1. 1.to differentiate between a business letter and a memo. 2.to distinguish the format of a...

1. To differentiate between a business letter and a memo.

2. To distinguish the format of a business letter or memo.

3. To analyze the different means by which business documents can be distributed.

2

• Are the two most common forms of communication in businesses

• Can be used to convey a message to a single person or a large group

• Can be quickly distributed through the office using today’s technology, including e-mail and laser printers

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• Are more formal letters, often used to apply for jobs and pass along or request information

• Require compressed and concise writing

• Should be written under the assumption the audience has little time to read it, keeping it short and to the point

• Are often the first impression made as they are often used to communicate with people prior to meeting – be sure to use good grammar and proper

punctuation4

• May be either open or mixed in letter heads– open punctuation: no punctuation after the

salutation or closing parts of a letter• ex. – Dear Mr. Trinh

Sincerely

– mixed punctuation: involves placing a colon after the salutation and a comma after the closing

• ex. – Dear Mr. Trinh: Sincerely,

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• Is commonly accomplished by using either a paperclip or staple

• Using a paperclip allows for freedom of the recipient to detach the pages, useful when editing or needing to compare the pages

• A staple limits the functions offered to the recipient as it is more permanent than a paper clip and does not easily allow for pages to be separated– staples do offer a more secure attachment than

paperclips 6

• Include the following: – heading– date– inside address– salutation– body– closing– author‘s name– author‘s title– typist’s initials– enclosure notification– copy notification

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• May include the following: – sender’s address– company letterhead

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Mr. Alex TrinhEcho Communications424 Atomic CircleAtomsville, YS 57985

602 Einstein CircleAtomsville, YS 57985

March 24, 2010



March 24, 2010

• Is not mandatory, but recommended

• Should be placed two inches from the top of the page– may go directly after

the closing signature instead

• Includes only the sender’s street address, city and zip code

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March 24, 2010

TOP MARGIN 2”

• Are located at the top of letters and envelopes

• Usually contain the name and logo of the company or person sending the letter– may include the address,

telephone number or other contact information

• Allow letters to be more professional looking as it designates the letter is an official document

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March 24, 2010

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TOP MARGIN 2”

SID

E M

ARG

INS

1”

4 Spaces

2 Spaces



March 24, 2010

4 Spaces

Dear Mr. Trinh:

• Specifies the day the letter was written

• Refers to the day the letter was completed if it was written over the course of several days

• Should be written in American format when sending the letter within the United States– place the month before the

day, followed by the year– example: March 24, 2010

• Should be placed four spaces below the sender’s address or letterhead 12

• Is the recipient’s address

• Should be addressed to a specific person

• Includes personal titles before the name, such as Mr., Ms. or Dr.

• Should be placed four spaces below the date– example:

Mr. Alex Trinh Echo Communications 424 Atomic Circle Atomsville, YS 57985

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• Should include the same name used in the inside address

• May be limited to a first name if you know the person and usually address them by this name, otherwise use the full name and title

• Should be placed two spaces below the inside address

• Can be generic if there is no specific contact– example: To Whom It May

Concern:14

• Contains the paragraphs discussing the point of the letter

• Should be written using a concise, to-the-point tone

• Consists of different amounts of paragraphs depending on the length of the letter

• Should begin two spaces below the salutation

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• Should be structured and contain the following information:– first paragraph

• friendly opening followed by a statement of the main point

– intermediate paragraph(s)• provide justification for the main point of the letter

as well as providing background information and supporting details

– closing paragraph• restate the overall purpose of the letter and

request action if necessary16

• Play an important role in business letters as they allow the two parties to identify one another

– the reader can be referred to as you and the writer can refer to themselves as I

• Include words such as I, we, our and your

• Should be used carefully

– collective pronouns such as we or they should be used sparingly as these are ambiguous, instead state the company or party’s name

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Ambiguous: to not give a definite meaning, allowing for multiple interpretations

• Should be aligned vertically with the header

• Is located two spaces below the final body paragraph

• Consists of a short statement expressing gratitude or sincerity and the sender’s typed name– only capitalize the first

letter• Leave four spaces

between the statement and the sender’s name for a signature

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• Are placed two spaces after the closing

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• Account for any additional papers you may have included, such as a résumé

• Are indicated by simply typing “Enclosures” two spaces below the closing

• May or may not be individually listed on the letter– it is a good idea to list the

document names if a large amount of paperwork is enclosed to ensure the recipient is aware of each document

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• Account for any copies of the letter sent to other recipients

• Is indicated by “cc:” and the additional recipients’ names

• Is placed two spaces below the enclosure notification

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22

TOP MARGIN 2”

SID

E M

ARG

INS

1”4 Spaces

4 Spaces

4 Spaces

2 Spaces2 Spaces

2 Spaces

2 Spaces2 Spaces2 Spaces

• Vary depending on the style in which you write your letter

• Include the following:– block

– modified block

– semi block

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– Includes the following:

• single spaced• all parts left justified • one space between

each paragraph• no indention at the

beginning of paragraphs

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• single spaced• date, closing and

sender’s name begin at the center of the page

• all other elements are left justified

• one space between each paragraph

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• single spaced• all parts left

justified • one space

between each paragraph

• indent all paragraphs

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• Are more frequently referred to as “memos”

