The third “C” of professionalism is conventionality. Conventionality refers to your ability to conform to professional expectations (format, style, etc.). For instance, a résumé looks like a résumé, a report looks like a report, and an email looks like an email. Following conventions is important in business because it implicitly signals that you belong in the community. You know the rules, and you know how to follow them. Alternatively, if you break the mold, you do it with high-quality creativity so that your receiver has no doubt that you still know the rules and belong in the community.

Conventions of business communication are culturally bound. They differ from country to country and, to a lesser extent, from organization to organization or industry to industry. Generally, conventions remain fairly constant and slow to change, although they may change rapidly with new technologies or as societal standards change.

You can see some of the changes to conventions most vividly in how people dress for business, how email technologies have changed how people write memos, and how text messaging and instant messaging have changed the way people write emails. For example, dress codes have become decidedly more relaxed following the COVID-19 pandemic.^[1] Communication has become somewhat more casual over the years, and it has become more common for business people to use emojis in emails.^[2]

Identify and Follow Conventions

So, how do you identify conventions, especially in business writing and presentations? There are numerous examples provided in books, from how to write cover letters to how to develop a PowerPoint presentation. We won’t go into details of all the different conventions here. Instead, we offer basic steps you can follow to learn what the conventions are for any type of message.

Gather Examples of a Particular Message Type (business letters, annual reports, etc.)
These will be most helpful if they are gathered from within your own company or at least your own industry. You can also search the Internet for examples of any kind of document.

Look for Similarities Across the Examples
These can be in how things are formatted (fonts, colors, white space), how content is ordered, or even how particular turns of phrase are used with regularity. The similarities you notice are the standards of the conventions.

For example, if you look at business letters, you will likely notice several similarities. Business letters normally appear on some form of company letterhead (i.e., the stationery with the company logo). The information is ordered in the same way (date, name, and address of the receiver, a salutation, the letter itself, and a signature block). Paragraphs are single-spaced with blank lines in between. Those are the standards, and you should not deviate from them.

Look for Differences Across the Examples
Now, look for ways in which the documents differ from each other. The differences demonstrate where there is wiggle room.

Things that might look different are varying fonts. Sometimes the salutation uses “Dear,” and sometimes not. Sometimes the closing says “Sincerely,” but other times it says “Regards,” “Best,” or something similar. Sometimes, paragraphs are indented, and sometimes they are not. Those are the areas of wiggle room. In those regards, you can use your judgment and personal preference to decide how you want to write the letter.

Check for Company Guidelines
Another thing to keep in mind is that your company may have its own strict guidelines for how it wants messages to be formatted. Company standards are more common in large companies than in small ones. For instance, your company may have a designated template to use for PowerPoint presentations that includes approved company colors, fonts, and logos. These can be called “brand standards,” and they are particularly important if you are communicating with external receivers.

Break Conventions Carefully

In some instances, you may decide you want to break the conventions to catch your receiver’s attention. You can do this by exhibiting high-quality creativity. The catch is that any time you break the conventions, it must be both high quality and creative. Anything less risks looking like an unprofessional error. You have to decide whether the potential payoff of breaking the convention to catch attention is worth the risk of being judged as unprofessional or incompetent.

Résumés are a common document in which people break conventions. Let’s face it: The job market is competitive, and you need to stand out. Unconventional approaches to résumés can include things like infographics, online portfolios, video showcases, and QR codes that link to websites or blogs.^[3] Nontraditional formats like these can draw positive attention and show off your skills—especially if you are seeking a job in a creative field. But other human resource professionals warn that creative résumés may actually prevent you from getting called for an interview. If you are not sure about your ability to demonstrate both high quality and creativity, you are more likely to have a better outcome following the established conventions.