Short, informative messages can take a variety of forms. For example, a quick communication to a teammate can utilize IM technology and provide a vehicle for a quick response. These messages tend to be more conversational in structure and resemble a chat more than an email or other document (Figure 1).

Figure 1. A chat conversation between two coworkers discussing attendance of a future summit.

Another form of a short informative message could be a Twitter message, or tweet. Tweets are better for communicating with larger audiences, possibly external as well; in fact, one of the primary uses of Twitter (by companies) is advertising and promoting their brands. (We discussed Twitter in more depth in Module 10: Social Media.)

If the situation requires a more formal approach for your message, sending an email is usually more appropriate. In this example, the communication is being sent to a company executive from a subordinate.