Genres: Texts or Actions?

For most of us, the word “genre” refers to kinds–or types–of music, literature, or films. The word may be used to differentiate between, say, country, rock, classical, or hip hop music; between science fiction, romance, biography, or self-help books; between comedies, dramas, action/adventure films, or documentaries. But when writing researchers use the term “genre,” they mean something a little different.  In a writing context, it refers to a conventional way of organizing, presenting, and using language in situations that recur–or repeat–over time.  Some of the many genres of professional writing are:

• An insurance claim
• A job description
• An annual review
• A legal brief
• A proposal
• A syllabus
• A receipt or a bill-of-sale
• A resume
• A lab report
• A medical record
• A letter of acceptance
• A scholarship application
• A restaurant menu

Most genres immediately indicate their audiences, purposes, types of subject matter, structure, and so on. A job description is created by a company to advertise a particular position and/or to outline the responsibilities for the person applying/hired. It is either an official document (when used for an employee) or it is a tool used to hire somebody (both company/organization and potential candidates use the description to decide if a person is qualified).

In other words, genres are really texts that facilitate achieving a purpose or goal. They are not just descriptions—they are actions that facilitate and reinforce professional relationships.

For example, a course syllabus is a genre is used by teachers and students to facilitate communication about course expectations. Students are, then, the primary audience for the course syllabus. But there are other audiences for the syllabus: other teachers of the course, the instructor’s supervisor, administrators . . . the list goes on.  But all are familiar with the nature and purposes of a syllabus.   Only by thinking about examples of writing as genres–as actions–rather than as simply documents or forms, can we develop an appropriate stance from which to learn how to write them.

Genres are often conventional.  Their content, structure, audiences and purposes are dictated by the discourse community.  Consider the job description again: It typically begins with an overview of the job as well as minimum qualifications. Why does it begin there? Why isn’t this information at the end, or in the middle somewhere? The overview acts as a kind of advertisement; it is there to attract candidates to the position. But the minimum qualifications quickly help candidates to consider whether or not they should apply–which in turn saves the company extra work identifying people who do not qualify. In that sense, the minimum qualifications help both the job searcher and the company work more efficiently.

Workplace Writing

What about an email: is an email a genre? A text message? A tweet? Well . . . maybe.  An email might contain a job announcement, after all. Or you might use an email to communicate with your doctor about your ongoing symptoms. So while there are “rules” or conventions that apply to an email or a tweet (or a blog or a text message), it is important to realize that often these are simply platforms–or mediums–for communicating a particular genre.

Comparing Workplace Writing and Technical Writing

Genre Sets

Genres are at the heart of the study of writing, and another useful way for thinking about them and developing your ability as a writer is to identify which genres “go together.” To put it another way, every profession or occupation requires someone to communicate in a number of different genres. The collection of those genres is referred to as a “genre set.”

Why might knowing the genre set for a particular job or position be useful? Practically speaking, it is helpful when considering a job to know just what the writing requirements are. Once working in a certain position, taking time to understand the relationship between the different genres can help you to identify areas of overlap and thereby help you to be a more effective and efficient communicator. Furthermore, studying the genre set can help us to understand how the writing in that position upholds the goals of the company or organization—or undermines them.

Below are some examples of some different genre sets to get you thinking creatively about the amount and diversity of writing/communication work that is involved in any profession (even ones we do not typically think of as writing-intensive!).

Genre Systems

As Chapter 2, “Audience Analysis,” makes clear, the more you can think about writing-in-use (how your writing will be read), the better your writing will be. Imagining your audience is an important part of that process, and so is thinking about the other genres with which your writing will “work” or interact. For example, a job description (genre 1) often prompts a job applicant to put together a resume (genre 2) and cover letter (genre 3). The candidate will be contacted that they have been selected in some fashion—typically a letter (genre 4) and perhaps asked to provide further application materials, such as letters of recommendation or documentation of training/experience (genres 5, 6 . . .).

The term given to the intersecting genres that facilitate a particular kind of work is “genre system.” Often this term is used to refer to the genres that work together to form the work of a particular organization–which often involves the intersection of genre sets. While you may never actually use the term “genre system,” the idea of a genre system is something that all writers in workplace settings are aware of to some degree. For example, knowing that a report you create may prompt follow-up documentation can help you craft your writing in a way that helps the company or organization complete its work successfully.

The more you can anticipate all the different contexts and situations that might be impacted by the writing you do, the more quickly you will advance as a writing professional, because you will be able to think critically about the audience for your writing and connect your writing choices to your writing goals.