6.1 Crafting Successful Messages
eCampusOntario and Nancy Bray
Learning Objectives
- Describe the criteria for a successful message in the workplace, including the importance of mode, medium, and genre conventions.
- Identify and give examples of primary, secondary, and auxiliary messages, understanding their impact on communication.
When we communicate, we convey messages to inform or persuade others. Our messages help to accomplish our communication purpose or solve our communication problems.
Messages can be conveyed using different means or modes of communication. According to The New London Group, there are five modes of communication: visual, aural, gestural, spatial and linguistic[1]. Different modes of communication offer various advantages and drawbacks, depending on the context and purpose. Making the right choice can determine whether your message is understood, received in the intended spirit, or even noticed. In our digital world, many messages are multimodal, using multiple modes to convey meaning.
When crafting your message, you must also consider the medium and genre of communication. The medium of communication is the channel, platform, or system through which a message is conveyed. For instance, say that you communicate your message linguistically in written form (linguistic mode). You may choose to write your message in a newspaper. A newspaper is a medium of communication.
In 6.2 Choosing a Communication Mode and Medium, we will discuss the features of different communication modes and media.
Genres are specific patterns of messages that help to accomplish a particular task. For instance, if you write your message as a letter to the editor and send it to a newspaper for publication, you will convey additional meaning through this choice of genre. By choosing to write a letter to the editor, your audience will know that you are not a journalist, but you are a member of the public interested in a particular issue. They will know that you will try to persuade them to adopt your point of view on an issue. We will introduce important workplace genres in 6.3 Common Workplace Genres.
Genres are structured according to conventions, and following these conventions is similar to having good manners. You may not communicate successfully with your audience if you don’t follow the conventions. For instance, you may not get the job if you submit a 20-page résumé with long blocks of text for a job as a barista at your local coffee shop. The résumé genre requires a concise text, usually less than two pages long. By violating the manners of résumé, you inadvertently send a message about your sensitivity to your audience’s needs and expectations. 6.4 Genre Conventions will explore some relevant genre conventions you should follow in professional communication.
Because genres convey additional meaning to your audience, you should choose an appropriate one and pay attention to a genre’s conventions.
Developing your Messages
When you are crafting your message, you should ask yourself the following questions:
- Do you want to inform or persuade your audience?
- What information does your audience need?
- What do I want the audience to do after receiving my message?
- What do I want my listeners or readers to remember?
- What information do I want to have the audience retain or act upon?
- How might the audience benefit from my message?
- What objections might the audience have to my message?
- What mode and medium is best to convey my message?
- What genre is commonly used to convey my message? For instance, does your organization usually use email to share project updates, or do they use reports?
- What are the common conventions in the genre? How is information organized in the genre? What are the standard parts of the genre? Can you use an informal tone, or should you use a formal tone?
The Primary Message Is Not the Whole Message
When we convey a message to an audience, we often convey much more than our primary message. Keep in mind there are three distinct types of messages you will communicate: primary, secondary, and auxiliary (Hasling, 1998).
Primary Message – refers to the intentional content, both verbal and nonverbal.
Secondary Message – refers to the unintentional content, both verbal and nonverbal.
Auxiliary Message – refers to the intentional and unintentional ways a primary message is communicated. Includes: vocal inflection, gestures and posture, or speech rate that influence your message’s interpretation or perception.
For example, a coworker stops by your desk to ask a question and…
- You say, “Have a seat.” (Primary Message)
- A messy workspace makes an impression on your visitor that you are disorganized. (Secondary Message)
- You smile and wave your hand to indicate the empty chair on the other side of your desk to invite the person to sit. (Auxiliary Message)
Key Takeaways
- Creating successful messages in the workplace requires careful consideration of the content, mode, medium, genre, and conventions. This ensures that the message is received as intended and prompts the desired action or response from the audience.
- Effective communication is more than just the primary message. It’s a combination of the intentional content (primary), the unintentional impressions or signals (secondary), and the manner in which the primary message is presented, such as vocal tone or gestures (auxiliary).
- The New London Group. (1996). A pedagogy of multiliteracies: Designing social futures. HarvardEducational Review, 66(1), 60–92. ↵
