Courtesy

Being courteous

Being courteous means respecting your reader and their time, as well as using appropriate language.

Courteous communication is open, friendly, and honest.

Ways to make your communication courteous are in the choice of words you use, the tone you think comes across, and your ability to share information in an honest way without blame.

Courteous writing means you need to design a reader-friendly, easy-to-read document. Readability comes from consideration of the following:

• white space, including margin spaces and space between paragraphs,
• headings to allow document scanning,
• bullets to highlight key information,
• font size, type, and colour.

Courteous communication uses language appropriate to the situation and the audience. As a writer, choose words, phrases, and tone that meet the needs of the reader. As ever, audience is central to knowing the level of courtesy needed.

Courteous messages are free from blame, free from bias, and positive in their intent. You can write about issues and problems in a courteous way. Sticking to facts enables readers to assess a difficult situation without needing to hear negative tone, negative attitudes, and negative intentions.

Tips

• Choose words familiar to your audience.

• Choose the correct structure based on purpose.

• Format every document to the reader specifications.

• Think about how you want your audience to feel after reading.

• Check your tone with a peer.