04_writing letters, memoranda, and e-mail (ch4)

7/31/2019 04_Writing Letters, Memoranda, And E-Mail (Ch4)

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Ch4 1

Talk to them face-to-face

Talk to them by the phone

Send them an E-mail

Write to them on paper (memo or letter)

Writing Letters, Memoranda, and E-mail

When you need to communicate with othersyou may:


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Ch4 2

No permanent records for the conversation

The person you need to talk with may not beavailable at that time

Recipients may not take the phone or in-personcommunication as seriously as they would if it werein writing

Some topics are just too much for a conversationdue to purpose, length, and complexity of the topic.you cant present details of product specifications ora proposal over the phone

Phone and Face-To-Face Communication


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Ch4 3

You need to consider that the recipients may nothave access to the email frequently

SECURITY ISSUES: Emails may be seen by other

persons in the world

Some people may still not considering electronicmessages seriously

These days, people are using the email very widely,and through it the letters or memos are sent asattachment files

E-mail


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Ch4 5

Note that not all of the components are necessary tobe included in each letter

Faceto-face, telephone, and email communicationsare just not right for certain kinds of correspondence

Use a hardcopy letter1. If you want to make sure that the recipientreceives it and takes it seriously2. If you want the recipient to study it at length

3. If the communication is long and packed withinformation4. If you want a permanent record of communication

Business Letters


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Ch4 6

Company or personal logoUsually on the first page only. If you use sheet withlogo, start your letter about 2.5cm below it

HeadingSenders address and date. If you are usingletterhead stationary, only the date is needed

Inside address

Name, title, company, and address of the recipient

Subject lineannounce topic or purpose of the letter

Business Letters Standard Components


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Ch4 7

SalutationDear Sir/Madam: or To Whom It May Concern: orDear Department members:, or Where noobvious recipient exists or where the recipient doesnot matter, omit the salutation.

It is better if you know exactly whom you are writingto, call the recipients organization (ask also for thetitle and the department name). Dear Recruitmentofficers:Note that the salutation for business letters is

punctuated with a colon. A comma implies a friendlynonbusiness communication

Body of the letterSingle space text inside the paragraph, and doublespace between paragraphs



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Ch4 8

Complementary closeSincerely yours, or Best Regards, or etc

Signature blockThis is a blank area for the signature, followed by

your typed name, title, and organization. Inprofessional correspondence, dont forget to includethese letters that identify the degree or title that youworked hard to earn

End notations

Such as Cc: and Encl.: abbreviations comebelow the signature block. The first set is the initialsof the sender and typist, respectively, JMC/rbs.Labels such as Encl.: Enclosure: orAttachments: indicate that other documents havebeen attached: Encl.: specifications.



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Ch4 9

Cc: followed by one or more names indicates towhom a copy of the letter was sent

Bcc: identifies blind recipients

If you receive a letter with Bcc: at the bottom, thepeople whose names follow Bcc: do not know thatyou received the letter, nor do they know that youknow that they received the letter

Following pagesIf you use letterhead stationary, use the matchingstationary (the same quality and style of paper butwithout the letter head)



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Ch4 10



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Ch4 11

Common Business Letter FormatsStandard Block Letter

This is theeasiest andmostcommonly

used letterformat

All elementsare flush

left All serious

communica-tions use

this format


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Ch4 12

Common Business Letter FormatsStandard Semi-Block Letter

Similar to theblock format

except thatthe heading,complimentaryclose, andsignature

block are onthe rightmargin


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Ch4 13

Common Business Letter FormatsStandard Semi-Block Letter

The same as

the semi-blockformat exceptthat it adds asubject lineand omits the

complimentaryclose


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Ch4 14

For internal communication in anorganization, use memorandum format

1. A call for employees to attend a generalmeeting

2. A reminder that status reports are due

3. A request to an employee to provideinformation

The actual contents of a memo can be verymuch like those of a business letter or likethose of a short report

Business Memoranda


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Ch4 16

Business Memoranda


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Ch4 17

Business Memoranda


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Ch4 18

Email Writing

Make the email brief. No one likes to readlong pages on the screen

Make the subject line specific to make surethe email will be read

Important information at the beginning

Short paragraphs, and make spaces betweenthem


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Ch4 21

Informality: Adjust the tone of your email accordingto the recipients and situation. Think twice aboutusing humor, sarcasm, and informality with businessclients and higher level management-especially

those whose native language is not English Brevity: Email messages are normally rather short,

under a dozen lines

Specific subject line: To ensure emails get read and

has the desired impact, make the subject linespecific and compelling

Important information first

Short paragraphs and space between paragraphs

Email Writing Format and Style


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Ch4 22

Email Writing Format and Style


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Ch4 23

Indicate the topic in the first sentence

Be brief and go to the point

Indicate any situation or preceding communication

based on last phone call or based on our meetingin the company or referring to your letter datedJune 1st, 2005

Keep paragraphs short. Divide the communication to

paragraphs when the topic changes Use lists and paragraph if necessary

Be clear if you expect any response form the readers

Recommendations for Business Writings(for letters, memos, and emails)

04_writing letters, memoranda, and e-mail (ch4)

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