Why adaptable writing can help comms pros hit their targets

Most internal communications don’t fail because the message was wrong.  They fail because employees didn’t believe it, didn’t understand how it applied to them or didn’t have time to read it. When changes happen, writing stops being a messaging pathway and becomes a trust mechanism.

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 comms writing should be viewed as a constantly evolving craft that adapts its tone and structure based on factors such as audience and channel, rather than as static.

“The language on a document or in a speech isn’t just a collection of words,” he said. “Each move is like a move on a chessboard. You’re setting up your audience at different times, enhancing certain tones and moving away from others. Each moment in a communicative act is strategic, and it sets you up for the next moment.”

Lucia added that a deep understanding of your audience’s motivations allows you to customize writing structure and delivery to maximize resonance. He also provided four audience archetypes to help communicators zero their writing in on specific groups.