Read the introduction and the section on Formal versus Informal in Writing style from Lumen Learning’s online text book, Business writing. (You can stop reading when you reach the heading ‘Introductions: Direct and Indirect’, because most of the rest of the content on that page is covered elsewhere in this course.)

This reading describes formal, informal and conversational styles of writing, and discusses when and where each style is most appropriate. Choice of style will depend on your writing purpose, audience, and whether your document is for internal or external communication. Business writing often involves choosing the appropriate level of formality for particular industries, companies, and situations.

The following activity will help you recognise different writing styles and the appropriate contexts for using them. To help you, we have suggested a particular website for you to find resources on, but you are welcome to look for a similar range of written materials from other sources (online or on paper) and ask yourself the same questions. Just make sure that the materials you are looking at are produced by a reputable organisation that is likely to have a high standard of written English.

Operation Come Home is a Canadian charity which provides help to homeless young people through practical support and advice relating to education, employment and housing. On its website, you can find examples of several different styles of business writing, depending on the purpose of the communication.

1. Read and compare the following documents from the website:
   • 2018 brochure
   • Client complaint form
   • Information about the ‘BottleWorks’ project
   • Blogs (choose one or two to read)
2. For each piece of writing, note down:
   • The intended audience
   • The purpose (or ‘message’)
   • The context
   • What style of language has been used (formal, informal or conversational)
   • How you have identified the style (e.g. has the writer used particular words, phrases or formatting typical of that style?)
   • Why you think this style of writing is appropriate (or not) for the message and the audience
3. Share your thoughts on one of these pieces of writing in the discussion forum. Don’t forget to tag your post: ccom101.