Effective Letter Writing: Types, Components, and Strategies

1. Technical Writing (AEEE299) LECTURER: Dr. Alexis Polycarpou HOURS/WEEK: 2 TEACHING AREA: Classroom EMAIL: eng.pa@fit.ac.cy

2. LECTURE Writing a Letter

3. Letters A letter is a written or printed message addressed to a person or persons, usually sent by post or messenger. Letters: to communicate outside your organization. Whereas the memorandum is the primary vehicle for communication within an organization letters are often used to communicate to individuals outside it, especially in formal and semiformal contexts. Letters are an essential part of all business and technical communication because they are more formal and reliable than electronic mail and more precise and permanent than telephone or face-to-face conversations.

4. Types of Letters The following are some of the most common types of letters written by people in technical fields: Job application letters (Cover letters) Acceptance letters Transmittal letters Inquiry letters Technical-information letters Letters of recommendation Complaint Letters

5. Represent your company’s public image and your competence More personal than a report, yet more formal than memos or e-mail More permanent than e-mail Constitute an official legal record of an agreement The Importance of Letters

6. Do not offer misleading information. Do not make promises which you do not have authority to keep. Do not make untrue, damaging or allegation because a letter is a permanent record and proof of intention. THINGS TO CONSIDER WHILE WRITING LETTER

7. Analyze Your Audience: Who is my audience? Will my audience be favorably or unfavorably disposed to what I am going to say? What kinds of information will my audience expect me to supply? How will my audience use the information I am sending? What impression do I want my letter to make on readers? Have a clear sense of your purpose and theirs Select the best communication strategy Draft, revise, and edit your letter Writing Effective Letters

8. Letter Components • Essential Components • Writer’s Address • Date • To Address • Salutation • Letter Body • Complimentary Close • Signed Name • Typed Name • Optional Components • Subject Line • New Page Notations • Writer’s and Typist’s Initials • Enclosure Notation • Copy Notation

9. Essential Components of a Letter

10. Writer’s Address • Personal Address • Street address • City • State • Zip Code, Country • Company Address • Company’s name • Street address • City • State • Zip Code, Country

11. Date • Full Calendar Date • May 31,2009 • 31May 2009 • 1-2 spaces

12. Reader's Address • Address of the reader • Reader’s Name • Reader’s Title • Company Name • Company Street Address • Company City • Company State • Company Zip Code • 1-2 spaces

13. Salutation • IF you know the reader’s name, salutation will be • First / Last Name • Followed by Colon • For example • Dear Mr. Smith: • Dear Ms. Jones: • Dear Miss / Mrs. Jones; • Dear Chris Evans: • OTHERWISE • Use title • Dear Vice President: • Use department’s name • Dear Accounting Department: • Use a nonsexist salutation, • To Whom it May Concern • 1 space

14. A Business letter’s text starts with a simple and professional greeting such as, Dear Mr./Ms./Title, & Last name of Person: Examples Dear Dr. Smithsonian: Dear Ms. Cleopatra: The difference between personal and business letter greetings is that a colon (:) follows the greeting of a business letter and a comma (,) follows the greeting of a personal letter Business Letter Salutation / Greeting

15. Includes Introductory Paragraph Discussion Paragraph Concluding/Closing Paragraph 1 space below salutation 1 space b/w paragraphs Letter Body

16. Body Start the letter two lines after the salutation. Body paragraphs should be single spaced with a double space between paragraphs. (Indenting the first line of each paragraph is acceptable but is more informal than the unindented style.) Be concise, direct, and considerate. State the letter's purpose in the opening paragraph. Include supporting information in a middle paragraph or two, and conclude your letter with a brief paragraph that both establishes goodwill and expresses what needs to be done next. If a letter requires more than one page, make sure there are at least two lines of body text on the final page. Never use an entire page for just the closing. The second page and all subsequent pages must include a heading with the recipient's name, the date, and the page number.

