Transcript LETTERS, MEMOS, AND EMAIL

LETTERS, MEMOS, AND EMAIL
• Formats of Written Correspondence
▫ Organizations usually have set format for memos and letters. There
are similarities as well as differences in the structure of letters,
memos, and emails.
• Types of Messages
▫ Message can be written for different purposes.
▫ General message – (apology message, congratulatory message,
birthday celebration etc.)
▫ Positive message – (transmittal, confirmation, summary, or
clarification)
▫ Bad news – (unsatisfactory services, termination, etc. )
▫ Negative message – (unsuccessful tender, leave not granted)
• LETTER WRITING
▫ In letter writing, precision and clarity of meaning are extremely
important. A good letter should make for effortless reading. It should
be clear and concise.
▫ The Seven Cs of Letter Writing
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Clarity
Conciseness
Correctness
Courtesy
Cordiality
Conviction
Completeness
▫ Significance
 Formal letters assist in sustaining relationships with other organizations,
clients, and vendors
 They are appropriate form when information to be conveyed is complex.
 They serve as permanent records.
 They help reach out to a large audience
• Purpose
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To inform
To enquire
To request
To complain
To apply for a job
To congratulate
To order
To collect dues
To make an adjustment
To sell a product, service, or scheme
• Structure
▫ Unlike personal letters, formal letters have a distinct structure and
layout. Several of these elements appear in all letters, while others appear
only when desirable or appropriate.
 Heading- letterhead [organization’s name, full address, and telephone
numbers]
 Dateline- date on which the letter was written. It includes day, month and
year. [3 June 2011 or June 3, 2011]
 Inside address – recipient of the letter and is separated from the date by at
least one blank line.
 Salutation – Dear sir, Dear Madam, Dear sir/madam, Dear Mr. Patel
 Message – main content of the letter, usually occupies the maximum space
 Complimentary close – Sincerely, faithful, tec.
 Signature block – writer’s signature, name, and title
• Additional elements
▫ Addressee notation – generally appears a double space above
the inside address, in all capital letters. [PERSONAL,
CONFIDENTIAL, PLEAE FORWARD]
▫ Attention line – used when the inside address does not include
the name of an individual. [ATTENTION: PERSONAL
MANAGER]
▫ Subject line – this element lets the recipient know at a glance
what the letter is about. [SUBJECT: INFORMATION
REGARDING LAST WEEK’S INSPECTION]
▫ Reference initials – often, one person may dictate or write the
letter and another may produce it. In such cases reference initials
are included to show who helped prepare the letter. It appears
two spaces below the last line of the signature block. [Ksm/rk,
Ksm:rk, KSM:RK] the first set of initials is of the writer and the
second set is the helper’s.
▫ Reference line – it is used for sequential correspondence with the
recipient. [with reference to your letter, Ref. no. ABCD/03/07]
 By serial number- it is used for running number for all letters
generated.
 By department and serial number- uses the originating
department’s initials followed by a serial number.
 By project ID and serial number – includes the project ID,
which could be initials unique to the name of the project,
followed by the date of the letter or the serial number.
▫ Enclosure notation – this notation appears at the bottom
of the letter, one or two lines below the reference initials.
 E.g. Enclosure: Draft of proposal
 Encl: Draft of proposal
 Enclosures: 1. Report (10 pages)
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2. Photographs (2)
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3. List of participants
▫ Copy notation – this is an optional component. It indicates who is
receiving a courtesy copy (cc). At times, copies are sent to benefit
readers other than the person who receives the original letter or
courtesy copy, without the knowledge of these recipients. The
notation bc, bcc (blind copy, blind courtesy copy)
▫ Mailing notation – is placed either at the bottom of the letter after
reference initials or enclosure notations, or at the top of the letter
above the inside address on the left-hand side. [BY REGISTRATION
POST, BY COURIER, BY SPEED POST]
▫ Postscript – it means after thought of the letter, to the message
that requires emphasis, or personal notes. A postscript is usually the
last item on any letter and may be preceded by P.S., P.P.S, PS, or
nothing at all.
