ENG 412 - Professional English

Writing Routine Messages

Writing routine letters

Information request Order request Simple claim

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Letterhead Island Graphics 893 Dillingham Boulevard

Honolulu, HI 96817-8817

line 12 or 2 lines below letterhead

Dateline September 13, 200x

2 to 10 lines

Inside Mr. T. M. WilsonAddress Visual Concepts Enterprises 1901 Haumualii Highway Lihue, HI 96766 1 blank line

Salutation Dear Mr. Wilson:

Letterhead Island Graphics 893 Dillingham Boulevard

Honolulu, HI 96817-8817

line 12 or 2 lines below letterhead

Dateline September 13, 200x

2 to 10 lines

Inside Mr. T. M. WilsonAddress Visual Concepts Enterprises 1901 Haumualii Highway Lihue, HI 96766 1 blank line

Salutation Dear Mr. Wilson:

Parts of a Business Letter

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1 blank line

Subject Line SUBJECT: BLOCK LETTER STYLE 1 blank line

Body This letter illustrates block letter style, about which you asked. All typed lines begin at the left

margin. The date is usually placed two inches from the top edge of the paper or two lines below the last line of the letterhead, whichever position is lower.

If a subject line is included, it appears two lines below the salutation. The word SUBJECT is optional. The complimentary close appears

1 blank line

Subject Line SUBJECT: BLOCK LETTER STYLE 1 blank line

Body This letter illustrates block letter style, about which you asked. All typed lines begin at the left

margin. The date is usually placed two inches from the top edge of the paper or two lines below the last line of the letterhead, whichever position is lower.

If a subject line is included, it appears two lines below the salutation. The word SUBJECT is optional. The complimentary close appears

Parts of a Business Letter

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two lines below the end of the last paragraph. 1 blank line

Complimentary Sincerely,Close

3 blank lines

Signature Mark H. WongBlock Graphics Designer 1 blank line

Reference MHWInitials

two lines below the end of the last paragraph. 1 blank line

Complimentary Sincerely,Close

3 blank lines

Signature Mark H. WongBlock Graphics Designer 1 blank line

Reference MHWInitials

Parts of a Business Letter

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Writing Plan for an Information Request

Opening: Ask the most important question first or express a

polite command.

Body: Explain the request logically and politely. Ask other questions if necessary.

Closing: Request a specific action with an end date, if appropriate, and show appreciation.

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Writing Plan for an Order Request

Opening: Authorize purchase of items. Suggest method of shipping.

Body: List items vertically. Provide quantity, order number, description, and unit price.

Closing: Request shipment by a specific date. Tell method of payment. Express

appreciation.

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Writing Plan for a Simple Claim

Opening: Describe clearly the desired action.

Body: Explain the nature of the claim. Tell why the claim is justified. Provide details

regarding the action requested.

Closing: End politely with a goodwill statement.

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Content, Tone, Correctness Be concise. Don’t send anything you wouldn’t want

published. Don’t use e-mail to avoid contact. Never respond when you’re angry. Care about correctness. Don’t use informal language like “wanna.”

Smart E-Mail Practices

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Netiquette Limit any tendency to send everyone a

copy Consider using identifying labels, such as

“ACTION,” “FYI,” “RE,” “URGENT.” Use capital letters only for emphasis or for

titles. Announce attachments.

Smart E-Mail Practices

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Netiquette (continued) Seek permission before forwarding. Scan all messages before replying to each

individually. Don’t automatically return the sender’s

message. Revise the subject line if the topic in a

series of messages (a “thread”) changes.

Smart E-Mail Practices

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Personal Use Don’t use company computers for

personal matters. Assume that all e-mail is monitored.

Smart E-Mail Practices

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Greeting Options No greeting “Heather,” “Dear Heather:,” “Hi,” or “Good

morning!” Include name in first line (“Thanks, Heather, for

your help . . .”).

