Copyright © 2008 by Nelson Education Ltd. Ch. 5-1 Chapter 5 s and Memos
Copyright © 2008 by Nelson Education Ltd. Ch. 5-2 Importance of Internal Communication Well-written documents bring important benefits: l Achievement of goals l Improvement of your image in the company
Copyright © 2008 by Nelson Education Ltd. Ch. 5-3 The Writing Process l Phase 1: Analyze, Anticipate, and Adapt Do I really need to write this memo or ? Do I write a hard-copy memo or send an e- mail? Why am I writing? How will the reader react?
Copyright © 2008 by Nelson Education Ltd. Ch. 5-4 The Writing Process l Phase 2: Research, Organize, and Compose l Phase 3: Revise, Proofread, and Evaluate Revise for clarity Proofread for correctness Plan for feedback
Copyright © 2008 by Nelson Education Ltd. Ch. 5-5 Writing plan for s and Memos l Writing the Subject Line Summarize the central idea in the subject line Subject lines should be specific, eye- catching, and contain a verb form.
Copyright © 2008 by Nelson Education Ltd. Ch. 5-6 Writing plan for s and Memos l Opening with the Main Idea Begin by giving the main idea immediately in the first sentence.
Copyright © 2008 by Nelson Education Ltd. Ch. 5-7 Writing plan for s and Memos l Body Explains the main idea. Uses a separate paragraph for each topic. Uses bulleted lists, headings and tables for easy comprehension.
Copyright © 2008 by Nelson Education Ltd. Ch. 5-8 Writing plan for s and Memos l Closing End your message with: i) action information, dates, or deadlines ii) message summary iii) a closing thought Include an end date in the closing paragraph
Copyright © 2008 by Nelson Education Ltd. Ch. 5-9 Formatting s l Formatting suggestions All messages contain To, From, Date, and Subject lines. Salutations are included in most messages except to close colleagues. Generally, closing lines or a signature block should name the writer.
Copyright © 2008 by Nelson Education Ltd. Ch Sample Message Date: September 3, :05:12 AM EST To: Matt Ferranto From: Brooke Johnson Subject: SUPERVISING TWO WORK PLACEMENT STUDENTS Matt: You will be assigned two work placement students to work in your department from September 20 through November 30. As part of their supervision, you will be expected to do the following: * Develop a work plan describing their duties.
Copyright © 2008 by Nelson Education Ltd. Ch Sample Message * Supervise their work to ensure positive results. * Assess their professionalism in completing all assigned work. Please examine the packet being sent to you. It contains forms and additional information about the two students assigned to your department. Please call me by September 15 at Ext. 248 if you have questions. (continued)
Copyright © 2008 by Nelson Education Ltd. Ch Smart Practices l Getting started Compose offline. Get the address right. Avoid misleading subject lines.
Copyright © 2008 by Nelson Education Ltd. Ch Smart Practices l Content, Tone, Correctness Be concise. Don’t send anything you wouldn’t want published. Don’t use to avoid contact. Never respond when you’re angry. Care about correctness. Resist humour.
Copyright © 2008 by Nelson Education Ltd. Ch Smart Practices l Netiquette Don’t automatically forward junk . Consider using identifying labels. Use capital letters only for emphasis or for titles. Announce attachments. Consider asking for permission before forwarding.
Copyright © 2008 by Nelson Education Ltd. Ch Smart Practices l Replying to Scan all messages in your inbox before replying to each individually. Don’t automatically return the sender’s message. Revise the subject line if the topic changes. Respond to messages quickly and efficiently.
Copyright © 2008 by Nelson Education Ltd. Ch Smart Practices l Personal Use Don’t use company computers for personal matters. Assume that all is monitored.
Copyright © 2008 by Nelson Education Ltd. Ch Smart Practices l Other Smart Practices Use graphic highlighting to improve readability of longer messages. Consider cultural differences. Double-check before hitting the Send button.
Copyright © 2008 by Nelson Education Ltd. Ch Improving and Memo Readability With Listing Techniques l Parallelism Instead of this: She likes sleeping, eating, and to work. Try this: She likes sleeping, eating, and working.
Copyright © 2008 by Nelson Education Ltd. Ch Improving and Memo Readability With Listing Techniques l Instructions Instead of this: To clean the printer, you should first disconnect the power cord. Then you open the front cover, and the printer area should be cleaned with a soft, dry cloth. Try this: To clean the printer: 1. Disconnect the power cord 2. Open the front cover 3. Clean the printer area with a soft, dry cloth
Copyright © 2008 by Nelson Education Ltd. Ch Improving and Memo Readability With Listing Techniques l Headings Instead of this: On April 3 we will be in Toronto, and the speaker is Troy Lee. On May 20 we will be in Calgary, and the speaker is Erin Win. Try this: Date City Speaker April 3 Toronto Troy Lee May 20 Calgary Erin Win
Copyright © 2008 by Nelson Education Ltd. Ch Improving and Memo Readability With Listing Techniques l Emphasis Within Sentences Instead of this: Our team always tries to achieve our goals, customer service must be improved, and our production targets must be met. Try this: Our team always tries to (a) achieve our goals, (b) improve customer service, and (c) meet our production targets.
Copyright © 2008 by Nelson Education Ltd. Ch Improving and Memo Readability With Listing Techniques l Bulleted Items Instead of this: At the AutoSelect Web site, we let you compare car prices, you can research the best financing, and you can learn about leasing. Try this: At the AutoSelect Web site, you can Compare car prices Research best financing Learn about leasing
Copyright © 2008 by Nelson Education Ltd. Ch Try Your Skill Ê Arrange the following in a bulleted list. In the next session, the trainer will demonstrate how to use video conferencing, how to share multiple programs, and how to maintain a directory.
Copyright © 2008 by Nelson Education Ltd. Ch Try Your Skill Improved Version: The next training session will demonstrate Video conferencing Sharing multiple programs Maintaining an Internet Directory
Copyright © 2008 by Nelson Education Ltd. Ch s and Memos That Inform s and memos that inform generally explain organization policies, procedures, and guidelines. Must be particularly clear and concise First paragraph: begin directly Next paragraph: explain why (consider using bulleted lists) Final paragraph: restate main purpose
Copyright © 2008 by Nelson Education Ltd. Ch s and Memos That Request Use the direct approach Be courteous and respectful Write clearly to avoid misunderstanding Consider asking a co-worker to read it before sending it out provide an end-date so reader can plan a response
Copyright © 2008 by Nelson Education Ltd. Ch s and Memos That Respond Prepare by: collecting, organizing, outlining First paragraph: describe the request Next paragraph: provide the information requested (consider using headings and lists) Final paragraph: close with a summary
Copyright © 2008 by Nelson Education Ltd. Ch End