17. Place a comma after complimentary close Preferred close is Sincerely, 1- 2 spaces below body Complimentary Close

18. Closing Phrase Write a complimentary closing phrase two lines below the final body paragraph. Yours truly, Sincerely, or Sincerely yours are common endings Capitalize the first letter of the first word of your complimentary closing, and end the complimentary closing with a comma. Four lines below the closing phrase, write your full name. If you are writing in an official capacity that is not included in the stationery's letterhead, write your title on the next line. Your signature goes above your typed name.

19. Sign your name legibly Signed Name

20. Type your name Mention your title (Optional) 2 - 4 spaces below complimentary close Typed Name

21. Optional Components of a Letter

22. Must have a topic & focus All CAPS 1 - 2 spaces below inside address Subject Line

23. If writer and typist are two different persons Writer’s initials- ALL CAPS Typist’s initials-LOWERCASE Separate both initials with a colon 2 spaces below typed signature Writer's and Typist's Initials

24. Enclose information as Enc.; OR Enclosure; OR Enclosures(2); OR Enclosure: August Report 1-2 spaces below writer’s and typist’s initials Enclosure Notation

25. For a copy of letter, write cc (complimentary copy) pc (photocopy) For copies sent to other readers, write pc: Reader Ma,e 1-2 spaces below enclosure notation Copy Notation

26. End Notations At the bottom of the last page of a business letter, end notations may show who typed the letter, whether any materials are enclosed with the letter, and who is receiving a copy of the letter. An enclosure notation- -Enclosure:, Encl., or Enc.--alerts the recipient that additional material (such as a résumé or a technical article) is included with the letter. You can either identify the enclosure or indicate how many pieces there are A copy notation (cc:) lets the recipient of the letter know who else is receiving a copy. Put each recipient of a copy on a separate line.

27. Enclosure: Article by Dr Lolo shater Encl. (2) Enc. (2) cc: Dr Fofo Mouse Mr. Lali Mater

28. Things to consider

29. Use the same name as the inside address, including the personal title. If you know the person and typically address them by their first name, it is acceptable to use only the first name in the salutation (i.e., Dear Lucy:). In all other cases, however, use the personal title and full name followed by a colon. Leave one line blank after the salutation. Salutation • If you don’t know a reader’s gender, use a nonsexist salutation, such as "To Whom it May Concern." • It is also acceptable to use the full name in a salutation if you cannot determine gender. • For example, you might write Dear Chris Harmon:

30. Dear Personnel Director, Dear Sir or Madam (use if you don't know who you are writing to) Dear Mr., Mrs., Miss or Ms (use if you know who you are writing to. VERY IMPORTANT use Ms for women unless asked to use Mrs. or Miss) Dear Frank (use if the person is a close business contact or friend) Examples or Salutations

31. There are three common formats for the business letter: 1. The unblocked format. 2. The semi-blocked format. The blocked format. The AMS simplified letter format. The Letterhead formay. Basic Letter Formats Preferred choice

32. The first line of the paragraph is indented a few spaces The writer's address, the date, the closing, the writer's signature , and the typed version of the writer's name and job title are indented two thirds of the way across the page. The unblocked format

34. The first line of the paragraph is lined up with the left margin There is an extra blank line between paragraphs to signal the start of a new paragraph. The writer's address, date, closing, and signature are indented as in the unblocked format. The semi-blocked format

36. The first lines of paragraphs and all the other address, date, closing and signature information are lined up with the left margin. There is an extra blank line between paragraphs. The blocked format

38. Sometimes, the writer does not know the name or marital status of the reader. As a result, he/she will have a problem writing a salutation Dear……..). This has given rise to a new letter format called the AMS simplified letter format. In this format, the salutation is omitted. The subject line replaces the salutation and is typed in all capital letters. In other respects, this format resembles the blocked format, with every line beginning from the left margin. The AMS simplified letter format

40. When a writer is representing a company or organization, he/she should use the organization's letterhead stationery for correspondences with people outside the organization. When using letterhead, the location of the writer's address, city, state will be changed. These are usually given in the letterhead typed at the top of the page. If a letter requires more than one page, the additional pages are called continuation pages are typed on plain paper, not letterhead. The Use of Letterhead Stationery

41. Letter head

42. Examples These are just examples. Do not copy paste them and do not rely on them for your assignment.

44. QUESTIONS??