Formatting E-Mail Messages

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Body Cover just one topic. Use uppercase and lowercase letters. Use short line length if message might be

forwarded.

Formatting E-Mail Messages

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Formatting E-Mail Messages

Closing Consider a complimentary closing such as “Best

Regards” Include your name and identification– especially

in messages to outsiders.

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Date: September 3, 2004 9:05:12 AM EST

To: Matt Ferranto <mferranto@qualcom.com>

From: Brooke Johnson <bjohnson@qualcom.com>

Subject: Supervising Two Assigned Interns

Matt:

Two interns will work in your department from September 20 through November 30. As part of their supervision, you should do the following:

* Develop a work plan describing their duties.

Date: September 3, 2004 9:05:12 AM EST

To: Matt Ferranto <mferranto@qualcom.com>

From: Brooke Johnson <bjohnson@qualcom.com>

Subject: Supervising Two Assigned Interns

Matt:

Two interns will work in your department from September 20 through November 30. As part of their supervision, you should do the following:

* Develop a work plan describing their duties.

Sample E-Mail Message

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Sample E-Mail Message

* Supervise their work to ensure positive results.

* Assess their professionalism in completing assigned work.

Please examine the packet being sent to you. It contains forms and additional information about the two students assigned to your department. Call me at Ext. 248 if you have questions.

Best,

Brooke

* Supervise their work to ensure positive results.

* Assess their professionalism in completing assigned work.

Please examine the packet being sent to you. It contains forms and additional information about the two students assigned to your department. Call me at Ext. 248 if you have questions.

Best,

Brooke

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Writing Plan for Routine Memos and E-Mail Messages

Subject line: Summarize memo contents. Opening: State the main idea. Body: Provide background data and

explain the main idea. Closing: Request action, summarize

the message, or present a closing thought.

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ParallelismInstead of this:Workers were nervous, stressed, and full of preoccupation.

Try this:Workers were nervous, stressed, and preoccupied.

Improve Memo Readability With Listing Techniques

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InstructionsInstead 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, do

the following:* Disconnect the power

cord.* Open the front cover.* Clean the printer area

with a soft, dry cloth.

Improve Memo Readability With Listing Techniques

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HeadingsInstead of this:On April 3 we will be in Toledo, and the speaker is Troy Lee. On May 20 we will be in Detroit, and the speaker is Erin Win.

Try this:Date City Speaker

April 3 Toledo Troy Lee

May 20 Detroit Erin Win

Improve Memo Readability With Listing Techniques

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Within SentencesInstead of this:Our team constantly tries to achieve our goals, customer service must be improved, and our production targets must be hit.

Try this:Our team constantly tries to (a) achieve our goals, (b) improve customer service, and (c) hit our production targets.

Improve Memo Readability With Listing Techniques

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Bulleted ItemsInstead 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 do the following: Compare car prices. Research the best

financing. Learn about leasing.

Improve Memo Readability With Listing Techniques

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Improve Memo Readability With Listing Techniques

Paragraph HeadingsInstead of this:

The next topic is vacations. A new vacation schedule will be available in two weeks.

Try this:

Vacations. A new vacation schedule will be available in two weeks.

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Try Your Skill

Arrange the following in a concise, bulleted list.

In the next training session, the trainer will demonstrate how to use video conferencing, how to share multiple programs, and how to maintain an Internet directory.

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Improved Version:

The next training session will demonstrate Video conferencing Sharing multiple programs Maintaining an Internet directory

Try Your Skill

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Improve the readability of the following instructions that will become part of a student employment booklet.

In preparing for an employment interview, you should begin by studying the job description. Itemizing your most strategic skills and qualifications is also important. Giving responses in a mock interview is another good practice technique. Last, you should be prepared to ask relevant questions.

Try Your Skill

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Improved Version:

You can prepare for interviews by doing the following: Study the job description. Itemize your most strategic skills and

qualifications. Practice giving responses in a mock

interview. Prepare to ask relevant questions.

Try Your Skill