Midter handouts COMART4

Specific obj.

1. choose appropriate letter format for purpose and audience,

2. revise writing for conciseness, clarity of and appropriate detail,

3.proofread-letter drafts for grammar and writing conventions, and

4. Use a checklist or rubric to check for accuracy and letter formatting

—  Many students may feel that electronic messaging is the way of the future, that is not universally available.

—  Power outages, internet access downtime and cell phone coverage limit can affect electronic messages.

—  On the other hand letter writing requires only a few tools and is reliable form of communication because of the readily available writing materials like pen and paper.

—  Most of the time, printed letters are also preferred for more formal communications and as a permanent record.

Know your audience

—  To compose persuasive, user-centered  communication, you should gather as much information as possible about the people who will read your letter

—  Your audience may consist of different people who may have different needs and expectations

AUDIENCE ANALYSIS

—  Who are they?

—  What do they need?

—  Where will they be reading?

—  When will they be reading?

—  Why will they be reading?

—  How will they be reading?

—  In addition to the questions, you should also consider how factors like age, gender, race, socio economic status (demographics), attitudes, habits, and knowledge of the topic (dispositions) affect your readers’ opinions about YOU as the writer and the subject matter of your letter.

KNOW THE FORMAT

—  Whatever the content of your letter, there are a few business standards to follow regarding the way it looks.

1. Business letters should be typed and composed in a common/formal font such as Arial or Times New Roman and employ block paragraphing.
2. If you re printing the letter to send, consider printing the letter on a company letterhead because this lends a more professional look and provides their company logo and contact information.
3. Emailed business letters should also be composed in a common font.
4. Do not use script or colors other than black and white in a business email.

INCLUDE INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR COMPANY

—  In the absence of a pre-designed letterhead, list company name and company address, with each part of the address written on a different line.

—  If you are self-employed or an independent contractor/freelancer, you must add your name either in place of the company  name or above it.

—  The return address should appear either right or left justified at the top of the page, depending on you or your company’s preference.

INCLUDE THE DATE

—  Writing out the full date is the most professional choice.

—  This should appear left unjustified a few lines below the sender’s address.

ADD THE RECIPIENT’S INFORMATION

—  Write the inside address with the receiver’s full name, title (if applicable), company name, and address in that order, with each piece of information on a separate line.

—  If necessary, you should include a reference number.

—  The recipient's information  should be left justified a few lines below the date.

CHOOSE A SALUTATION

—  Salutation is an important indicator of respect, and which one students use will depend on whether they know him/her, and the level of formality in their relationship. Consider the following options:

a)      “To Whom It May Concern”- if you do not know whom, specifically, you are addressing

b)      “Dear Sir/Madam”- safe choice if you do not know the recipient well

c)       “Dear Dr. Grey”- use the recipient's title and last name if you know it

d)      “Dear Christian”- use only the first name if you know the recipient well and enjoy an informal relationship with him or her

e)      “Dear Christian Grey”- use the whole name if you are unsure of the recipient’s gender

Focus and Purpose

—  What is your purpose in writing the letter?

—  What purpose should the letter serve for your reader?

—  Is your main point stated early in the letter?

—  What do you want your reader to do when he/she finishes reading it?

Consider writing an outline first

—  List the topics you want to cover, do not worry about the order

—  For each topic, list keywords, examples, arguments, and facts

—  Review each topic in your outline for relevance to your aim and audience

—  Cut out anything that is not relevant

—  Sort the information onto the best order for your reader

Emphasize the positives

—  Stress what something is rather than what it is not

—  Say what you or the product can do rather than what it cannot do

—  Open with action rather than apology or explanation

—  Avoid words which convey unpleasant facts

Write clearly and concisely

—  The letter must proceed in a logical and organized way, moving from general to specific information

—  Information must be arranged in order of importance to your audience

—  Similar information must be kept together

—  Each section must be organized around only one main idea

—  Key sentences must begin each paragraph

—  The reader must find information where he/she expects to see it

—  Key points must be emphasized by using boldface, underlining, or italics

—  The letter must have clear and specific headings

—  Improve readability by using indention or bullets

—  Provide enough background information for the message

—  Include specific examples, numbers, dates, names, and percentages to support your claims

—  Use graphics (charts, graphs, diagrams, and tables) where appropriate

—  Eliminate unnecessary or obvious information to your audience

Writing the body of the letter

—  Use parallelism, similar structures for similar ideas

—  Use the right tone

—  Be  conversational when appropriate

—  Be courteous

—  Wrap it up

Parallelism

—  Be consistent in your wording, particularly in business documents. Parallel structure means using the same pattern of words to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance. This can happen at the word, phrase, or clause level.

