Learn from the experts to make your comms writing more efficient

Every communicator has dealt with a written message that, unfortunately, just doesn’t land the way they want it to. The problem usually isn’t grammar or style — it’s a disconnect between what the writer wants to communicate and what the audience actually needs to hear.

During Ragan’s Writing Certificate Course, Dr. Brent Lucia, assistant professor in residence at the University of Connecticut School of Business, told the audience that great comms writing begins with knowledge of the intended audience.

“Good communicators think about their audience in really effective, tangible ways first and then create messages,” Lucia said. “Answer questions about your audience first, and then deploy effective stylistic choices. Essentially, what this means is you don’t start with word choice — you earn word choice by thinking through the audience.”

Lucia added that making the audience feel like they’re a part of the message can go a long way toward getting your writing to resonate.

“Starting sentences with ‘we’ is a strategic way to say we’re in this together,” he said. “But if you’re not actually sharing values, it can come across as insincere. Every pronoun choice signals something to the reader.”