• “To receive an E-mail from my boss that enthusiastically
endorses my job application.”
• “To get a phone call from my boss to schedule a time to meet and
discuss my job application.”
2. Mariana, vice president of a telecommunications firm, has received
a letter of complaint from a customer. The customer reports that he
was treated rudely by Norman, a customer satisfaction team member.
Mariana wants to gather information before responding to the customer’s
letter and decides to make her request in writing. She plans to E-mail
Norman directly and copy his boss.
Write a one-sentence objective for Mariana’s E-mail.
Mariana’s action objectives might include:
• “To receive from Norman a written explanation of his conduct
within twenty-four hours.”
• “To have the customer’s records forwarded to me by Norman’s
direct supervisor by the end of business today.”
3. Philip is a volunteer at a crisis hot line center in his community. He
has joined a 10-kilometer walk-a-thon for the hot line; every person he
signs up agrees to donate one dollar for every kilometer that he completes.
He decides to create a small flyer and slide it under the doors of the
residents in his apartment building.
Write a one-sentence objective for Philip’s flyer.
Philip’s action objectives might include:
• “To receive signed pledges under my door this week.”
• “To get ‘way to go’ notes of support, in addition to the signed
pledges, under my door this week.”
4. Tawana owns and operates a small bookkeeping service. Business
is good, and she decides to send out sales letters in an attempt to grow
her business.
Business Writing for Results