Purpose, Audience and the One Required Action
Many workplace documents go wrong before anyone writes a word. The writer starts typing without deciding why the document exists, who will read it or what that reader must do next. The result is a message that is accurate but gets no response.
Planning a document is like addressing a parcel. If the address is wrong, it doesn't matter how well the contents are packed. This lesson shows you how to write the address before you pack the box.
Why the opening lines matter
Readers at work are busy, and most of them skim. The Nielsen Norman Group, which first described the "F-shaped" reading pattern in 2006, found in eyetracking studies that the first lines of a page get more attention than later lines. It also found that the first few words of each line get more attention than the words after them. Its advice is to put the most important points in the first two paragraphs.
You can only put the important point first if you know what it is. That is the planning job.
Step 1: Name the one thing the reader must do
Do this before you draft anything.
- Ask: "When this person has finished reading, what must they do?" Examples: approve, reply, attend, complete a form, follow a procedure, stop doing something.
- Write the action as a verb plus an object, such as "approve the budget" or "submit timesheets".
- Add a deadline if there is one: "by 17:00 Friday 24 October".
- If you find two unrelated actions, think about sending two messages. A reader who has to do one clear thing is more likely to do it.
- If the reader truly has nothing to do, say what they need to know instead. For example: "know that the car park closes on Monday".
Step 2: Write a one-sentence purpose statement
A purpose statement is a note for you, the writer. You may or may not put it in the document. Use this pattern:
This [document] asks [reader] to [action] by [deadline] so that [reason].
Example: "This email asks line managers to approve their team's leave requests by Friday 24 October so that payroll can process December rotas on time."
The GOV.UK content design guidance uses a similar format for user needs: "As a… I need to… So that…". Both formats make you name a real person, a real action and a real reason.
Do this: if you can't fill every slot, you aren't ready to write yet. Find out what's missing first.
Step 3: Describe your primary and secondary audiences
- Primary audience: the people who must take the action. Write for them first.
- Secondary audience: people who read the document but don't act on it directly. They might approve it, be copied in, be affected by it or keep it as a record.
For each audience, write two short notes:
| Audience | What they already know | What they need from the document |
|---|---|---|
| Line managers (primary) | Their team and the leave system; not the payroll deadline | The deadline, the action and where to click |
| Payroll team (secondary) | The deadline and why it matters | Confirmation that managers have been told |
What the reader already knows tells you what to leave out. What they need tells you what to put in. Also check their vocabulary. A term that is obvious to you may be jargon to them. "Fortnight" is common in the UK but less familiar in the US, so a mixed audience would understand "two weeks" more easily.
Step 4: Rewrite a vague request
Before:
Subject: Leave
Hi all, as you may know, we've been looking at how the end-of-year process has worked in previous years and there have been some issues with timing. Payroll have raised this a few times. It would be really helpful if people could have a look at outstanding leave at some point. Let me know if any questions.
What's wrong with it:
- The reader is "all", so nobody in particular is responsible.
- The action ("have a look") is vague.
- There is no deadline ("at some point").
- The request comes after two sentences of background.
After:
Subject: Action: approve team leave requests by Friday 24 October
Line managers: please approve or decline all outstanding leave requests in the HR system by 17:00 on Friday 24 October. Payroll needs this to build the December rotas.
Requests left unapproved after that date will be carried into January.
Now the reader, the action and the deadline all appear in the first two sentences.
Do this: take a real message you sent recently and work through Steps 1–3 for it. Then rewrite the first two sentences so they contain the action.
Planning checklist
Use this before you draft any procedure, report, briefing or email:
- I can name the one action (or the one thing to know) as a verb plus an object.
- I have a deadline, or I've confirmed there isn't one.
- My purpose statement fills every slot: document, reader, action, deadline, reason.
- I have named the primary audience: the people who act.
- I have named any secondary audience: approvers, people copied in, people affected.
- For each audience, I've noted what they already know and what they need.
- I've checked my terms against the reader's vocabulary (including UK/US differences).
- The action appears in the first two sentences.
Spelling note: this course uses UK spelling (for example "prioritise" and "organise"); US English uses "prioritize" and "organize".
Key takeaways
- Decide the one required action before you write anything.
- A one-sentence purpose statement names the reader, the action, the deadline and the reason.
- The primary audience acts; the secondary audience approves, is informed or is affected.
- Describe each audience by what they already know and what they need.
- Readers skim, so put the required action in the first two sentences.