You already change how you write depending on who will read it. A message to a friend sounds nothing like a message to a coach or a manager.
Today you take one real message from your own life and write it twice for two different readers. That pair goes into your Communication Portfolio.
Before you write, lock three things: Who is reading this? What do you want them to do? What tone fits that reader and that job?
| Term | What it means for you | Real example |
|---|---|---|
| Audience: who will read it | Choose words that fit that reader, not a generic one | Emailing a teacher versus messaging a teammate |
| Purpose: the job of the piece | Ask, inform, persuade, apply, or invite; pick one main job | Ask the principal to open Room 12 two days a week |
| Tone: how it sounds | Formal, friendly, calm, or firm; tone can make or break the ask | Yours sincerely versus Talk soon |
Same idea, two jobs. A TY student wants quiet study space open after school two days a week.
1. Formal letter to the principal
Dear Mr O'Sullivan, I am writing on behalf of several TY students to ask whether Room 12 could stay open for quiet study on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3.30 to 4.30. Many of us share bedrooms at home and find coursework hard to finish. Two teachers would supervise on a rota. I would be happy to meet and explain further. Yours sincerely, Aoife Brennan.
2. Blog post for the school website
Quiet hour, big difference. After the bell, corridors empty and half of us still have work to finish. A two-day quiet study slot in Room 12 would give anyone who needs a desk, Wi-Fi and no soundtrack a fair chance. If that would help you, tell your year head. Small change, calmer evenings.
Notice what stayed (the study space) and what moved (greeting, length, how direct the ask is). A different reader can mean a different main job too, not only a softer or firmer voice. You only write one message twice. These samples are models, not your task list.
You’re making: one message written twice, for two different readers, 6 to 8 sentences each.
Where: in the writing box on this page. You only need the first draft today.
When you’re done: copy it into your Communication Portfolio folder as m1_l4_audience_switch_AB.
Pick one short real message from your own life (asking for an extension, replying to a job advert, posting about a school event, applying for a course). Write both versions in the draft box on this page: two different audiences, 6 to 8 sentences each. Label them Version A and Version B. Name the audience and purpose at the top of each. Write one short sentence for Version A and one for Version B saying why that version fits its reader. When finished, copy the pair into your Communication Portfolio as m1_l4_audience_switch_AB (AB stands for your own initials).docx (or your usual format).
Stuck for a message? Use one of these ready pairs (same core facts, two readers): (1) deadline move — Version A asks your year head to move a deadline; Version B tells a parent or guardian the new date and why you need it; (2) café weekend job — Version A replies to the manager about the post; Version B is a short message to a friend who asked if you are free that weekend.
You're done in class when you have a labelled pair, the two fit sentences, and the file saved under that name. Mark weak spots and polish if time allows; otherwise finish the polish at home.
Your audience and purpose switch
Score your own Version A and Version B against the three criteria.
- Write a short note in each cell and give each version a score out of 5 for that criterion.
- Name which version does its job better for the reader it was written for, and why.
- Write one concrete fix for your weaker version.
Glance back at the letter and blog in The Brief only if you need a quick model.
Score your own pair
Talk this through with the person beside you, or think it through on your own:
- Which of your two versions would you actually send, and what still needs one more pass?
- Where else this week will you write or message someone who needs a different tone from you?
If you want a longer note for future-you, put it in your Reflective Journal tonight: one paragraph on a time your tone landed, or missed.
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