• Are commonly used for the following:– inform the reader of new information, such

as policy changes or price increases– persuade the reader to take action, like

attending a meeting or changing a procedure

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• Should be short as they are meant to be brief and read quickly

• Are almost exclusively used within an office or company

• Utilize common, every day rhetoric rather than more professional wordings

• Differ from business letters in that they do not have salutations or complimentary closings

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• Should be carefully chosen– ensure only those needing to read the memo

receive the document

– if there is an issue with a single person, do not send a memo to the entire office, simply that person

• Benefits most from memos when the group is smaller and it communicates company objectives

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• Is important and should be monitored, only sending out memos for the important information rather than every small occurrence

• Varies depending on the issue– may be positive, encouraging workers to maintain

the good work during stressful situations

– may be negative, informing of policy or procedural changes to help improve productivity

• Sometimes is too sensitive to send via a memo and should be addressed face to face

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• Are comprised of the following two components:– heading– message– typist initial’s– enclosure

notification

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MEMORANDUM

TO: Staff

FROM: Alex Trinh

DATE: March 24, 2010

SUBJECT: Policy Change

As a result of parking lot congestion and frequent accidents, we are implementing a new parking procedure which will go into effect next Monday, the 31st.

All employees will be issued a parking pass which corresponds to a designated parking spot. This pass should be clearly hung from your rearview mirror.

We hope this new policy will help ensure safety and efficient parking practices. If you have any questions or comments, please email Ted at [email protected].

mm

enclosure

• Includes the following entries:– who it is addressed to – who it is coming from– the date– the subject

• Should begin with “MEMORANDUM” – all caps, bold and

16 point font

• Format all other headings– all caps, bold and

12 point font

• Double space between headings

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MEMORANDUM

TO: Staff

FROM: Alex Trinh






mm

enclosure

• Should be brief and to the point

• Should be summarized in the first sentence– this is known as a

“purpose statement”

• Needs to include an explanation as to why the memo was written– results from a situation -

As a result of Thursday’s meeting…

– reminders – The presentation which is on April 4… 33

MEMORANDUM

TO: Staff

FROM: Alex Trinh






mm

enclosure

• Should not be full of text

– condense paragraphs to lists or bullet points

• Is often written using an informal tone since it

is distributed within a company

• Needs to be office appropriate at all times

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• For writing a memo depend on the format you choose– block format: flush left margin, ragged right

margin and a space between the paragraphs– modified block format: flush left margin

with indented first line, ragged right margin, no blank spaces between paragraphs.

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36

MEMORANDUM

TO: Staff

FROM: Alex Trinh






mm

enclosure

37

MEMORANDUM

TO: Staff

FROM: Alex Trinh




All employees will be issued a parking pass which corresponds to a designated parking spot. This pass

should be clearly hung from your rearview mirror.


mm

enclosure

MEMORANDUM

TO: Staff

FROM: Alex Trinh






mm

enclosure

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TOP MARGIN 1”

SID

E M

ARG

INS

1”

2 Spaces

2 Spaces

2 Spaces

2 Spaces

2 Spaces

2 Spaces

2 Spaces

2 Spaces

• Include the following:– directive memo– response memo– trip report memo– field report memo

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• State policies or procedures the writer wishes the reader to follow

• Vary in length depending on how many issues need to be covered and to what degree of detail

• Should begin with a clear statement as to why the memo is being sent, followed by justification for the statement

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• Are sent in response to a question or information request

• Contain four parts:– purpose statement explaining the memo is being sent

to answer a question or supply requested information

– summary of the information requested or answer to the question

– discussion concerning any information which the writer feels should be stressed

– action section explaining the action which the writer will take or feels should be taken to address the issue

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• Are usually sent from a worker to a supervisor after returning from a business trip

• Includes the same four categories as a response memo:– purpose statement explaining you are providing

information on your trip

– a summary of the trip, covering only the important points

– discussion concerning any information needing to be addressed or highlighted

– the action section stating any proposed changes or recommendations

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• Report on inspection and procedures• Include the problem, methods, results and

conclusions– little time is spent explaining the methods

• Are constructed through the following format:– purpose of memo

– summary

– problem which resulted in performing the procedure

– methods

– results

– conclusion

– recommendations43

1. List the parts of a business letter.

2. Business letters and memos should be written using the same tone.

a. trueb. false

3. What are the two main parts of a memo?

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4. List the four types of memos.

5. What are the three common formats used in business letters?

6. Memos are almost exclusively used __________ an office or company.

7. _________ memos state policies or procedures the writer wishes the reader to follow.

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8. _________ memos are sent in response to a question or information request.

9. ______ _______ memos are used to report on inspection and procedures.

10. ______ _______ memos are usually sent from a worker to a supervisor after returning from a business trip.

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• (2007). Retrieved March 16, 2009, from Oregon State University: http://oregonstate.edu

• (2009). Retrieved March 16, 2009, from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: http://www.unc.edu

• The Purdue Online Writing Lab. (1995-2008). Retrieved March 16, 2009, from Purdue: http://owl.english.purdue.edu

• Welcome to Writing. (1993-2009). Retrieved March 16, 2009, from Colorado State University: http://writing.colostate.edu

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1. 1.to differentiate between a business letter and a memo. 2.to distinguish the format of a...

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