Letters and Memos

1. Letters and Memos Steve Wood TCCC

2. Formal vs. Informal Reports • Professional reports are divided into two categories. • Formal reports are reports with a specified organization; they include items such as: • Title page • Table of Contents • Executive Summary or Abstract • Distinct chapters or sections • Works Cited or Sources page

3. Formal vs. Informal Reports • Most professional reports, however, are informal reports. • Informal reports take one of two forms: letters and memos (including e-mail). • The vast majority of communication that goes on internally (within an organization) or externally (between organizations, or between organizations and individuals) takes the form of a letter, memo, or e-mail.

4. Effective Letters • Clear content – Since you won’t be present when a letter is read to clarify any potential misunderstanding AND since business letters are written to accomplish a specific purpose (often involving money), the message conveyed by the letter must be clear.

5. Effective Letters • A Tone of Goodwill – Effective communication doesn’t just carry a message; it also enhances or maintains the relationship between the sender and receiver. By analyzing the audience and using the “you” view, a writer can accomplish both.

6. Effective Letters • Correct Form – The world of business is often conservative and traditional and, as such, expects letters to follow the traditional formats. • Most word-processing programs have letter templates or letter wizards to guide you through the formatting.

7. Effective Memos and E-mails • To, From, Date, Subject Headings – Since they are usually internal documents, memos condense the details of a letter down to the four essential elements: • To: • From: • Date: • Subject:

8. Effective Memos and E-mails • Single topic – Good memos only deal with a single subject. The second or third subjects discussed in a memo or e-mail often get lost. If you have more than one subject, send more than one memo.

9. Effective Memos and E-mails • Conversational Tone – Because they are internal, a more conversational tone can be used in a memo or e-mail. Be careful, though; e-mails are easily sent, and difficult to take back. People will often say things in a e-mail that they would not say face-to-face.

10. Effective Memos and E-mails • Conciseness – Memos and e-mail do not need a lot of filler, background, or goodwill efforts; they should focus on the message.

11. Effective Memos and E-mails • Graphic highlighting – Use techniques like bulleted or numbered lists and bolding to highlight information. Be careful with e-mail; sometimes formatting is lost in the transmission of a message because the receiving program will not recognize it.

12. Smart E-Mail Practices • Get the address right. • Avoid misleading subject lines. • Be concise. • Don’t send anything you wouldn’t want published. • Don’t use e-mail to avoid contact. • Never respond when you’re angry. Guffey, Business Communication, 3rd ed.

13. Smart E-Mail Practices • Care about correctness. • Resist humor and tongue-in-cheek comments. • Limit any tendency to send blanket copies. • Use design to improve readability of longer messages. Guffey, Business Communication, 3rd ed.

14. Smart E-Mail Practices • Consider cultural differences. • Double-check before hitting the Send button. • Protect against e-mail break ins. • Don’t CC someone a message just to make the original recipient pay more attention. Guffey, Business Communication, 3rd ed.