John B. Marek is a writer, farmer, outdoorsman and recovering economic developer. You can find his books at johnbmarek.com.
By 1978, the riding lawnmower my father had purchased from Buckeye Mart a decade earlier was beginning to show its age. It could be challenging to start on colder days and make weird noises. Then, unexpectedly, the transmission went out completely. A decent small engine tinkerer, Dad disassembled it and found the cause of the trouble: a half-moon-shaped metal pin that connected the main gear to the shaft had sheared off. While he was good mechanically, he wasn’t much for business correspondence, so he brought the broken part to me, along with the address of the manufacturer of the mower, and told me to write the company and get a replacement.
As a budding business mogul, I knew just what to do. I retrieved our old Underwood typewriter from its place of honor in the closet under the stairs and dashed off a pleasingly polished letter requesting pricing on the part, which I described in agonizing detail.
Two weeks later, I received a reply from the “parts clerk” identifying the broken pin and noting the price and shipping fee. I informed my father of the cost and he instructed me to get a couple of them so he would have an extra.
I dutifully typed a reply letter requesting two parts and enclosed the appropriate amount to cover the cost plus shipping. After another two weeks, a small padded envelope containing the parts and a letter from the clerk thanking me for my order arrived in our post office box.
To anyone accustomed to ordering online from Amazon and having the item magically appear on their porch the next day, this process must seem laborious, even absurd, but for much of the 20th century it is precisely how commerce was conducted via mail.
Today, the click of a mouse and the tap of a keyboard dominate our business interactions and offer instantaneous communication and high productivity. Still, it’s worthwhile to take a step back and explore the refined world of business correspondence in the pre-digital era. It was a time when communication was a thoughtful process, where each word was carefully chosen and the exchange of information was an art form in itself.
One of the distinctive features of business correspondence before desktop computers was the emphasis on personal touch and elegance. Without emails and instant messaging, professionals exchanged letters, often typewritten on high-quality stationery. The tone was formal and each letter was a crafted communication piece reflecting the company’s values and professionalism. Today, emails lack the same tactile quality and can sometimes feel impersonal.
Before the dawn of the “fax” machine in the 1980s, the absence of real-time communication meant that responses took time. This slower pace allowed for more thoughtful and deliberate decision-making. Business leaders had the opportunity to carefully consider their words, avoiding impulsive reactions that can occur in the fast-paced world of online commerce.
The role of the business secretary was pivotal in facilitating this mid-century business correspondence. These skilled professionals were the backbone of organizational communication, managing the intricate details of letter writing, appointment scheduling and document preparation. The training video (above) from 1947 demonstrates how important they were to the business leaders they served. Secretaries were adept at crafting formal letters that reflected the company’s image, often acting as gatekeepers for executives. Their meticulous attention to detail ensured that each piece of communication conveyed a sense of professionalism and sophistication.
However, as technology has advanced, the traditional role of the secretary has evolved and the term has even become something of a slight. With the advent of email, scheduling software and other digital tools, many of the tasks once handled by secretaries have been automated or delegated to other positions. While the efficiency of modern communication is undeniable, the nuanced touch and personalized expertise provided by the professional secretary have been diluted by technology, contributing to the transformation of workplace dynamics in the present day.
While the world of “old school” business correspondence seems like a bygone era, and the life of a secretary may not have been quite as “rosy” as depicted in the video, I believe there are valuable lessons to be learned from its elegance, patience and emphasis on relationships. The digital age has undoubtedly brought efficiency and speed to commerce, but it is essential to balance these advantages with the thoughtful and deliberate communication that characterized a time when each letter was a carefully crafted piece of the business puzzle.