Question

What kinds of unwanted reactions might you get from readers of your messages? What steps would you take to ensure that the purpose of your message (whether informative, negative, or persuasive) is conveyed to your readers?

It's extremely important to express yourself clearly in written communications. If you don't, the reader will probably misunderstand you.

What other ideas do you have to answer this question?


I have always used this quote from Benjamin Franklin to explain to students how important using accurate language is.""For want of a nail a shoe was lost, for want of a shoe a horse was lost, for want of a horse a rider was lost, for want of a rider a army was lost, for want of an army a battle was lost, for want of a battle the war was lost, for want of the war the kingdom was lost, and all for the want of a little horseshoe nail."

If the right word is not chosen, then the listener/reader will not get the right message and what needs to be done will be left undone or done incorrectly and the end result may lead to greater problems.