EE 399

1

Lecture 9Lecture 9Taking Notes andTaking Notes and

Writing Writing Letters and Letters and MemosMemos

King Saud UniversityCollege of Engineering

Electrical Engineering Department

EE 399

EE 399

2

OutlineOutline

Taking NotesWriting LettersWriting MemosExamples

EE 399

3

Taking NotesTaking Notes

Taking notes is needed for learning and effective communications with others

Most people forget almost half of what they hear within an hour

Taking notes forces you to listen carefully

It helps to record some information which may not be available anywhere else or may be lost sometime

EE 399

4

Effective ListeningEffective Listening

It is the success key for good note-taking

To listen effectively, create an internal conversation between you and the lecturer

This includes actively anticipating and questioning what the lecturer says and sorting the information being presented.

EE 399

5

Taking Notes ProcessTaking Notes Process

1. During Lecture:

- Follow a certain style

- Do not miss the first minute

- Sit close to the lecturer to avoid distractions

- Write the name of the lecturer

- Date and number each page

- Notice the clues that tell how the lecture is organized and what points are important

EE 399

6

Taking Notes ProcessTaking Notes Process (cont.) (cont.)

During Lecture (cont.):

- Pay attention to transitional words

- Write in short phrases or words

- Do not try to write everything said

- Use abbreviations

- Skip lines and write on one side

- Box important notes

- Ask questions to understand

EE 399

7

Taking Notes ProcessTaking Notes Process (cont.)(cont.)

2. After Lecture:

- Read your notes as soon as possible and fill any gaps

- Highlight or underline main ideas, concepts, and information- Compare your notes with a friend’s (whenever possible)

EE 399

8

Know the CluesKnow the Clues

Your lecturer will drop hints to indicate important points. Look for these phrases and signals:

- Lists: “the five issues”, “the three most important dates”

- Summaries: “in conclusion”, “to sum up”

- Examples: “for example”, “for instance”

- Different points of view: “on one hand”, “however”

- Superlatives: “most”, “best”

- Repetition: “again”, “in other words”

- Writing: on the chalkboard

EE 399

9

Styles for Styles for Taking NotesTaking Notes

1. Outlining: - Use roman numeral (I., II.) for main ideas- Subtopics using capital letters (A., B.)- Details using Arabic numerals (1., 2., 3., etc.)

2. Mapping: - Map is used to draw the material presented- Draw a small circle in the center of your paper to place the main idea- Draw lines from the center topic pointing to subtopics- Lines are drawn for more details or examples

EE 399

10

Use ShorthandUse Shorthand

Develop your own system of shorthand like:  - Use symbols:

& = and $ = money w/o = without

- Omit vowels: ppt = power point Gvt = Government

- Use letters enough to recognize words: Info = information Max = maximum

- Use first syllable of a word: Cap = Capital Lab = Laboratory

- Use first syllable and 1st letter of second syllable: Subj = subject Pres = presentation

EE 399

11

LETTERS and MEMOSLETTERS and MEMOS

Throughout your career, you will write too many letters and memos

Many people (mistakenly) think that writing letters and memos is not “a big deal”.

Those people are probably writing ineffective letters without knowing it.

Writing letters and memos is a delicate/important task

EE 399

12

The Reader The Reader

The more you know about your reader, the more closely you can tune your writing

How much does your reader know about the topic of the letter or memo?

How does the topic affect the reader personally?

What will make the reader want to read what you have to say?

Is your reader likely to agree or disagree with your suggestions?

EE 399

13

A letter or memo can have many purposes such as (among others): informpersuade sell request instruct recommendTo complain.

Knowing your purpose and your reader will help you decide what to say and how to organize and phrase it.

The PurposeThe Purpose

EE 399

14

LettersLetters

The most widely used business letter formats are:

Full block

Modified block

The format of the letter helps to establish its tone

EE 399

15

Full block formatFull block format

It has eight components (in order):Heading

Address

Salutation

Text of the message. Do not indent the paragraphs, but leave an empty line between paragraphs

The complimentary close

Your signature should be in blue or black ink

The identification line containing your typed name

Enclosures or distribution

EE 399

16

An Example (Full Block)An Example (Full Block)

Your Address

February 16, 2003

Receiver’s name and address

Dear Mr. ….:

Text with no indentation but skip a line between paragraphs

Sincerely yours,

Signature goes here with pen

Your Name

Encl: List of attachments

Dist: List people receiving a copy

EE 399

17

Modified Block FormatModified Block Format

Differs from full block in the placement of the heading, date, complimentary close, signature, and identification lines

These components start about halfway across the page and aligned vertically

Begin the paragraphs with a one-tab or three to five space indentation

Do not leave an empty line between paragraphs

EE 399

18

An Example (Modified Block)An Example (Modified Block)

Your address

February 16, 2003

Receiver’s name and address

Dear Mr. ...:

Your text here indented but no empty line between paragraphs.

Sincerely yours,

Your signature goes here with ink

Your name

Encl: List of attachments

Dist: List people receiving a copy

EE 399

19

MemosMemos The memo is short for memorandum

Used for short reminders, quick announcements or concise pieces of information

Memos should not be used for communications to people outside the company

The vital information in a memo comprises the date, the recipient, the sender and the subject matter

In memos, do not use the "Dear" salutation and the "Yours truly" complimentary closure

Initial the memo to the right of your name with a pen

EE 399

20

Memo FormatMemo Format

< company logo>

MEMORANDUM (or MEMO)

DATE:

TO:

FROM: <add initials here with pen>

SUBJECT: ______________________________________________

<include memo text here>

EE 399

21

Memo Format (Continued)Memo Format (Continued)

Block Format: no indentation but leave empty space between paragraphs

Modified Block format: Indent each paragraph but do not leave empty space

Do not mix both format. Choose one and stick to it

EE 399

22

Sample Memo Sample Memo (Modified Block)(Modified Block)

Memorandum

Date: March 13, 2003

To: Dr. Abdullah Abdelrahman, Department Head

From: Ayhem Salem

Subject: A Low-Cost Way to Reduce Energy Use in Our Department

__________________________________________________________________

-----------------, ----------- ------- -----; ----------- -----------------: -------------- ---- ----------- ----------------- -------- -------- - ------- --------- ------------ ---------- -------- - -------------------- ---------------------. -------- ------- ------------- -- ---------.

---------- -------- -------- - ,------- --------- ------------, ---------- --------. -------------------- --------------------- -------- ------- ------------- - -- ---------.

----------------- ----------- ------- ----- ----------- ----------------- -------------- ---- ----------- ----------------- -------- -------- - ------- --------- ------------ ---------- -------- - -------------------- --------------------- -------- ---------.

EE 399

23

Reviewing Letters or MemosReviewing Letters or Memos Check your letter or memo for tone, wording, and

spelling

Check the spelling of the receiver’s name and address

Check the dates in the heading and any dates in the text. These are supposed to be records

Check for subject-verb agreement

Check for punctuation

Be sure that you signed the letter below the complimentary close

Be sure that you put your initials to the right of your name in the memo

EE 399

24

This is how much letter and memo writing you will probably do.

Do it right!

QUESTIONS?