1. © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 1 Chapter 16 Memo Reports and Electronic Correspondence Technical Communication, 11 th Edition John M. Lannon

2. © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 2 Comparisons Hard-Copy vs. Digital Format  Much of our electronic communication continues to be written, even if paperless Information vs. Analytical Reports  Analytical Reports go beyond information to discuss what the information means Formal vs. Informal Reports  Short, informal reports, often taking the form of memos, provide needed information and analysis for use on a day- to-day basis.

3. © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 3 Purpose of a Memo  Memos are the major form of internal communication in most organizations.  Serve to leave a paper trail of directives, inquiries, instructions, requests, recommendations, and daily reports for future reference

4. © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 4 Elements of a Usable Memo  Easy to scan  Easy to file  Easy to retrieve  Effective headers, subject lines, and body text

5. © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 5 Common Mistakes in Writing Memos  Complaining  Being to critical or judgmental  Sounding too formal or informal  Using the wrong medium  Being too bossy  Neglecting to provide a copy to all appropriate people

6. © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 6 Informational Memo Types Progress reports  Regular status updates that focus on accomplishments on a specific project Periodic activity reports  Regular status updates that focus on general activities during a specific period of time Minutes Meetings  A record of meeting proceedings

7. © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 7 Analytical Memo Types Feasibility reports  Analyze whether an idea or plan is realistic and practical Recommendation reports  Interpret data, draw conclusions, and recommend a course of action Justification reports  Recognizes a problem and proposes a solution

8. © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 8 Benefits of E-Mail  Lack of real-time constraints  Efficient filing, retrieval, and forwarding  Attachments  Democratic communication  Creative thinking  Collaboration and research

9. © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 9 When to Not use Email  Don’t use email when a more personal medium is preferable.  Don’t use email for a detailed discussion.  Don’t use email for most formal correspondence.  Don’t use email when you are conveying copyrighted information  Don’t use your work email when conveying private information

10. © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 10 Other Types of Electronic Communication Instant Messaging  Text-based, real-time conversation Internal Blogs  Users can post information to be seen by all with access Internal Wikis  Users can comment on earlier posts and edit them External Blogs  Facilitate customer feedback and enhance public relations RSS Feeds  A retrieval program that monitors selected sites, identifies relevant information, and sends links by email to subscribers

11. © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 11 Any questions? For additional help reviewing this chapter, please visit the Companion Website for your text at http://www.ablongman.com/lannon.