• LAYOUT
▫ Suitable and correct layout enhances the overall effectiveness of
any letter. The layout helps to arrange all the elements of a formal
letter in an organized manner.
▫ In general, two major letter layouts are widely used.
 Block layout (complete block layout)
 Modified block layout
Block layout – the block layout also known as the complete block
layout, is extremely popular as it makes the letter look attractive,
elegant, and efficient. The characteristic of this layout is that all
elements except the letterhead heading are aligned to the left
margin.
Modified block layout – it differs from block layout format in
the positioning of certain elements: the heading is centre
aligned whereas the dateline, complimentary close, and
signature block are right-aligned.
• Principles
▫ Business letters are written mainly to create, establish, or sustain
business relationships. A good relationship is based on respect and
courtesy.
▫ One must keep the following principles in mind if you want to establish a
good formal relationship.
 Use the ‘you’ attitude
 Be clear and concise
 Be correct and complete
Emphasize the positive
Be courteous and considerate
▫ ‘You’ attitude – focus on the recipient’s needs, purpose , or
interests instead of our own.
 We are happy to receive your request for the automatic locks
 Thank you for your request for the automatic locks.
 We are pleased to announce our new insurance scheme
 Now you can avail our new insurance scheme.
• Clarity and conciseness
 Version 1: I am extremely sorry to have to point out to you that we
do not have these brands in stock at the present moment of time.
 Version 2: These brands are presently out of stock
▫ Lack of clarity and conciseness is often because of the following reason:
 Long, involved sentences
 Sentences revealing over-enthusiasm
 Verbosity or wordiness
 Redundancy or use of low information content (LIC) words
▫ Correctness and Completeness
 The term correctness refers to accuracy or precision, and the term
completeness refers to thoroughness or giving all the required
details. To be correct and complete, one has to understand the
purpose of the letter and convey it clearly. These qualities can be
achieved by the following
 Use evaluative and factual words/ phrases rather than abstract
and general expression.
 Use unambiguous words/ phrases
 Proofread the message for accuracy of spelling and grammar.
 Check whether all queries have been answered
▫ Positive approach
 We never exchange damaged goods.
 You may exchange the purchased goods provided they are in good
condition.
▫ Courtesy and consideration
 Use a conversational tone (be natural)
 Avoid dogmatism (do not preach)
 Avoid anger (be patient)
• Planning a Letter
▫ We need to determine the structure of the letter before we start
writing. The meticulous planning of formal letters involves the
following four steps:
 Being clear with the purpose [clarity of purpose]
 Understanding the message to be included [Deciding the content]
 Knowing the reader [Audience awareness]
 Deciding whether a response is required [ Understanding the need for
response]
• BUSINESS LETTERS
▫ Depending upon their purpose, business letters can be
classified into various types, such as:
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Credit
Collection
Enquiry
Order placement
Claim
Adjustment
Sales
Fund-raising
Job application
Covering letter for job application
Thank you/ follow up
Acceptance/rejection
Resignation
Persuasive
• 1. Credit Letters
▫ Credit means that we pay later for what we buy now. The
different types of credit letters include
▫ (a) request for credit
▫ (b) status enquiries, and
▫ (c) replies to status enquiries
▫ Letters requesting for credit
 There are two types of letters in this category
 i. Request for enhancing the credit limit, and
 ii. Request for enhancing the credit period.
▫ Status enquiry letter
 When clients apply for credit, the finance company needs to
check upon their credit worthiness to ensure that it does not
incur losses owing to bad debts.
 Seek general information about the client.
 Assure that the information will be kept confidential.
 Get the employer’s opinion for grant of credit.
▫ Replies to status enquiries
 When the reply to the status enquiry about the credit of an individual or
firm is positive, the reply is simple and faces no difficulty in writing.
