Katy Wants to Improve Her Business Writing Skills and Is

Multiple Choice

Katy wants to improve her business writing skills and is looking for a way to determine the appropriate tone for her messages. Which of the following suggestions represents the best advice?

A) Incorporate a lot of slang and colourful language into your message. This enlivens and enriches the message and makes it stand out from more stilted writing styles.
B) Keep your tone neutral, and use the passive voice. This keeps the message from offending or antagonizing the recipient, thus ensuring it will receive serious consideration.
C) Keep the tone highly formal and structured to convey that the message is important. After all, business issues must be taken seriously.
D) Imagine you are speaking to the recipient of the message, and let your writing style flow like a natural conversation.