1 / 19

Email and Memo Formatting: Best Practices and Guidelines

Learn essential rules for formatting emails and memos, including when to use each, legal considerations, and proper tone. Maximize communication effectiveness.

heald
Download Presentation

Email and Memo Formatting: Best Practices and Guidelines

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Chapter 5:Memorandums, E-Mail, and routine Messages

  2. Memo Format & Organization

  3. Memo Format & Organization

  4. Formatting Lists forMemos & E-mails Present three or more related ideas as a record 1 - Horizontally (Make list appears in sentence) OR 2 - Vertically (Tabulate list) Ex: Vertical: Horizontal: 1) One There were four fruits: 2) Two apples, oranges, bananas 3) Three watermelons.

  5. Paper Memo vs. E-mail -Use a memo when the following are a primary concern: - Legal issues - Confidentiality - Document integrity -Do NOTinclude informal & complimentary salutations

  6. General Email Guidelines • Keep it brief • Be aware e-mail is not the only option • Compose crucial messages offline • Follow organizational rules • Separate company emails from personal emails • Balance speed and accuracy

  7. General Email Guidelines • Avoid emoticons • Be aware that email is not always private • Do not write angrily • Do not send unnecessary messages • Protect yourself and your company

  8. Reading and Processing Messages

  9. Formatting and Writing E-Mail Formatting E-mail • Type the e-mail address correctly • Set a specific subject line • Keep text around 70 characters • Use a mix of upper- and lowercase letters • Keep paragraphs and sentences short

  10. Formatting and Writing E-Mail Writing E-mail • Use Appropriate greetings • Get to the point immediately • Use lists if necessary • Remember to sign off with complimentary close

  11. Formatting and Writing E-Mail Writing E-mail • Identity yourself ( name, professional title, telephone number, etc.) • Use common sense for attachment • Run a spell check

  12. Replying to E-Mails • Reply ASAP • Modify Distribution List • Do No always include original message http://www.recover-files.ca/recover-email.html

  13. Replying to E-Mails • Avoid Indiscriminately Forwarding Emails • Be Patient • Inform your absences • Protect and Respect Authorship

  14. Email Style & Tone Style Types • Semi-formal (casualty writing) • Formal (professional writing) Tone • Consider your recipients needs • Visualize recipients responses • Proofread • Use appropriate tone

  15. Routine Messages

  16. Instant Messaging (IM) • New to the business world • Similar guidelines as E-Mails: • Limit the use of abbreviation • Use of natural mix of upper and lowercase • Keep conversations to a few people at a time • set status flags to away or busy http://cdn.crackberry.com/files/u10880/IM.jpg

  17. Bibliography • Colorado State University. "Writing Guides." Writing Guides. Colorado State University, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2012.<http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/ index.cfm>. • Desai, Mayur S., Jeff Hart, and Thomas C. Richards. "An IT Manager's View On E-Mail And Policies And Procedures." Journal Of Instructional Psychology 36.4 (2009): 319-322. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. • Dykstra, De Vee E. "Integrating Critical Thinking And Memorandum Writing Into Course Curriculum Using The Internet As A Research Tool." College Student Journal 42.3 (2008): 920-929. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. • "E-mail." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Sept. 2012. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-mail>. • Facebook Page: Email Etiquette. (2011). Facebook. Retrieved October 27, 2012 from http://www.facebook.com/emailetiquette • Greenhall, Margaret. Report Writing Skills Training Course: How to Write a Report and Executive Summary and Plan, Design and Present Your Report : An Easy Format for Writing Business Reports. Lancashire: Universe of Learning, 2010 • @HurleyWrite. Twitter.com. Web. 12 Nov. 2012.

  18. Bibliography • Jim. "MajorGeeks Support Forums." How to Start Writing a Professional Email - MajorGeeks Support Forums. Producers & Geekware Aficionados, Sept. 2000. Web. 12 • Journal of Business and Technical Communication, October 2012; vol. 26: pp. 1-514, first published on May 30, 2012 • Meyer, Carolyn Margaret. Communicating for Results: A Canadian Student's Guide. 2nd ed. Don Mills, Ont.: Oxford UP, 2010. Print. • "N/A." Newsletter Signup (Feb. 2009): n. pag. Business Writing Ideas. Tash Hughes, Feb. 2009. Web. 16 Nov. 2012. <http:// www.wordconstructions.com.au/subscribe.php>. • The Key Forms of Business Writing: Basic Memo. Dir. UpWritePress. Perf. N/A.YouTube. YouTube, 09 Mar. 2009. Web. 16 Nov. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5Zyn9y_MDs>. • The Key Forms of Business Writing: E-Mail. Dir. UpWritePress. Perf. N/A. YouTube. YouTube, 09 Mar. 2009. Web. 16 Nov. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=887bWEduy8I>.

  19. Our Zenome Please come visit our Zenome for more information http://zenome.com/directory/index.php?parentID=007.065.005.999&pageNumber=1&orderBy=r&count=12 Thank you for listening!

More Related