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In many workplaces, written communication will be very important in your day to day activities. Here are some concepts to keep in mind with your written communication:
- Start with your goal: what are you trying to achieve with this communication? Are you trying to persuade? Inform?
- Consider your audience: is it an employer, your professor, a colleague, your boss?
- Use appropriate salutations, such as Mr. or Ms. Use salutations unless invited to do otherwise by the person you’re addressing.
- Be concise. Unless you are writing a full technical report, most business communications benefit from conciseness.
- Watch your tone. Keep it friendly, yet professional. Be cautious with humour and avoid slang. One great way to check the tone of your writing is to read it out loud before sending it. Your tone can influence how your message is interpreted.
- Be aware of cultural differences. Diversity in workplaces means there is a greater likelihood for certain communications to be misunderstood. For example, not everyone may understand if you say “those products are a dime a dozen”, but they’ll likely understand if you say “those products are very common”. Try to avoid idiomatic expressions and use plain language where you can.
Emails
An electronic mail message or email is a great way to provide direct, important, and timely information. When writing a professional email, for example, you’ll want to keep the following in mind:
- Start with a greeting. “Dear” is standard in formal correspondence, while “Greetings” is an acceptable alternative. When possible, put the recipient’s name, then follow it with a comma or colon. Many organizations are OK with the use of “Hi” as a greeting, particularly for internal communications. Find out what the expectations are in your workplace.
Examples:
- Dear Dr. Chad,
- Greetings, Ms. Oswald:
- Dear Cathy Picard:
- Hi Victoria,
- Get to the point quickly. If you are thanking the recipient or responding to a recent message from them, start there.
Examples:
- Thank you for your contribution to the project brainstorm.
- The materials you requested are scheduled to arrive tomorrow.
- Explain what you’re writing about. Think about (1) what you’re hoping to make happen, and (2) how the person you’re writing to can help. Be direct but not brusque.
Examples:
- I need some guidance on responding to this inquiry from Payroll.
- I’m a recent business graduate hoping to schedule an informational interview with you to learn more about digital marketing in the arts.
- Keep it short. Respect your readers’ time. If it’s a weighty subject or requires lengthy discussion, set up a meeting.
- End with a closing. Use a sentence that makes your meaning clear and/or sets up what’s next.
Examples:
- I’ll look forward to discussing this with you further at 11 a.m. Thursday.
- Please look over the attached draft report and let me know what revisions you’d like.
- Sign off.
Examples:
- Sincerely,
- Yours truly,
- Thanks again,
- Appreciatively,