PACT: the four key questions
Creating a PACT for Effective Communication
Purpose?
- What is my main goal or purpose in this particular situation?
- Do I have any secondary purpose/s?
Audience?
- Who is my main audience? What are their expectations?
- Who else might be reading, viewing, or listening to my message?
Conventions?
- What delivery method is best suited to this situation? What are the conventions for the medium I have chosen?
- What other conventions do I need to keep in mind in terms of tone, style, documentation, or grammar?
Trouble?
- What could get in the way of my goals?
- How can I anticipate and avoid trouble-spots?