What position do you have in the organization?

As an employee, you will be hired to perform the duties that define a particular job. As the one responsible for performing specific tasks, you will communicate with employees above you, below you, and on your own level. In writing to individuals in any group, you will communicate not as you would with a friend or family member but as the person responsible for the work associated with that position. When you write, you create a personality that should fit the position you hold.

To have credibility as a writer in an organization, the image that you project should be appropriate to your position.

What you write and how you write it should reflect your level of responsibility in the organization—the power relationship that exists between you and the reader. The image you project will change, depending on your readers. You will project the image of a subordinate when you write to those higher than you, but you will transmit the image of a supervisor to those who work directly under you. When you communicate with others on your own job level, you will convey the image of a colleague. Effective writers fit their message to each reader.

Plan the content.