Different tones are required for different situations. Articulate what you want your writing to accomplish & arrange your information to emphasize these goals & set the proper tone.

Here's a workplace scenario to try out. How would you revise this communication for tone?

The English language has more than 1 million words so, how do you choose? Use the 3 S's of word choice to help you craft your content.

One way to make sure communication happens is to think like your reader. Take a look at these examples & select the options you would use to communicate effectively.

Your job is to make it easy for your reader to understand your message. Follow these guidelines to put your words & phrases in the best order to make your meaning clear.

Punctuation is another way to organize for understanding. Use these simple strategies to make sure punctuation helps clarify meaning.

Some types of punctuation create more anxiety than others. Follow Suzannah Windsor Freeman's tips to stop thinking about the rules & start thinking about what you know.

Consider this final piece of advice on choosing the best register for your audience so that you can effectively write for business & be understood.

Use the tips & tools in this printable PDF to help you write for business & be understood.

Assess your readiness to write for business & be understood. You need 80% to pass.

In today's world, social & business lines get blurred and it can be easy to miscommunicate. Learn how to communicate effectively & professionally in the digital world.

Practice your knowledge of which expressions are casual, semi-formal & formal & think about the messages these expressions send.

To write effectively & prevent miscommunication, you need to start with a plan. Explore these 3 steps to make a good impression.

It's better to be over-prepared when it comes to communication. Dive in with Jacqueline Whitmore to expand your knowledge of the do's and don'ts of email & gain further knowledge on what to consider before pressing “send.”

There are several instances where it's best to avoid email conversations. Learn about a few situations where you might want to think twice before using your business email account for correspondence.

Digital correspondence can induce an “out of sight, out of mind” way of thinking about real-life situations. Consider the following emails & the consequences that follow.

Punctuation, correct words & usage are all details we sometimes let slip. Fine-tune your writing skills here with examples of the small stuff to consider so your reader will focus on the big stuff.

Your ultimate goal is clear writing which improves reader comprehension. Dive deeper with the Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin to refresh your grammar knowledge.

Consider this final piece of advice about effective communication on social media, too.

Use the tips & tools in this printable PDF to help you write effective emails.

Assess your readiness to write effective emails. You need 80% to pass.

You're leading a change initiative & you've got a plan in place. The next step is to engage the people who will be affected the most. Support the logistics of your initiative with a concrete communication plan.

Solid communications plans start with a communication strategy based on needs analyses. Begin by identifying your key stakeholders. Use this classification technique to clearly illustrate the groups that make up your audience & how they might respond to your message.

Here's a workplace scenario to try out. Use RACI to identify the groups of people who will need different communication plans.

Now that you know “who,” it's time to think about “what.” Find out how to start with the general, most universal audience & then move to targeted & specific groups.

Change doesn't happen overnight. Think about when a message should be introduced & how frequently it should be repeated. Use these tips to design the best way to integrate a message into recurring communications.

We've covered who needs to “receive” messages but don't forget to think about who is the best person to “send” the messages. Assign specific people to this task & don't forget to add in a feedback loop.

You'll need to record information for all the different audiences you'll be reaching. Use this workplace scenario as an example and practice recording information in a similar matrix to the one we offer.

Just because an audience hears a message doesn't mean they get it. Use this advice from Gordon Kangas to take your communication from broken to functional.

Here are few things to keep in mind as you begin to craft the content of your messages. Include objectives & context. Most importantly, answer the WIIFM question.

Look again at the workplace scenario you explored earlier. If you were crafting the content which messages would you include? Give it a try.

Don't let common sense or common myths lead you astray. Jeni Cross dives into the “Three Myths of Behavior Change” in this TED Talk. Let Cross help you understand how to create effective communication plans that really deliver change

Communication doesn't have to be high-tech or expensive to be effective. Select a variety of channels that will get your message in front of people.

Every time you deliver your message you have an opportunity to gather feedback. Implement these ideas for gathering input & sharing progress.

A good communications plan will have a multi-faceted approach. Use this chart to help you determine the best mediums for your messages.

Think about this final piece of advice on using the power of technology to help you spread your message as you work to close the communication loop.

Use the tips & tools in this printable PDF to help you close the communication loop.

Assess your readiness to close the communication loop. You need 80% to pass.