Building Blocks for Effective Messages: Don't I know enough about Communication?

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.