Alyssa shies away from using the direct organizational approach in her request messages to coworkers, as she feels it is rude and inconsiderate to blurt her request out at the start of a message. Do you agree?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer: Despite Alyssa's reservations, the direct organizational approach is the better choice for most requests. At a first glance, the indirect approach may seem more polite because it is less assertive than the direct approach. Instead of coming right out with the request, details lead up to it. However, the indirect approach requires the audience to read through all the details before learning why they are important. As a result, the audience may need to reread the message. So while Alyssa's intentions are good, her approach is off the mark. Messages that use direct organization will be easier and less time-consuming for your audience to read. Considering that audiences deal with dozens of messages daily, organizing routine requests directly is actually the more considerate approach. Of course, certain circumstances do call for the indirect approach. For example, if a question is likely to confuse your audience, a brief introduction can provide useful context.