Example: Effective Writing for Different Message Types

The purpose of informative writing is to transfer information to the reader. To make informative writing effective, you should explain your reason for writing at the start. It's also important to organize key ideas, be specific, and separate fact from opinion.

Examples

Simple announcements

Subject: Todd Brenner named head of the Marketing Department

Effective Writing for Different Message Types

To write effective and appropriate business messages, you need to identify the purpose of your writing. Taking a few minutes to define your purpose can dramatically improve your writing. It will help keep you focused on the point of your message and the reaction you want it to inspire.

There are two questions you can ask yourself to help identify your purpose in writing a business document:

Using an Appropriate Tone in Business Writing

Analyzing your audience and the purpose of your message is the key to successful business writing. As well as helping you decide what content and how much detail to include, it helps you apply the right tone in your writing.

Tone refers to the style or manner of expression you use, in your speech or writing. Just like in a conversation, the tone you use in your writing affects the way a reader interprets and responds to your message.

Defining Your Target Audience

The characteristics of your readers

Four main considerations about your reading audience should guide your writing.

Size of your audience

It can be more difficult to write to multiple readers than to a single reader. If you have multiple readers, you should determine who your key readers are. Although you may include some extra explanation or definitions for other readers, this shouldn't become cumbersome for the key readers.

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