slaves of those we let slip out,? said Winston Churchill. Think through before penning your thoughts. Never design a message when you are upset. Wait until you are in a sober frame of mind to avoid saying something that you may later regret.

Strike the right chord with the reader by using a polite and pleasant tone, as this would give you a better chance of eliciting a positive response. For example, ?Meeting the deadline by June 5 would ensure our continued success?, would resonate much better with the audience, than if you were to say ?You?d better meet the deadline by June 5?.

Bullet your points for easy readability. This would ensure that you don?t miss out a point by getting lost in a labyrinth of words in a paragraph. Use short sentences as they are easy to form and are not so prone to grammatical errors. A series of short sentences may come across as jerky, however, and long circuitous ones boring. So strike a balance!

Use specific rather than general adjectives. For example, describing a project as ?awesome? or ?super? or ?great? conveys no more than that the fact that there?s something encouraging about the project. Describing it instead as ?this is a prestigious project with immense potential for getting a bigger market share?, conveys far more.

In the event that the channel of communication is electronic mail, the way you design your subject line will determine whether your mail is opened and read in the first place! The subject needs to be representative of the message as closely as possible. For example:

?Response required by April 14?, instead of ?Reminder?

?Ideas invited for offsite?, instead of ?Offsite?

?Meeting rescheduled to 5.00 pm?, instead of ?Meeting?.

One cannot overemphasise the importance of proof reading the message to check if all the requisite details have been provided, and all the tenets of style and tone have been adhered to. Checking for spellings, grammar, specificity, redundant words and positive tone and emotion is of immense importance. Remember that your message is representative of you and people draw conclusions about you by the way you write.

The author is vice-president, learning & development, with a leading investment bank. These are her personal views