Sora Chenet

        As students and soon to be employees, we are so used to going out there and promoting ourselves to the best of our abilities. From applying to schools to applying to different positions, we are always selling ourselves. We have worked hard to keep everything about the I’s and the Me’s. However, as we go into the “real world,” we will need to focus more on our clients or patients or whoever our audience is. From then on, everything is about them. From here on, everything is about You, not Me.

        As I took the course, Writing for Your Profession, I learned that much of the writing that takes place in the workplace is focused on the audience, whether it be the boss or the client. In an article we read, “The You Attitude and Reader-Centered Writing,” we learned the importance of putting You first. When communicating with the receiver, it is important to make the message “reader-centered.” The readers want to know that we understand their needs, that we too feel that way. It is also important to maintain the focus on the reader since readers respond more positively when they feel more important and are easier to persuade.

        Similar to the article mentioned above, an article, “Writing Bad News Messages,” reviewed how to inform someone of bad news. After reading the article, I was able to learn first-hand what it was like to put the reader first through a negative message letter. Even though the article and the exercise focused mainly on business transactions, the main idea was transferrable to my discipline. In psychology, one of the responsibilities people will have is to tell parents or guardians a diagnosis of a disability. No matter what the situation, that is one of the hardest, most sensitive topics to bring up to parents. To hear that your child may have a disability or handicap is devastating, especially in a time when people are still insensitive to mental disabilities.

How long has it been since the word “retard” is to be considered inappropriate? It was only in 2010 that President Obama signed a bill that the words “mental retardation” and “mentally retarded” be prohibited from federal records. There are still stigmas around mental disabilities in many societies, thus delivering that kind of news needs to be given with much consideration to the family, to You. In this already negative message, it is important that the reporter focuses the attention onto the families and exclude any unnecessary negative words. Rearranging words to seem as positive as possible will help lessen the impact of the news. In addition, it is important to not focus on the problem the families will be facing, but rather the solutions that can help ease the pains. After delivering the message, the psychologist should provide interventions or programs that could help the families adjust to the situation and help their child get better. Providing the families with solutions will lessen the negativity of the message and reassure the families’ faith in the psychologist to help them with their child.

The You attitude is different from what we have grown accustomed to through writing resumes or cover letter or applying to positions. We now have to learn how to consider the readers and put them first. After all, it is You who is our customer and the customer is always right. And even if they’re not, we have to make sure they’re wrong with dignity.