party invitations.” The fact that letter A does not pro-
vide specific details is further evidence that the reader
knows the writer very well, for the writer doesn’t have to
provide specific details. Furthermore, in letter A, the
writer uses a command—“Find out!”—whereas in
letter B, the writer asks, rather than demands, that the
matter be looked into. This politeness reflects a profes-
sional distance between writer and reader.
In business, as in most writing, the audience usu-
ally determines the writer’s style. The writer of letter A
is probably capable of writing in the style of letter B, but
because she has a casual relationship with her reader,
she doesn’t need to use a formal style.
The Effect of Description and Detail In business, what some people call “flowery” style—lots
of description and detail—is almost never appropriate.
Why? Because in business, as they say, “time is money,”
so readers don’t want to spend time reading lengthy
descriptions or extensive detail. They just want the
facts: when the meeting will be held and where; what
the new product is designed to do and how much it
costs; how the new training manual is coming along. In
most cases, the more straightforward, the better.
Other times, however, when they want readers to
imagine a situation or to experience something through
language, writers need a “flowery” style. That is, they
need a high degree of description and detail. The fol-
lowing two paragraphs show the difference. Both
describe the same appointment, but in two very dif-
ferent styles. One is written in a style appropriate to
business and only records the facts. The other describes
the meeting in a style appropriate for general readers
interested in the feelings of the people involved.
– S T Y L E : I T ’ S N O T W H AT T H E Y S AY B U T H O W T H E Y S AY I T
