Style is a basic and distinctive mode of expression.
It describes the product’s look and feel to the buyer. It creates distinctiveness that is hard to copy.
For example, styles appear in homes (colonial, ranch, transitional), clothing (formal, casual), and art (realist, surrealist, abstract). Once a style is invented, it may last for generations, passing in and our of vogue. A style has a cycle showing several periods of renewed interest.
Style means using words effectively to appeal to the individual reader. If used properly this will help you communicate your message more successfully.
The style you choose to use in your business writing depends very much on your purpose combined with what you know about the recipient. Although you may not have actually met, you will probably be aware of reader’s status and you certainly know what you hope to achieve by writing to him/er:
- Is the letter for a client or a member of staff?
- Will the recipient understand technical jargon or not?
The primary rules of business writing style are:
- Keep the point.
- Be clear in what you say.
- Be brief (but never terse)
- Always aim to be polite.
No reader wants to wade pages of unnecessary information or, worse, flowery and meaningless phrases, trying to find out just why you have written to them.
It is more effective in business writing to use short, active words rather than long, abstract passive ones. Begin a new line of thought with a new paragraph and break up your ideas into separate parts using short sentences to convey each point. This will result in you communicating your thoughts more precisely, accurately and logically.
A reader should not have to struggle to follow your argument or suggestion because it is expressed in long rambling sentences. The vocabulary should be appropriate to the reader’s level of knowledge and education.