Knowledge or office workers spend 70% of our workday involved in either reading or writing. It’s not a surprise that poor writing is a major complaint. In fact, 81% of executives blame poor writing skills for at least some of their productivity problems. It’s easy then, to say “We need to improve our business writing.” But what if the writing isn’t the (entire) problem? Perhaps poor business writing has resulted in poor business reading.
The Writing Can Hamper the Reading
Writing is just squiggles on a page or screen until it’s interpreted by the reader. As with all communication, there are four stages to written messages:
- Message sent.
- Message received.
- Message understood.
- Message acted on.
Only one of those is directly in the control of the sender. The reader has most of the responsibility for the rest.
Assuming your messages are clear, correct, and sent in the appropriate format to the reader, you are now at their mercy. How many times have you been told, “This meeting could have been an email?” Inevitably, the response is, “It was, but nobody read it. So, we have to have the meeting anyway.”
Here are some common reader behaviors that get in the way of effective communication. DISCLAIMER: Any guilty feelings you develop are between you and your conscience.
- We scan rather than read. Everyone is in a hurry. We all receive too many messages in a day. Texts, emails, Teams messages, Slack messages, social media DMs; it’s a lot. Most people solve this problem by doing quick triage on each message. We scan them, make decisions (frequently incorrectly) on their importance and call to action, and move on. In fact, most emails never get opened. People read the first paragraph or couple of lines and make a quick decision whether to act on it right then or not. If it doesn’t get acted on immediately, it often gets ignored or forgotten.
- We make snap decisions. The longer a message is, the less likely we are to read the whole thing. (Often referred to as “TLDR” – Too Long Didn’t Read.) Even if we open the email, each line after the opening paragraph increases the chances we’ll stop reading before we get to the end. If the request or call to action is at the end of a long email, there’s a good chance we will either not get it or will process it incorrectly.
- We struggle separating the “wheat from the chaff.” Long email or text threads often mean the relevant information isn’t in the latest response. It’s buried several messages down, where we might not process the information correctly or assign it the right priority. Large blocks of text can make it difficult to separate critical details (such as action items or due dates) from other information.
Write with the Reader in Mind
If it sounds like we’re throwing readers under the bus, here, think again. First, it’s hypocritical to rail against people who behave exactly as we do. Secondly, if you know how most people respond under the circumstances, there are steps you can take to help them process the information more effectively.
- Put critical information up front in the email. Or at least make it clear how important and time-sensitive the message is so they’ll open it and keep reading.
- Be clear about time frames. Include why it matters to the reader, and why you’re including them in the message.
- Use white space, bullets, and other tools to point out critical information such as next steps.
- Write your messages with the four steps of communication in mind, starting with taking action. You should only send the message once you’ve determined why a reader should pay attention. Then tailor that message to increase their interest and understanding.
It’s frustrating when our hard work doesn’t get interpreted correctly. Knowing how readers will process our information and adjusting accordingly won’t guarantee better results, but it sure enhances the odds.
What are your writing frustrations? What can you do to make it easier for your readers?
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