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

LECTURE Writing a Letter

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.

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

The Importance of Letters 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

THINGS TO CONSIDER WHILE WRITING LETTER 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.

Writing Effective Letters 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

Letter Components Essential Components Optional 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

Essential Components of a Letter

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

Date Full Calendar Date May 31,2009 31May 2009 1-2 spaces

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

Salutation IF you know the reader’s name, salutation will be OTHERWISE 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

Business Letter Salutation / Greeting 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

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

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.

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

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.

Signed Name Sign your name legibly

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

Optional Components of a Letter

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

Writer's and Typist's Initials 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

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

Copy Notation 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

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.

Enclosure: Article by Dr Lolo shater cc: Dr Fofo Mouse Mr. Lali Mater

Things to consider

Salutation 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. 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:

Examples or Salutations 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)

Basic Letter Formats 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. Preferred choice

The unblocked format 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 semi-blocked format 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 blocked format 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 AMS simplified letter format 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 Use of Letterhead Stationery 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.

Letter head

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

QUESTIONS??