#24548
Walking a Fine Line: Writing Negative Letters in an Insurance Company 
This limited case study examines the situated-language practices associated with the production of negative letters in an insurance company. Using genre and sociocultural theories, the study combines textual analyses of a set of negative letters together with writers' accounts of producing these letters to identify effective (as defined by the company) strategies for composing this correspondence. These letters are examples of generic action, and they demonstrate that genres function as constellations of regulated, improvisational strategies triggered by the interaction between individual socialization and an organization. Moreover, these constellations of resources express a particular chronotopic relation to space and time, and this relation is always axiological or value oriented. In other words, genres express space/time relations that reflect current social beliefs regarding the placement and actions of human individuals in space and time. The article identifies some of the strategies that characterize effective negative messages in this organization. It also critiques this text type for enacting a set of practices and related chronotopic orientation that is against the interests of its readers and writers.
Schryer, Catherine F. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (2000). Articles>Business Communication>Correspondence
#23505
When users complain about sites, webmasters frequently respond with hostility, derision, condescension, or just plain silence. No wonder users rarely bother to complain. Bad attitudes stand between the site you created and the site your users want to use.
Seebach, Peter. IBM (2001). Design>Web Design>Correspondence>User Centered Design
#28843
Where is Email 2.0? And Why is Commercial Email So Boring?
I don't recall the last time I received a commercial email that made me take notice or smile.
Usborne, Nick. Excess Voice (2007). Articles>Business Communication>Correspondence>Email
#28832
Why "Best Buddy" Emails Work So Well. Sometimes.
The best buddy approach works within specific product and service sectors, where readers can easily be tripped into a state of dissociation...because they have problems that the writer promises to solve.
Usborne, Nick. Excess Voice (2007). Articles>Business Communication>Correspondence>Email
#10214
Why Your E-Mail May Never Arrive After All
Robert Lucky's view of excuses useful for fending off the e-mail deluge may not all belong to what he termed a 'passing, satirical dream' [IEEE Spectrum, January, p. 162]. As he put it, 'When someone asks, 'Did you see my urgent e-mail?' you can't say no, because it obviously got to you.' I have been trying to point out the error in this ever since I began to understand, more or less, the workings of Internet e-mail. Four years of managing corporate e-mail have shown me that the excuses are indeed plausible and do occur in nature.
Li, Ambrose. IEEE Spectrum (2001). Articles>Internet>Correspondence>Email
#23163
If the average business letter starts poorly, then it invariably finishes poorly. Your closing paragraph should bring your letter to a polite, businesslike close. Typical final paragraphs in business letters invite the reader to write again or use overused and meaningless phrases that detract from the impact of the letter.
Newman, Judith M. LupinWorks. Articles>Business Communication>Correspondence>Rhetoric
#23162
Writing a Strong Opening to Your Business Letter 
Your first job in writing any letter is to gain your reader's attention. It's an important principle of effective writing to put the most important information first. Your opening paragraph is both the headline and the lead for the message that follows in the rest of the letter.
Business Letter Writing. Articles>Writing>Correspondence>Business Communication
#29792
Writing an Effective Letter to the Editor
There are many reasons to write a letter to the editor of a newspaper. Whatever your motivation, this article helps you to write a letter that gets published.
Clark, Steve. Carolina Communique (2007). Articles>Writing>Correspondence
#19620
Writing Effective E-Mail: Top 10 Tips
The informal e-mails you exchange with your friends don't have to meet any particular standards, but if you want to be taken seriously by professionals, you should learn proper e-mail etiquette.
Bauer, Jessica and Dennis G. Jerz. Seton Hill University (2000). Articles>Business Communication>Correspondence>Email
#13049
Writing Effective E-Mail: Top 10 Tips
This document offers 10 tips to help you write effective professional e-mails. The informal e-mails you exchange with your friends don't have to meet any particular standards, of course, but if you want to be taken seriously by people who use e-mail frequently, you should know e-mail etiquette.
Bauer, Jessica. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (2001). Articles>Business Communication>Correspondence>Email
#26003
Always start by putting your main message up front. Some people feel that bad news should be buried. But research shows that readers will always look for the bottom line.
PlainLanguage.gov (1995). Articles>Business Communication>Correspondence>Minimalism
#23161
Writing Powerful Headings for Your Business Letters
Can you imagine reading a newspaper or magazine without any headlines or headings? Headlines and headings help us find our way around, decide what to read, signal what's coming next and highlight key points.
Business Letter Writing. Articles>Writing>Correspondence>Business Communication
#23160
Writing your Business Plan in Plain English
Plain English is clear English. It is simple and direct but not simplistic or patronising. Using plain English doesn’t mean everyone's writing must sound the same. There is no one ‘right’ way to express an idea. There's plenty of room for your own style—but it will only blossom once you have got rid of the poor writing habits that are typical of most business writing.
Business Letter Writing. Articles>Writing>Correspondence>Business Communication
#32371
This handout will help you solve your memo-writing problems by discussing what a memo is, describing the parts of memos, and providing examples and explanations that will make your memos more effective.
Purdue University (2007). Articles>Business Communication>Correspondence>Genre
#33407
One of the most fundamental tools used in any form of e-business is email, but most of us don't really think about it - we just use it out of habit, not with any real plan. And as business becomes ever busier it's easy to become inundated with email and fall so far behind that it becomes useless and customers get frustrated with lack of responsiveness.
Oxer, Jonathan. Internet Vision Technologies (2008). Articles>Business Communication>Correspondence>Email
#34447
Is Your Email Businesslike — or Brusque?
Anyone whose ever been part of an online "flame war" has had the experience of a tiny "e-mole" becoming a mountain. Studies have shown that readers add (or invent) emotional bias that is often counter to your intent as the sender. In this case, all of the niceties you thought you were writing ended up sounding very different in the mind of your employee.
Silverman, David. Harvard University (2009). Articles>Business Communication>Correspondence>Email
#34560
Learning about writing for the web has made me a better email communicator and project manager. Email would be much more effective if content was broken out in easy-to-understand sections with a clear guide for next steps at the end.
Johnson, Beth. Brain Traffic (2009). Articles>Business Communication>Correspondence>Email
#35135
Although extensive research has been done on teaching emails and on the use of emails in organisations, little research exists about how to incorporate organizational practitioners' views as the voices of the community of social practice. To remedy this pedagogical gap, this article uses a genre approach to discuss organizational practitioners' views on the use of email in organizational settings. It also develops seven teaching and learning stages for situated learning and teaching in business communication based upon the presented study findings.
Zhu, Yunxia and Catherine White. Business Communication Quarterly (2009). Articles>Business Communication>Correspondence>Email
#35456
How To Identify and Deal With Different Types Of Clients
In business, being able to read people and quickly get a sense of who you’re dealing with is an invaluable skill. It turns your encounter with a client into an opportunity to catch a glimpse of the upcoming project and how it will need to be handled. It is one of the building blocks of a professional relationship. In today’s digital age, the arena has shifted to the Web, and the online office space that most freelancers inhabit limits personal interaction. Though sussing out a client’s personality via online communication is difficult, it still remains an invaluable tool in your arsenal.
Bowen, Robert. Smashing (2009). Careers>Consulting>Correspondence>Collaboration