However, if the case is uncertain, care needs to be taken while responding.
• 2. Collection
letters
▫ Collection letters can be written by either the individual or the
organization when goods are taken on credit, and the payment due is
to be collected.
• 3. Letters of enquiry
▫ An enquiry letter is useful when we need information, advice, names,
or directions.
 Solicited (direct) and unsolicited (through third party) enquiry letters
 Reply to enquiry letters
 Letters of quotation
• 4. Order Placement Letters
▫ An order is a request for something to be made, supplied, or served.
The order placement letter should be written very clearly and
accurately, including complete description of the goods required,
quantities, price, catalogue number, delivery requirements, and the
terms of payment as agreed by both the parties.
• 5. Claim Letters
▫ A claim or an adjustment request is made when a company’s product
or service is not satisfactory. Following are the objectives of writing a
claim letter:
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To bring the mistake/fault to the notice of the supplying company
To rectify the mistake either by repair or replacement
Billing error
Damaged goods
Wrong goods, quantity
Difference in agreed prices
Late delivery, non-delivery, poor service
• Guidelines while writing a claim letter
▫ Provide a reference point, namely, consignment number/ invoice
number, date, and items ordered.
▫ Explain the problem clearly and give specific details.
▫ Briefly explain the inconvenience
▫ State clearly as to what action is required.
• 6. Sales Letters
▫ Sales letters are the most cost-effective and time-efficient means of
marketing products or services. In order to make sales letters
effective, we should ensure that they accomplish the following
objectives, through the AIDA approach.
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A - attention
I – interest
D – desire
A – action
▫ Catching attention –
 Question or a series of questions
 Quotation
 Anecdote
 Statistics
 Central selling point
 Appeal
 Building interest
 Increasing desire
 Motivating action
 Postscript
• 7. Instruction letters
▫ Instruction letters serve the purpose of instructing,
but in the form of a letter. the instructions should be
arranged in the order of the most important to the
least so that the reader can act accordingly.
• COVER LETTERS
▫ A covering letter serves the purpose of creating the
necessary background to any submission. Any document in
the form of a proposal, a questionnaire, a resume, or a
report should be accompanied with a covering letter.
▫ Writing a Cover Letter
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The purpose of the document
The highlights
The benefits drawn
The expected response
A courtesy close.
▫ Academic and Business Cover Letters
 Give complete information
 Be precise
 Be polite
• Cover Letters accompanying Resumes
▫ The resume is always accompanied by a cover letter.
Following are the points which will be helpful while
drafting a cover letter to accompany a resume.
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Catch immediate attention of the reader.
Give the reason for writing.
Underscore the key item of the resume.
Close the letter on a positive note.
Highlight your abilities.
• RESUMES
▫ While writing a letter of application for a job, we promise to
offer our services to a prospective employer. Job
applications are always accompanied by a resume or a
curriculum vitae (CV). A prospective employer forms his or
her first impression of the candidate from the resume. A
good resume can help the employer to shortlist the
candidate.
• Resume Design and Structure
 A resume should present a brief summary of theQ1A candidate’s
personal details followed by details such as career objectives,
educational qualifications, professional and technical skills, and
extracurricular activities and achievements.
▫ Appearance and elements
 The purpose of a resume is to get called for an interview. It must
be well-organized so that vital information is readily accessible. A
resume should reflect the professional image that we want to
create.
 Neat and error-free with no whiteouts or hand corrections
 Legible and well-spaced
 Printed on good quality paper of A-4 size, and
 Reproduced clearly on a high-quality printer or copy machine.
• Personal information
▫ Name, address, phone number, email address, etc
• Career/professional objective
▫ While stating the objective, make it effective by being as specific as
possible about the requirement or aspirations.
• Education/ academic preparation
• Work experience/ professional skills
• Activities, achievements/ special interest, aptitudes,
membership.
