Memos, letters, and e-mail are a part of any business culture. To write effective correspondence, you should be able to:
- Recognize when to use a memo and when to use a letter.
- Plan the written correspondence by developing a rhetorical strategy and considering whether to use a direct or indirect approach to make your main point.
- Organize information appropriately based on the type of message (informative message, request for action, inquiry, or appreciation message).
- Know the standard conventions for formatting memos and letters and design them accordingly.
- Edit the correspondence so it's concise and suitable for the audience and situation, focusing on tone, diction, sentence structure, and clarity.
- Understand the advantages and disadvantages of using e-mail, recognize privacy concerns, and review guidelines for using, formatting, and attaching files to e-mail.
When corresponding with people in other cultures, be aware of how their expectations govern the organization and tone of your correspondence.
