Chapter 8: Routine Messages
ENL1004 Course Learning Outcomes
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- Write professional documents that are clear, concise, correct, and visually engaging (1).
- Compose a variety of academic and vocation-related documents tailored to specific audiences and purposes. (1.2).
- Edit work according to grammar conventions, document requirements, and needs of the audience. (1.3).
- Adapt tone, style, and language to meet the needs of a variety of audiences (1.4).
- Incorporate visual elements to support communication objectives as required (1.5).
- Identify the value, limitations, and hazards of Generative AI and other transformative technologies (4.4).
The vast majority of the couple hundred billion business emails sent every day (see §6.1 above) are short messages of a routine nature such as asking for and sharing information, requesting action, or thanking someone for something given. Most of the time these are positive or neutral messages even when they involve small complaints or claims where you request that an error be corrected. These are all direct-approach messages where the main idea comes right upfront and details follow. Occasionally, you must communicate bad news in writing, which requires a more careful, indirect approach. All of these situations involve conventions that business professionals follow to minimize miscommunication and its fallout, and thus keep their operation running smoothly. In this chapter, we continue our applied-writing unit by examining the conventions for the following everyday message types:
