Page 14 - How to write effective business English your guide to excellent professional communication by Fiona Talbot

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Why are you

writing?

Who are your readers?

You’ll see that I use the terms readers, target readership, customers
and audience interchangeably. A ‘customer’ can be a person who
buys goods or services from a business, or can be a person you deal
with in the course of your daily work. The term applies just as
much to internal colleagues, suppliers, those in the public sector,
etc as it does to those who are external consumers.

Your audience can be anyone and everyone

Where you know your target audience’s profile, you have an
immediate advantage. Today’s business is all about customizing
products and services to suit the individual customer. It works for
communication too. By what means does your target readership
like to receive messages? Are you able to match their needs,
generational and cultural expectations, and engage their interest
because you know their profile? It’s great news if you can.
The potential global reach of your e-writing (which includes so-
cial media) is particularly exciting. The start-up business (maybe
even operating from home) can have as loud a voice as the large
corporate. Your messages may (perhaps unexpectedly) be forwarded
on by others, even go viral. So every business message, personalized
or not, had better be professional! Nothing should be open to mis-
interpretation or cause offence, even unintentionally.