The Essentials of Technical Communication: Chapter 7

In this Chapter

This chapter discusses the most commonly used business documents: E-mails, Texts, Memos, and Letters. The chapter briefly describes each type of communication and provides guidelines for quality composition of these documents. The concept of tone is introduced and guidelines for proper tone are listed. The chapter than provides numerous examples of various documents along with descriptions of the relevant background. 

Introduction

                Emails, text messages, memos, and letters are very common forms of communication in business environments.  Because they are so common, information in these documents is often overlooked or ignored. Thus, it is very important to have clear introductions or subject lines for these types of documents. These documents should also be very concise so as not to waste the reader’s time. 

E-mail and Text Messages

                These two electronic forms of communication are the most common. Texts should be used to convey urgent notifications with very brief messages.  The important points in a text should be at the beginning so it is immediately readable on a mobile device. You should always use proper spelling and grammar for a business text message.

                E-mails can be longer and contain more information. E-mail is useful when the message is less urgent and contains more information. A proper subject line is important because most people are constantly overwhelmed with large numbers of e-mails of varying importance. For the same reason, e-mails should still be fairly concise. 

Memos and Letters

                Memos are used for internal communication within an organization. They are usually short and can be printed on paper or transmitted electronically. Memos are not acceptable for communicating with readers outside of the organization.

                For external communication, letters are appropriate. Letters can be longer than memos, and are usually more formal. Both memos and letters should be designed to be read quickly.

Quality Guidelines

                Always proofread communications before you send them. All documents should be concise, concrete, complete, correct, courteous, and clear. In addition to the actual content, you should also format the document carefully to make it visually appealing and easy to read. When using text messages, avoid using slang and abbreviations; keep it professional. 

Correct use of Tone

                Tone is the quality of writing that causes an emotional response in your reader. It is important to maintain a respectful and conversational tone in business writing.  Avoid phrases that make your reader feel as if they are under attack. At the same time, try not to be to objective because it can result in cold and impersonal writing. Always be clear, but also be sensitive to the emotional effect of your words on the reader.

                You should take extra time to consider the tone of documents about sensitive subjects or which convey bad news. It is helpful to read aloud what you have written, as sometimes the tone is not apparent when the document is being written.  It can also be helpful to create a draft, let it sit for a while to clear your head, and come back to it later. This later reading can reveal tone issues you would have otherwise missed.