Chapter 6 – Rhetorical Analysis of Business Genres

Genres are classifications or categories of communication, such as memos, reports, and letters. Business genres are different from discipline to discipline, and the rhetorical analysis of business genres require the consideration of many factors, including authorship, social context, and purpose for the communication. These genres can be written, audio, or video, and implemented for internal use with discourse community members, or for external use with clients or potential clients, for example. Being able to analyze the business genres you interact with will help the reader better understand them, but it will also help business writers to fully and effectively articulate the intended message.

Conducting the analysis

When conducting an analysis of a business genre, consider the five Ws:

• Who wrote it and how are they affiliated with the business discourse they represent?
• What is the genre and how is it used by the discourse community?
• When is the genre used by the business discourse and for what purpose?
• Where is the genre used and to whom is it directed?
• Why is the genre used by the business discourse and what is it designed to accomplish?