Audience Adaptation.   Whenever you write or speak, you need to adapt your message and communication style to communicate successfully with your particular audience (see Relationships and Rapport). When you are writing to friends and business acquaintances of long standing, you can—and should—be less formal than when you are writing to someone you do not know.

Your friends may forgive you if your messages are not as considerate as they might be or if they contain errors in spelling, grammar, or mechanics. Those who don’t know you, however, will form their entire impression of you based on the message they receive. For this reason, it is important that you use what you know about your audience to adapt your message appropriately.

End users—consumers—of products or services, for example, have a different set of interests and concerns from dealers. The end user wants a good value, reliability, and a number of other things based on the kind of product or service. The dealer is interested in mark-up, turn-over, warranty support, and other factors that influence profit, such as customer satisfaction.

Regardless of who your audience is, you will communicate more successfully if you pace him or her by seeing the situation from his or her point of view and by using positive language to express most of your ideas.

Not this:   I am sending the Gizmo you requested.
Not this:   The Gizmo you requested has been shipped.
Say this:   You will receive the Gizmo you requested.

Not this:   We are happy to have your order.
Not this:   I am writing in response to your order.
Say this:   The computer you ordered is the best currently available.

Be especially careful to avoid emphasizing what you (as the writer) need, want, desire, demand, or require:

Not this:   I need your answers to these questions by the 15th.

Say this:   I would appreciate your answers to these questions by the 15th.

Not this:   I must receive your application by the end of the month.

Say this:   To ensure your consideration for this position, complete and submit your application by 30 September.

Not this:   We cannot send your order until next month.

Say this:   Because of the recent UPS strike, we are behind in our deliveries. You will receive your order early next month.

Not this:   I regret that you were caused such a terrible inconvenience and hope that the enclosed refund will restore your faith in Gizmo Products.

Say this:   You’re right, Mr. Schneider. We inadvertently overcharged you. The enclosed check doesn’t show it, but my face is red.

Remember that it is easier to process positive language than it is to process negative phrasings and that both readers and listeners may ignore negative words in sentences:

• Don’t think of elephants [Did you think of elephants?]
  
• The dog is not chasing the cat. [What mental image did you make?]

In general, avoid negative language, and be especially careful to avoid negative language that presupposes or implies that your reader has been less than truthful or is trying to cheat you:

• You claim (state, imply, suggest) that.... [Implies that the reader has lied.]

• If what you say is true.... [Implies that the reader has lied.]

• We are at a loss to understand.... [Implies that the reader has lied.]

• You forgot (failed, neglected) to.... [Blames the reader for the problem.]

• You must (should, ought, need) to.... [Lectures the reader in negative way.]

• This is done with the understanding that you will.... [Implies that you don’t fully trust the reader to do what he or she should.]

• What would your neighbors think if they knew.... [Threatens the reader.]

• You will certainly regret.... [Threatens the reader.]

• Because you have been a good customer of ours, we are willing.... [Implies that the reader doesn’t really deserve what you are about to offer.]

Also be careful to avoid expressing a lack of confidence in your document, product, or service.

• I hope that this letter answered your questions. [Implies that the letter didn’t answer all the questions.]

• Why not send in your order today? [Suggests that the reader might not want to order.]

• If you want to order, complete the order blank at the back of the brochure. [Suggests that the reader might not want to order.]

• If you have further questions, do not hesitate to contact me at your earliest convenience. [Implies that you haven’t answered all the reader’s questions and then uses a double negative (not hesitate) to express a positive and concludes with a meaningless cliché (When is a person’s “earliest convenience”?)]

  Human nature being what it is, we do know that people have fairly common reactions to certain situations: We are all cheered by good news; we are all disappointed by bad news; and we all tend to resist actions that will cost us either time or money. These universals allow us to use a general structure for most messages, based on the concepts of pacing our receivers’ expectations, leading them in a new direction, blending outcomes to achieve win-win solutions, and motivating them appropriately. These concepts are discussed in Understanding Message Strategy and Structure.