Purpose and main message
In Module 1, you considered the purpose and main message of various documents. Here’s a quick review.
Purpose: Your purpose is your statement of what you want the reader to do once they have finished reading your document. The purpose statement is the answer to the question: “Why am I writing this?” Another way to think of it is that it answers the reader’s question: “Why am I reading this?”
Main message: Your main message is the central idea of your correspondence, expressed in one or two sentences. [link to Main Message in Module 1]. It answers the reader’s question, “Why do I need to do what you are asking me to do?”
Your main message is equally important whether it is a responsive or initiative document.
Practice: Purpose and main message
Consider these brief correspondence scenarios; write the purpose and the main message of each document. (You may not be able to write complete main messages for each example, since some details are not provided.) Compare your responses to ours when you are finished.