• References
• TYPES OF RESUMES
▫ Chronological resume
 This type of resume emphasizes education and work
experience and is most effective when such experience
clearly relates to the job we are seeking.
▫ Functional resume
 It features the skills that the candidate has got.
▫ Hybrid/ combination
 Best features of the chronological and functional
resumes.
▫ Scanable resume
 Refers to a document that has been formatted in such a
way that it can be successfully scanned using optical
character recognition (OCR).
• MEMOS
▫ Four channels through which information flows in an organization.
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Face-to-face
Over telephone
Through email
Inter-office memorandum (memo)
▫ These are brief written communication circulated within the
organization.
▫ Facilitates communication about various operations.
▫ Memos also helps in problem solving.
▫ Inter-office memo enables the flow of information in all the three
types of organizational communication, namely vertical, horizontal
and diagonal.
• Classification and purpose
• Depending on the purpose, memos can be classified into three major
categories.
• Documentary
• Congratulatory
• Disciplinary
• Documentary memos
• These memos are mainly used for conveying information, such as
memos written to a subordinate to remind, to announce, to give
instructions, to explain a policy or procedure, to a peer or superior
to make a request or routine recommendation, or to confirm an
agreement.
• Congratulatory memos
• Memos are also used to give credit to employees of an organization
for the outstanding work. Employees can also send their
compliments in the form of a memo to their officers.
▫ Disciplinary memos
 When employees violate the rules or breach the code of conduct in
an organization, they will be served either with a severe warning
or any other punishment as decided by the management. The
memo conveying this action is known as a disciplinary memo.
• Structure and Layout
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Heading
Opening
Discussion
Closing
Distribution (optional)
Necessary attachments (optional)
• Heading
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Name of the organization and address (printed letterhead)
Date:
To:
From:
Subject:
• Opening
• The purpose of the memo is usually found in the opening
paragraphs and is presented in three parts.
• The context and problem [establishes background]
• The specific assignment or task [ steps to be taken]
• The purpose of the memo [ reason for writing it and forecasts]
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Discussion
Closing [complimentary remarks or directive statements]
Necessary attachments
Distribution [mention the designations of those people to
whom a copy of the memo has been sent]
• EMAILS
▫ Email stands for electronic mail. These are digital message that can
be sent through an Internet connection.
▫ Advantages
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Fast [communicate quickly]
Quick distribution to many people.
Access vast pool of information
Easy to save and store
Can be easily forwarded
Easy to reply
Attachments possible
Recipient is not interrupted
Received emails can be dealt with at a convenient time
Emails are not anonymous
Can be marked with the level of priority
Inexpensive
Convenient and saves time
▫ Disadvantages
Email is editable
Email is anonymous
Email cannot be retracted
Email is not necessarily private.
Some email systems can send or receive text files only.
It is possible to forge email.
We can receive too much or unwanted email [junk mails]
We may not know about the person with whom we are
communicating.
 Not suitable for complex issues.
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▫ Style, Structure, and Content
 Style – formal message should contain formal tone.
 Structure – header, message, and signature.
▫ Emoticons and acronyms
 Used to compensate for the inability to covey voice inflections,
facial expressions, and bodily gestures in written
communication.[e.g.]
• Email Etiquette
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Answer swiftly
Do not overuse reply all
Use templates for frequently used response
Use proper structure and layout
Identify yourself and the topic
Answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions
Be concise and to the point
Use proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation
Do not write in CAPITALS
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Avoid long sentences
Use active instead of passive voice
Keep your language gender-neutral
Maintain coherence (reply on original mail instead of new mail)
Do not overuse the high priority option
Do not attach unnecessary files
Re-read the email before you send it
Take care with abbreviations and emotions
Be careful with formatting
Take care with rich text and HTML message
Do not use email to discuss confidential matters
Avoid using URGENT and IMPORTANT
Use the Bcc: field or do a mail merge
Using the cc field
Do not reply to spam
• Effectiveness and Security
Thank you….