Don't I know enough about Communication?

• Business Communication differs from other school writing.

 Although both business communication and other school writing demand standard edited English, in other ways the two are very different.

Purpose:

• The Purpose of school writing is usually to show that you have learned the course material and to demonstrate your intelligence.
• The Purpose of business communication is to meet an organizational need. No one will pay you to write something that he or she already knows.

Audience:

• The audiences for school writing are limited: usually just the instructor and the other students. The real audience is "an educated person." Even if the instructor disagrees with your views, if they are well-supported, the paper can earn a good grade. The instructor is paid, in part, to read your papers and will them even if they are boring.
• The audiences for business communication include people both inside and outside the organization. Real audiences pay attention to messages only if they seem important, relevant, and interesting.

Information:

• Information in school writing may be new to you but is rarely new to your instructor.
• Information in business communication is usually new to your reader.(If it isn't, you have to work extra hard to make it interesting.)

Organization:

• School writing often follows the traditional essay form, with a thesis statement up front, paragraphs of evidence, and a final concluding paragraph.
• Business communication is organized to meet the psychological needs of the reader. Most often, the main point comes up front.

Style:

• The style for school writing is often formal. Big words and long sentences and paragraphs are often rewarded.
• Teh style for business communication is friendly, not formal. Short words and a mix of sentence and paragraph lengths are best.

Document Design:

• School writing often rewards long paragraphs. Papers are often double spaced, with no attention to visual design.
• Business people want to be able to skim documents. Headings, lists, and single-spaced paragraphs with double spacing between paragraphs help readers find information quickly.

Visuals:

• Expect for maths, construction, and engineering, few classes expect writing to contain anything other than words.
• Business writers are expected to choose the most effective way to convey information. Even a one-page memo may contain a table, graph, or other visual. You'll be expected to be able to use computer programs to create graphs, visuals, and slides for presentations.