English Listening Learning: A Practical Guide to Writing Effective Event Announcements

Hello again, we're back with a new lesson. This lesson is about announcing events. In this lesson, we'll focus on guidelines for writing an effective announcement. We'll also look at how to effectively list items in an announcement or other business communications. By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to apply guidelines for writing event announcements and use written lists appropriately. There are many different ways that events are announced. A grand opening of a new business may be open to the public and announced in local newspapers and on social media. A conference may be announced in a detailed email message sent to a specific group of people with a link to their website for more information. A smaller gathering for special clients may be announced by mail in a high-quality printed invitation. How are these similar? All announcements of events are designed to get people to the event. Let's look more closely at the language of announcements in our next lesson. For our purposes, our examples will focus on email messages, but the same ideas apply to other kinds of announcements.

Many announcements include a simple greeting. This isn't necessary, but it can help the reader understand who is included in the event. Is it other professionals or is it the entire public? This is an important difference. Sometimes it's clear from the type of event, but not always. Here are some examples. For an individual: Dear Dr. Adams. For a specific group: To our Swedish club members. Here are alumni students, faculty, and staff. For a non-specific group or to the public: Greetings to our neighbors in Bellingham, site of our newest location. To all of our valued Seattle customers. Answer all of the WH question words in your announcement. Question words: what, why, who, where, when? What is the event? Is it a retirement party, a seminar, an award ceremony, a trade show? Why are you having this event? That is, why would someone come? Is it to thank customers or to introduce a new CEO or to welcome people to your new location? If the name of the event is clear, you don't need to say why. Some events, like conferences, happen every year. In those cases, the reader usually understands the reason.

Who else is going to be there? The announcement might go to the general public or it may include a small group of business partners. Sometimes, this is clear in the greeting or by the type of event. If not, you can include it in the announcement. Of course, we want to include the time and place. Where is it? When is it? So, what, who, why, when, where? Which of these do you think should go first? Put the most important information first. People want to know what it is and when it is. This is the most important information for the reader to make a decision. Don't crowd all that information into one paragraph. Separate the information into several short paragraphs. The first sentence or two should tell the reader what the event is, give the event a title and use a noun phrase, capitalize the keywords in the title. Please join us for our third annual charity ball to raise money for Seattle Children's Hospital. We've expanded to a new location in University Village, come join the fun at our open house. We are pleased to announce the Northwest Conference on Workplace Safety.

One way to introduce the announcement could also be a few questions. The questions tell what the event will be about. Imagine you are thinking about remodeling your house. These questions might persuade you to attend the event. Are you considering a new kitchen? Does your bathroom need an update? Not sure where to start? Get answers to all your questions at the home and garden fair. The date is really important. Often it's in the first sentence. Sometimes it's helpful to include the day of the week. The idea is to help people decide quickly if they can attend. This information should be easy to find. We are pleased to announce a new workshop on investment planning on Saturday March Board. The announcement should feel positive and enthusiastic. Make the event sound exciting or interesting or useful. Or all three. Earlier we used questions to persuade people to attend an event. Using positive descriptions is another way to convince people to come to an event.

Here are a few examples. This year's conference will include exciting new developments in our field. We are delighted to have Dr. William Hodges, the country's leading expert on food policy, as our guest speaker. We are excited that we are able to include a networking event sponsored by XY Labs. Match the tone of the announcement with the type of event. A company picnic will have a different tone from a medical conference. Let's make this year the best summer barbecue ever. Relax with your colleagues and join us for fun, food, and festivities. Please join us for the Pacific Coast Regional Symposium for Medical Research. Come learn and network with professionals from over 14 countries.

There is often a lot of information to include, especially for very large events, but people usually want to find the most important details. So our next guideline is this: Be concise. Keep it short. You can send more information later if there is a lot of information, include a link to the website, but don't make it too short. You should tell them what the event is and why they are having it. You have included the date and time and place. Is that enough? Let's look at a short announcement of an event. Imagine you received this announcement. Would you have any questions? Is there more information you think you need? Well, let's take a look at the things one woman is worrying and wondering about. Will there be food? Should I eat before I go? I wonder if partners are invited. Can I bring my husband? Where can I park? Is this free? Am I expected to give a donation? Or am I supposed to buy something? Am I supposed to respond to someone? As you can see, these are some things you may need to include in an announcement. You only need to write a short sentence for each one. It doesn't need to be a lot of detail. Will there be food? Who is included? Is there parking? Is it free or other costs? Should the attendee respond how?

Finish with a positive message. We hope to see you there. If participants need to respond to the announcement or register for an event, provide a deadline. Please respond by February 12th. If the announcement is by email, the reader can simply reply to the sender. If it's another type of announcement, like an invitation, it might be necessary to include a name, email, or phone number. Please respond to Jamie Myers by email at jmyres at jj.com by February 12th. Let's do a quick review of the key guidelines. Start with a simple greeting. Answer all of the WH questions. Say what and when first. Be positive and use enthusiastic language. Be concise and keep it short. But include all the information people will need. Provide a deadline for responding.