Meet the Genres
Before we discuss each one, let’s get a brief overview of the most popular business writing genres. We will discuss reports in Chapter 8 and social media in Chapter 6.
Table 4.4.1. Genres of Business Writing
| Genre |
Speed |
Formality |
Current Purposes |
| The Letter |
Slow |
High |
- To communicate with people outside of an organization.
- To communicate formally when there are legal implications.
- To solicit donations.
- To communicate when time isn’t a strong constraint.
|
| The Memo |
Slow to Medium-Fast |
Medium to High |
- To communicate within an organization, usually to a large group of people.
- To broadcast a message (rather than have a conversation).
|
| The Fax |
Fast |
Medium |
- To send encrypted medical or legal information.
|
| The Email |
Fast |
Variable |
- To communicate both internally and externally, for a wide variety of purposes and in varying levels of formality.
- To have a discussion.
- To document a conversation.
- To send files.
|
| Instant Messages |
Fast |
Low |
- To communicate quickly (both internally and externally).
- To have a discussion or meeting.
- To provide customer service.
|
| Social Media |
Fast |
Low |
- To market products and services.
- To communicate with an external audience.
- To provide customer service.
- To engage in discussions.
|
| Reports |
Slow |
Medium to High |
- To persuade an audience to adopt a recommendation.
- To provide an update on a project or situation.
- To analyze a problem or opportunity.
|
| Proposals |
Slow |
Medium to High |
- To get hired for a specific job or project by a external client.
- To persuade your organization to make a change.
- To obtain funding from a granting body or government organization.
|
Attribution
“Meet The Genres” from Business Writing For Everyone by Arley Cruthers is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
