Writing Reader-Focused Letters, Memos, and E-Mail

C H A P T E R 12

• How Do You Prepare to Write Correspondence?

• What Makes Correspondence Effective?• How Do You Select the Most Appropriate

Format for Your Correspondence?• How Do You Format a Letter?• How Do You Format a Memo?• How Do You Format an E-Mail?

Presentation Overview

• How Do You Organize Your Correspondence?• How Do You Create a Professional Image

Through Your Correspondence?

Presentation Overview

• Determine your objectives.• Find out about your readers and how they

will perceive your message.

How Do You Prepare to Write Correspondence?

Ask:• What is the purpose of the correspondence?

What do you expect it to accomplish?• What action, if any, do you expect readers to

take after reading the correspondence?• What do you expect readers to know after

reading the correspondence?

Determine Your Objectives

Ask:• Who will read the correspondence? Will

more than one person read it?• What are the readers’ positions and

responsibilities? How might their positions and responsibilities affect how they perceive your message?

Find Out about Your Readers

• If your readers are external, what is their relationship to you and your organization? How will this relationship affect how they perceive your message?

• What do your readers know about the subject of the correspondence?

Find Out about Your Readers

• Having a purpose• Clearly specifying what readers should do or

know after reading• Containing all the information readers need—

no less and no more• Anticipating and answering readers’

questions• Being tactful and professional

What Makes Correspondence Effective?

How Do You Select an Appropriate Format for Your Correspondence?

Letter•Level of Formality: High•Intended Readers: External•Common Subjects: Customer relations, inquiry, sales

Memo•Level of Formality: Medium•Intended Readers: Internal•Common Subjects: General correspondence such as announcements, reminders, replies, or requests, and informal reports

E-Mail•Level of Formality: Low•Intended Readers: Internal or external•Common Subjects: Routine business, and correspondence involving people in different time zones (not intended for sensitive or confidential information)

Parts• Letterhead or

writer’s address• Date (can appear

before writer’s address)

• Recipient's name, position, business or organization, and address

• Subject or reference line (optional in block or modified block styles)

• Salutation• Body• Complimentary closing• Signature block• Enclosure line (optional)• Copy line (optional)

How Do You Format a Letter?

Styles• Block style: places everything on previous

slide flush against the left margin• Modified block style: indents the writer’s

address (if used), date, complimentary closing, signature block, and, optionally, the first line of each paragraph

How Do You Format a Letter?

Styles• AMS simplified style: includes the subject or

reference line and omits the salutation, complimentary closing, and handwritten part of the signature block, leaving only the typed name in all capital letters

How Do You Format a Letter?

Parts• Memorandum,

Memo, or Interoffice Communication

• To: • From:• Date:*

• Subject: or Re: (for “Regarding”)

• Body

* The “Date:” line can appear at the beginning or the end.

How Do You Format a Memo?

Parts• To:• Cc:• Bcc:• Subject:• Greeting (optional)• Body• Signature block

How Do You Format an E-Mail?

Guidelines• Make the subject line informative and

specific.• Follow the rules of capitalization.• Don’t use abbreviations.• Limit the e-mail to business issues, and to one

subject.

How Do You Format an E-Mail?

• The direct approach• The indirect approach

How Do You Organize Your Correspondence?

• In the first paragraph, present the main message.

• In the middle paragraph(s), explain the main message.

• In the final paragraph, close the correspondence.

The Direct Approach

Scenario: After having entered a photograph competition, you receive the following correspondence. What type format—letter, memo, or e-mail—do you think would be most appropriate? Do you think the organization was effective?

We are writing to let you know the results of the competition. Unfortunately, your entry was not one of those chosen to receive an award.

This year we received hundreds of submissions, making it our toughest competition to date. Each submission was evaluated

The Direct Approach

carefully by a panel of three judges using a 9-point scoring system. To receive a 9, a photograph must be technically correct, demonstrate outstanding composition, and tell a complete story. Your overall score was a 3 out of 9. Please see the attached score sheet for more information and note that the results are final.

We appreciate your participation in this year’s competition. Many winners are repeat contestants from previous competitions, so we hope you will try again next year.

The Direct Approach

• In the first paragraph, buffer the main message with a positive or neutral statement.

• In the middle paragraph(s), explain and then state the main message.

• In the final paragraph, close the correspondence.

The Indirect Approach

Scenario: The following is a different version of the same correspondence. Which organization do you prefer, in this case?

We appreciate your participation in this year’s competition. We received hundreds of submissions, making it the toughest competition to date.

Our panel of three judges goes through each of the submissions carefully using a 9-point scoring system to determine the winners. To receive a 9, a photograph must

The Indirect Approach

be technically correct, demonstrate outstanding composition, and tell a complete story. Your overall score was a 3 out of 9. Unfortunately, your entry was not selected as one of the winners for this year. Please see the attached score sheet for more information and note that the results are final.

Most winners are repeat contestants from previous competitions, so we hope you will try again next year.

The Indirect Approach

• Put yourself in the readers’ shoes.• Use a tactful, professional tone.• Avoid overused phrases.• Use specific language.• Follow grammar and punctuation rules.

How Do You Create a Professional Image Through Your Correspondence?

Questions?