© M. Reber 11/30/2015 Prewriting Analysis Writing an effective memo, letter, or report

Thinking and Planning before Writing 1. Ask yourself five questions. 2. Write quick responses to the questions. 3. Use the answers to develop and write your correspondence. 2

Questions to Consider 1. What is my purpose? 2. Who is my audience? 3. What are my key points? 4. How should I organize the information? 5. What action or attitude do I want the reader to take? 3

1. What is my purpose? Be specific  To inform  To persuade or argue To obtain the technical editing job in the Training Department at Apple. To receive a refund of $4250 from Dell for a defective computer system that was returned. Refer to your purpose statement often as you write your draft.  Eliminate extraneous material that does not advance your purpose.  Ensure that you have adequate details to achieve your purpose. 4

2. Who is my audience? What do I know about this individual or these individuals?  Identify their concerns, characteristics, level of education/expertise, and attitudes about the subject and my purpose What potential questions might this audience have? How can I meet the needs of multiple audiences? 5

3. What are my key points? Key points are the details that express your purpose.  Technical editing job. Why are you the best candidate for the position?  Dell Computer return. What steps did individual take to correct issue with Dell? Key points become the discussion section of the correspondence. 6

4. How should I organize the information? Should the letter be an up-front or a convincer?  Up Front Is person expecting correspondence from you? Do you have good news?  Convincer Are you requesting something? Do you have bad news? 7

5. What action or attitude do I want the reader to take? Need to state the result you expect, so that the reader does not have to guess.  An invitation to interview for the job.  A refund of $4250 for the defective computer.  A replacement of the HP inkjet printer with the same model. Use positive tone and approach. 8

How are questions related to sections of a letter or memo? Introduction  Who is my audience?  What is my purpose?  How do I organize the information? Discussion  What are my key points? Conclusion  What action do I want the reader to take? 9

Tone and Emphasis Use positive tone even in a negative situation. Be sparing with apologies; fix the issue rather than apologize for it. Use the you approach. Focus on your reader rather than yourself. 10