1. Business Communications Skills
3 Steps to Creating a Message
By Mai Nguyen

2. Step 1: Panning
• Think about these questions before you start:
– What is the main idea?
• Is it to persuade? Inform? Report? Positive? Negative?
– Who are the audiences?
• Potential or current clients/ customers, specific
age/gender/ specialty?
– How will the audience take the message?
• Positive way  Direct approach (audience is receptive to message)
• Negative way  Indirect approach (audience is skeptical to message)

3. Step 1: Planning cont.
• Crafting an Outline Together
– Use bullets, headlines, etc.
• Which ever organization skills/ tools that best fits writer
– Use AIDA model
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A: AttentionGrab/ take audience’s attention
I: Interests What’s interesting/ new/ or stands out?
D: DesireMake the audience desire the selling point
A: Action  Give the audience a way they can
accomplish/ satisfy their desire.

4. Step 2: Writing the Message
• Write the message
– Be professional
– Be aware of
• Tone of voice
• Building a relationship with audience
• Choosing powerful words
– Be clear and concise

5. Step 3: Completing the Message
• After writing the message
– Proofread it
– Edit it
– Review it
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•
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Is it clear? Is it concise?
Is it understandable?
Does it pass the overall message?
Is everything supported with evidence?

6. Conclusion
• These 3 steps are crucial to writing any business
messages such as
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–
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Negative messages
Persuasive messages
Reports and proposals
Resumes and cover letters
• Once you’ve got these steps covered, you’re
more than half way through to being successful at
writing formal business messages.