Welcome!

Dr. Terri Maue

• Associate Professor Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide

• Department Chair for English, Humanities, and Communications

• Oversees ERAU-Worldwide Writing Program• Has taught English and Writing for ERAU since

1999• Award-winning faculty member named Faculty of

the year in both her department and for all of ERAU-Worldwide

• Master of Aeronautical Science, ERAU• Ph.D. in English with Writing Specialty, The Union

Institute

Writing Effective Emails, Reports, and Messages

Three Simple Steps to Create Powerful, Effective Communications

Dr. Terri Maue

Associate Professor, College of Arts & Sciences

Chair, Department of English, Humanities & Communications

ERAU Worldwide

Three Simple Steps

1. Tell ‘Em What You’re Going to Tell ‘Em 2. Tell ‘Em3. Tell ‘Em That You’ve Told ‘Em

Tell ‘Em What You’re Going to Tell ‘Em

Preview your message Here it is …

You’re not writing a mystery novel

Tell ‘Em What You’re Going to Tell ‘Em

Preview your message Here it is …

• People decide quickly whether to read on or not

• 60% of people read only the headline of an article (2014 American Press Institute study)

Tell ‘Em What You’re Going to Tell ‘Em

Preview your messageThis is about …

• Email: subject line

Which email do you want to read?Subject: Meeting Subject: Brainstorming ideas for budget requests

Tell ‘Em What You’re Going to Tell ‘Em

Preview your messageThis is about …

• Report: executive summaryWhich report would you like to read?1. In the first part of the report, we detail the process of data

collection and underline the various aspects of the problems we encountered as we struggled to ascertain the influences that factored into the creation of the situation at hand in order to generate a number of feasible solutions.

2. We surveyed the employees and discovered that physical environmental factors in the office were the source of most of the complaints.

Tell ‘Em What You’re Going to Tell ‘Em

Preview your messageThis is about …

• Presentation: introduction

I have three main points I will cover in this budget presentation today: projected revenue, projected expenses, and unexpected windfalls.

Tell ‘Em What You’re Going to Tell ‘Em

We like it when we know how information is organized.

Tell ‘Em What You’re Going to Tell ‘Em

Preview your messageThis is about …

• Email: subject line• Report: executive summary• Presentation: introduction

EXTRALife is choosing the right way at the right time in the right place is often difficult but it can be done if we just remember a couple of important rules which work in most cases but of course there will always be exceptions as we all know yet intelligent people take these into account and act accordingly and take responsibility if they make mistakes and live and learn.

Can you state the essence of your message in one sentence?

YES: Great! You have a clear, concise message to deliver and you know clearly what it is.

NO: Work on it until you can! After all, if you don’t clearly understand your message, what chance do your readers/listeners have?

Tell ‘Em

This is the part where you Let me explain …

• Spell out the details• Provide the logic• Give the examples•Make your persuasive pitch

Tell ‘Em

What you need to know is …

• Email: Keep this short • short paragraphs • one topic • bullets for more complex topics or instructions• attachments for details

Tell ‘Em

What you need to know is …

• Report: Use the power of white space• headings• short paragraphs• bullets

Tell ‘Em

What you need to know is …

• Presentation: Create auditory white space• slides • internal summaries • frequent signposts/reminders

Tell ‘Em

What you need to know is …

• Email: short • short paragraphs, one topic, bullets,

attachments • Report: white space• headings, bullets, short paragraphs

• Presentation: auditory white space• internal summaries, frequent signposts/reminders

CAVEAT !!!

You must fulfill your promise! Remember, you made a promise in the Tell ‘Em What You’re Going to Tell ‘Em section. [And that’s another reason to be able to state your message in one, clear sentence!]

Tell ‘Em That You’ve Told ‘Em

And there you have it ...

Many people remember only the beginning and the end of a message•Wrap it up with a summary• Reinforce your message• Let readers / listeners know you’re finished, you have said

what you intended to say

Tell ‘Em That You’ve Told ‘Em

I’ve said what I came to say …

• Email: boost credibility & enhance collaboration

• Reinforce your point• Ask for action• Give a deadline

Tell ‘Em That You’ve Told ‘Em

I’ve said what I came to say …

• Report: interpret• draw conclusions • make recommendations

Tell ‘Em That You’ve Told ‘Em

I’ve said what I came to say …

• Presentation: make it memorable• summary • ask for action • emotional appeal (don’t manipulate!)

Tell ‘Em That You’ve Told ‘Em

I’ve said what I came to say …

• Email: boost credibility & confidence• reinforce message, ask for action, give a

deadline• Report: interpret• conclusions, recommendations

• Presentation: make memorable• summary, ask for action, emotional appeal

My World ….

Real World….

Life is full of distractions.

Many issues & situations are vying for attention.

You don’t know what your message might be interrupting!

Three Simple Steps to Create Powerful, Effective Communications

1. Tell ‘Em What You’re Going to Tell ‘Em 2. Tell ‘Em3. Tell ‘Em That You’ve Told ‘Em

Easy > Grateful > Success!

EXAMPLE: Tell ‘Em What You’re Going to Tell ‘Em

Would you like to know how to use a nearly sure-fire, three-step process for getting your message across, no matter what type of communication you are creating? Here it is: 1. Tell ‘em what you’re going to tell ‘em. 2. Tell ‘em.3. Tell ‘em that you’ve told ‘em.

EXAMPLE: Tell ‘Em

In step 1, Tell ‘Em What You’re Going to Tell ‘Em, clearly state your message. Let readers or listeners know what they can expect in the message they are about to receive.

In step 2, Tell ‘Em, fulfill your promise and be sure to give all the details and information, and use the best persuasive organization you can devise.

In step 3, Tell ‘Em That You’ve Told ‘Em, summarize your message and reinforce it for a powerful, memorable conclusion.

EXAMPLE: Tell ‘Em That You’ve Told ‘Em

There you have it, a simple three-part process that I venture to say works in 99% of the communication situations you have. Preview your message, provide all the details, summarize and reinforce. In today’s fast-paced business world where people must sift through mountains of information, your readers and listeners will be grateful that you make it easy for them to understand your messages. I daresay you will be happier and more successful, as well.