—  The usual way to join parallel structures is with the use of coordinating conjunctions such as “and” or  “or.”

—  Avoid changing to another pattern or changing the voice of the verb.

—  Keep all the elements in a list after a colon (:) in the same form.

—  Keep all the elements in a bulleted list in the same form.

Use the right Tone

—  “time is money”- as the saying goes, and most of the business people hate to waste time

—  The tone of your letter should therefore be brief and professional.

—  Make your letter a quick read by diving straight into the subject matter and keeping your comments brief in the first paragraph .

For instance , you can start with “I am writing you regarding....” and go from there.

—  Do not concern yourselves with “flowery ” transitions, big words, or lengthy, meandering sentences.

—  You intent should be to communicate what needs to be said as quickly and clearly as possible by trying not to “editorialize.”

—  Do not be too blunt or “brutally frank” and forceful in your tone.

—  Try to improve or start a professional relationship with a business letter

—  Do not employ too much flattery.

—  A genuine compliment is acceptable, but going overboard will indicate that you have to rely on flattery, not competence, to do your job.

CLOSING THE LETTER

—  last Parts of a Business Letter:  Complimentary close, signature, enclosures, optional initials/copies

1. Choose a closing
2. Sign the letter
3. Include your typed name and contact information
4. If  necessary, include enclosures

Choose a closing

—  Closing a complimentary close, like the salutation, is an indicator of respect and formality.

—  “Yours  sincerely” or  “Sincerely” is generally the standard, you may also consider “Cordially ,” “Respectfully,” “Regards,” and “Yours Truly.”

—  Slightly less formal but still professional closings include “All the best,” “Best wishes,” “Warm regards,” and “Thank you.”

Sign the letter

—  Sign the letter after you have printed it.

—  Prefer to use a quality pen to sign in either blue or black ink or if you are sending it via email, scan an image of your signature and affix it to this part of the letter.

—  You may also use the abbreviation “(sgd.)” after your printed name which stands for “signed.”

Include your typed name and contact information

—  Beneath your signature type your name, phone number, email address, and any other applicable means of contact.

—  Give each piece of information its own line.

Finalizing the letter

—  Proofread the letter

1. Grammar

                The computer application Microsoft Word, just like most word processors, will check your grammar automatically as you type if you turn on the Grammar Check feature. Still you should ask a capable proof reader to check it.

2. Spelling

                just like the Grammar Check feature, Spell Check function in Word can help you quickly find the misspelled words in your letter as you type it. You can also use a conventional or online dictionary.

3. Word choice

                There are many ways of increasing word choice: studying synonyms/antonyms, taking vocabulary quizzes, learning word roots (Greek or Latin) and subject specific terms (jargon), and the like.

4. Punctuation

—  Punctuation marks show how a sentence should be read and make the meaning clear.

—  Every sentence should include, at least, a capital letter at the start and a period or full stop(.), exclamation mark(!), or question mark(?) at the end.

7. Indention

—  There are at least three ways to format a business letter and only one of them indents paragraphs (semi-block, dated)- and it is not popular these days. The other two are the full block (modern and sleek) and modified-block (less modern).

—  Paragraphs are NOT indented in email since on screen, the reader focuses on the left margin so it makes no sense to indent.

Actual business envelope

—  Using an actual business envelope, use one with the company logo printed on it.

—  Most companies use envelopes with the company name, address, and logo printed in the upper-left corner.

—  However, if the address is not already printed, you need to write it, type it, and use an ink stamp or address label sticker.

—  After neatly printing your return address and the recipient’s address, fold the letter into thirds, the recipient will first unfold the top flap, then the bottom flap.

—   Make sure you affix sufficient postage before sending it off.

—  Addressee’s name and address should appear in the center  of the envelope .

—  The name, title, and address of the person receiving the letter should appear the same as the inside address of the business letter.

—  If you are sending something to a foreign address, the name of the country should appear in capital letters by itself on the last line.

—  If special instructions appear in the letter, the same instructions should appear on the envelope. Special messages for the reader, such as “CONFIDENTIAL,” “IMMEDIATE ACTION” OR “PERSONAL” should appear below the sender’s name.

—  Special mailing instructions, such as “SPECIAL DELIVERY,” “AIR MAIL,” “CERTIFIED,” OR “REGISTERED”  should appear below the stamp.

—  All of those and other special messages should appear in all capital letters.