51 ; PROCESS OF PREPARING EFFECTIVE BUSINESS MESSAGES Effective business messages are of great significance to a business, These enhance business, create goodwill, retain customers and determine the efficiency of the firm. In order-to prepare effective business messages, we need to plan, organize, draft, revise, edit and proofread. And a thoughtful attention to the use of the principles of communication or 7 C's, is also very essential. An effective message demands skill and effort in its preparation. Five Planning Steps . ‘ Before writing a business message the following five planning steps should be considered: Identification of the purpose Analysis of the audience Choice of ideas . Collection of data to support ideas Organisation of the message gpeope 1, Identification of the purpose . The first_step in the process of preparing the message is to.determine the specific purpose in its writing. The writey-has to identify the purpose in the light of these + question: is th sage _Majnly informational such as @ann cin; bon sche Kany persuasive such as asking eustomnsta-buy/the vtita’s producis? Is h) ith Kk seller'in Lahore? Or should he explain why he is not granting adjustment against a claim? Moreover, the underlying purpose of all business messages is to create goodwill. For example, in a refusal letter for adjustment, the purpose should be twofold: to refuse and retain the customer, Courtesy and patience are especially necessary to create goodwill.52 4, e audience . 2. Analysis oN ED is to analyse the audience. The The id'see his message from his receivers’ point of write aed analyse their needs, interests, attitudes view. He s . eve Ire. . . and ev on ct is sending a message to one person, he hould know him as a member of a group. He should see whether the person is superior, colleague or subordinate; man or woman; new or long time customer; young, middle-aged, or elderly. The writer should consider his educational level. He should also decide whether the readers are informed or uninformed on the subject and whether they will react positively. 3. Choice of ideas After the first two steps of identifying the purpose of the méssage and knowing the Message receiver, the next step is to choose ideas for the message. If the writer is ould underline the main points to an unsolicited message, he should begin by listing ideas they come to him and then choose ‘eceiver. The ideas he ‘chooses depend on the type of message he is sending, the situation and the cultural context of the Teceiver, 4- Collection of data to support ideas After choosing ideas, the writer should determine whether he needs specific facts, figures, quotations, etc., to . Support his ideas, He should keep in mind that he knows his shot poss Procedures a: © should check his data—ng ele. Someta’ names, dates, address, figures, . le may need Picture, orpre duct sana to enclose a brochure, table & Organisation Of the message Tganisation of material before writing the fist i i g the fist mee very enPortant. The writer should first Cutline the isorganised, n Prevent Tambling and unclear messages. and unimportant, ling Messages seem careless, confusing nd product details, Then