People often assume if you’re talking about a writer, that’s someone primarily concerned with spelling and grammar. True, those mistakes can be embarrassing, but they’re not the most damaging problems for communication.
I’ve already mentioned how much more readable clear formatting and structure make your documents, but it’s just as important to remember your different audiences and their agendas, too. When I’m working on something for a client one of the first things we consider is who’s going to be reading it, why, where and when.
Even when you’re dashing off an e-mail or a memo on your own it helps to take a moment and consider the audience and context this way. For important pieces it can play a major role in how your message is received.
If you’re talking to a Web or graphic designer, a project manager or art director, chances are they or their clients face this issue every day, and I may be able to help them out.
Nathan Keene, txt, inc.: Get it written.
Nathan Keene has taught and produced business writing for over 20 years. He was born in Idaho, raised in Alaska, has lived in Portland, Oregon, Tokyo, Japan, Berkeley, California, and Manhattan, New York (his favorite borough, after Brooklyn); he now lives in Brooklyn. He can't see Russia from his house, but he can see the Empire State Building. He lives with his wife, Astrid, and their cat, Merlin. He enjoys photography, music, museums, travel and cuisine, and dreams of building a summer cabin back in Alaska.
