Writing Effective Letters and Emails

• Lesson 1 focuses on writing letters and emails.
• The lesson aligns with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) No. 4 (Quality Education) and SDG No. 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).
• By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
  • Recognize the use and importance of letters and emails in their chosen profession.
  • Familiarize themselves with the basics of letter and email writing.
  • Apply knowledge in writing letters and emails through tasks.

MCC Vision and Mission

• Mabalacat City College aims to be the top choice in the community for quality education and training by 2025.
• Its mission is to meet the community's needs as a center for learning with an open admission policy.

Letters

• Letters are formal paper communications between offices/institutions, typically sent via postal service or courier.
• They are sometimes referred to as "snail mail."
• Most professionals write or read letters.
• Letters are written by a sender/writer to a recipient.
• Examples of senders include businesses, consumers, and job applicants.
• Examples of recipients include businesses, citizens, government entities, and staff.
• Letters are written for various reasons, including to persuade, inform, request, express thanks, remind, recommend, apologize, congratulate, reject proposals, introduce people or policies, invite, welcome, follow up, and formalize decisions.

Types of Letters

• Sales Letters: Start with a strong statement; include calls to action, detail benefits, and provide contact information.
• Order Letters: Sent by consumers/businesses to order goods/services; must include model number, product name, quantity, and expected price.
• Complaint Letters: Should be direct, tactful, and professional.
• Adjustment Letters: Response to a claim or complaint; begin with good news if adjustment is favorable.
• Inquiry Letters: Ask questions or elicit information, be clear and succinct, and provide contact information.
• Follow-Up Letters: Sent after initial contact; can be thank-you notes or sales letters.
• Recommendation Letters: Describe the sender's relationship with and opinion of a job seeker.
• Acknowledgment Letters: Act as receipts to confirm prior communication.
• Cover Letters: Accompany a package or report, describing the contents and any required actions.
• Resignation Letters: Sent to the manager to give notice of leaving a job, including the last day of employment and the reason for leaving.

Essential Parts of a Business Letter

• Return Address/Letterhead
• Date
• Inside Address
• Salutation
• Body
• Complimentary Close
• Signature

Return Address/Letterhead (Heading)

• Contains the writer's information.
• For individuals, include full name, address, and contact information.
• For organizations, include company name, company address, and contact information.

Date

• Written two spaces below the Return Address/Letterhead.
• Use a complete and standard format.
• Example: January 04, 2021.

Inside Address

• Written two spaces below the Date
• Includes the recipient's name, position, company name, and address.
• If the recipient's name is unknown, you may write "The Dean," followed by the school's name and address.

Salutation

• All letters begin with a salutation or greeting
• Written two spaces below the inside address.
• Conventional salutations include "Sir/Madam" in American English (with a colon) and "Sir/Madam," in British English (with a comma).

Body of the Letter

• Written one space below the Salutation
• Structured in paragraphs, indented or not, as appropriate for the layout style
• Follows a three-part format: Introduction, Body, and Conclusion

Complimentary Close

• Written two spaces below the Body of the Letter
• It is closed with a comma
• Common American closings include "Respectfully yours," and "Sincerely yours,"
• Common British closings include "Yours respectfully," and "Yours sincerely,".

Signature

• Every letter should have a handwritten signature.
• Written four spaces below the Complimentary Close
• A woman may include Ms. or Mrs. to the right of the typewritten signature.

Optional Parts of a Business Letter

• Addressee Notation: For letters with restricted readership; include terms like "PERSONAL," "COMPLICATED," or "PLEASE FORWARD" two lines above the inside address in capital letters.
• Attention Line: Directs the letter to a specific position, title, or department; typed two spaces below the inside address.
• Subject Line: Indicates the letter's topic; helps with filing; typed two spaces below the salutation.
• Reference Initials: Refer to the sender and typist (e.g., EP:fr).
• Enclosure Notations: Indicate enclosed items (e.g., Encl.: Résumé).
• Copy Notations: Indicate who receives copies (e.g., CC:).
• Post Script: Adds information omitted in the body; placed below reference initials or enclosures.
• Mailing Notation: Indicates special postal services like "REGISTERED MAIL."

Business Letter Formats, Spacing, Margin, and Alignment

• Formats include Full-Block, Modified-Block, and Semi-Block.
• Full-Block: Single-spaced, all paragraphs begin at the left margin.
• Modified-Block: Return address, date, complimentary close, and signature start to the right of the center.
• Semi-Block: Similar to modified block, but the first line of each paragraph is indented.
• Spacing: Single spacing is typical
• Margins: One-inch margins on all sides.
• Alignment: Justified.

Stationery

• Business letter paper should be unruled and firm-textured.
• White is most popular, but off-white and ivory are also used.

Characteristics (Paper sizes)

• Letter (8.5" X 11")
• Folio (8.5" X 13")
• Legal (8.5" X 14")
• A4 (8.3" X 11.7")

Envelope addressing

• A properly addressed envelope ensures delivery.
• Include the recipient's name, department, company name, street address, city/district/province, and zip code.

Emails

• The email is increasingly the chosen way to send routine messages
• Email structure is generally standardized.
• Parts of an Email Messages
  • To: Place the email address of the primary reciepient
  • CC: Carbon copy, for secondary recipinets
  • Subject: Describes briefly what the email is about
  • Attachments: For any relevent attached files
  • Body: Salutation, main text, closing lines
• Use upper/lower case in the body of an e-mail.
• If there is a need to emphasize something, use capital letters for short phrases.
• Keep the message brief with one topic only.
• Limit your line length blow 80 characters.
• Avoid using bold fonts, italics, and images because they may pose a problem on the recipient's computer.
• Closing lines include:
  • Best regards,
  • Regards,
  • With appreciation,
  • With gratitude,
  • Thank you,
• Signature files add extra information automatically

Assignments

• Open Microsoft Word.
• Set Styles to No Spacing.
• Set Margin to Normal and Size to Letter 8.5” X 11".
• Set Font Style to Times New Roman and Font Size to 12.
• Write an Application Letter following the format.
• Use the specified spacing and alignment.
• Include name, address, contact, and email.
• Save the document as "Last Name, First Middle Initial" in PDF format.
• Send the application letter via email.
• Compose an email requesting an instructor to be the Research Grammarian in their Research subject.
  • To: [email protected]
  • Subject: Research Grammarian request
  • From: [email protected]
• Compose an email inviting 10 participants for the Community Extension Activity.
  • Details: Storytelling to Grade 7 students on March 13, 2023, at Haduan Negrito Integrated School
  • 10 Bsed-Filipino, Bsed-English, and BECED participants.
  • To: [email protected]
  • Subject: Community Extension Invitation.
  • From: [email protected]
• Put Worksheet 1 as Subject of the Email.