Guidelines for Effective Business Texting

Business Communication

• Texting is useful for short exchanges and staying connected when talking on the phone would be cumbersome.
• Texting is not suitable for long or complicated messages, and consideration should be given to the audience.

Guidelines for Effective Business Texting

• Know your recipient and anticipate unintentional misinterpretation.
• Use appropriate words, terms, or abbreviations to deliver your message effectively.
• Don't text and drive.

Email

• Email is a familiar and widely used mode of business communication.
• It has largely replaced print hard copy letters for external correspondence and often replaces memos for internal communication.
• Professional emails require attention to the writing context, and elements of form can indicate a writer's understanding of audience and purpose.

Guidelines for Effective Business Emails

• Not specified in the text.

Memos

• Memos are versatile documents used in professional settings to pass along or request information, outline policies, present short reports, and propose ideas.
• Memos are often used to inform, but can also be persuasive documents.

Memo Format

• A Memo Header Block appears at the top left side of the memo, containing detailed information on the recipient, sender, and purpose.
• The Memo Message should answer the following questions:
• Why am I reading this?
• What do I need to know?
• What am I expected to do now?

Letters

• Letters are brief messages sent to recipients outside the organization, often printed on letterhead paper.
• Letters are generally limited to one or two pages.

Netiquette and Online Correspondence

• Netiquette refers to proper etiquette for using the internet in a professional context.
• Online writing requires tact, skill, and awareness that what you write may be seen by people you never considered as your intended audience.
• Personal online interactions can leave a lasting image, literally.

Guidelines for Online Postings

• Know your context and avoid assumptions about your readers.
• Remember the human behind the words and ask for clarification before making judgment.
• Recognize that text is permanent, be judicious and diplomatic, and avoid flaming.
• Respect privacy and original ideas, and ask the author of an email for permission before forwarding the communication.
• Accept and forgive mistakes.