Model Business Letters, Emails and Other Business Documents, 7th Edition

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Structuring messages logically

Whether you are composing a business letter, a fax message, a memo or an email, the general rules for structuring the body of the message are the same. A well-structured document written in good business language is the core of effective communication. This section will help you to get past that blank page and start creating well-structured documents that will achieve your objectives.

Four-point plan

Many messages are short and routine. You can write or dictate them without any special thinking or preparation. However, documents that are not so routine need more thought and careful planning. Here is a useful, simple framework for structuring all written messages. I’ve been using this structure in my training ...