ABSTRACT
Business correspondence generally takes the form of emails or paper letters. Both forms deliver strategic messages to targeted individuals, and both are concise: The business letter, for example, is usually one page, plus an envelope. Different business messages have different strategic organizations. For example, a bad-news message is organized differently from a sales message. The different ways to organize business messages support the strategic purposes of the different forms of business correspondence. The audience of a business letter or email usually is one person. The first segment on business correspondence presents the standard format for letters and emails. The chapter discusses content and organization suggestions that apply to most business letters. Email messages are increasingly replacing slower, more expensive paper letters—but, for many recipients, email still lacks the formality and gravity of an old-fashioned paper letter.
