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Managers and subordinates often experience confusion about what style to use when they write letters and memorandums. They make revisions and rancor builds. Style is more than a matter of using words with appropriate denotations; it is also using words with appropriate connotations. Thus, style is partly a matter of tone. A workable definition of style in business writing is: that choice of words, sentences, and paragraph format which by virtue of being appropriate to the situation and to the power positions of both writer and reader produces the desired reaction and result.

The ability to communicate and write well is invaluable to a top executive and is a major factor in determining his or her promotability. A checklist of the elements of good writing is a means for individuals and groups to improve their writing skills. The four basic criteria of the written performance inventory are readability, correctness, appropriateness, and thought. Tact, supporting detail, opinion, and attitude are critical to determine the appropriateness of upward communications. In downward communications, diplomacy, clarification of desires, and motivational aspects are more significant. The most important element of any written communication is its thought content.