Technical Communication Fourteenth Edition PDF

Technical Communication Fourteenth Edition Chapter 15 Writing Formal and Informal Letters Copyright © 2017,...

Technical Communication Fourteenth Edition Chapter 15 Writing Formal and Informal Letters Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Learning Objectives (Letters Part) 15.1 Appreciate the role of letters in the workplace 15.2 Analyze your letter’s audience and purpose 15.3 Identify the parts, formats, and design features of workplace letters 15.4 Use proper tone in any letter 15.5 Explain the global and ethical implications of workplace letters 15.6 Convey bad or unwelcome news in a letter 15.7 Write inquiry, claim, sales, and adjustment letters The main focus of this lecture is Formal Letters Letters More formal and personal than memos or email messages, letters are appropriate in situations like these: To personalize your correspondence To convey a dignified, professional impression To represent your company or organization To present a reasoned, carefully constructed case To respond to clients, customers, or anyone outside of your organization To provide an official notice or record Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Considering Audience and Purpose When considering letter audience, ask yourself – who exactly is the recipient, – what your relationship is to the recipient, – exactly what information the recipient needs, – what level of formality the recipient expects, – and how you think the recipient will react to your message. When considering letter purpose, ask yourself what you want the letter’s recipient to do after reading the letter. Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Letter Parts (1 of 7) Following are the standard letter elements: Heading and Date. If your stationery has a company letterhead, simply include the date a few lines below the letterhead, flush against the right or left margin. When you use your personal address, omit your name because that will appear below your signature at the letter’s end: 154 Sea Lane Harwich, MA 02163 July 15.20XX Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Letter Parts (2 of 7) Inside Address. Two to six line spaces below the heading, flush against the left margin, is the inside address: Dr. Ann Mello, Dean of Students Western University 30 Mogul Hill Road Stowe,VT 51350 Salutation. The salutation, two line spaces below the inside address, begins with Dear and ends with a colon (Dear Ms. Hanson:). Text of the letter. Use a standard introduction, body, and conclusion format. Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Letter Parts (3 of 7) Complimentary Closing. The closing, two line spaces below the last line of text, should parallel the level of formality used in the salutation. Signature. Type your name and title on the fourth and fifth lines below and aligned with the closing. Sign in the space between the complimentary closing and typed name: Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Letter Parts (4 of 7) Following are the optional letter elements: Attention Line. Use an attention line when you write to an organization and do not know your recipient’s name but are directing the letter to a specific department or position. Place the attention line two line spaces below the inside address: Glaxol Industries, Inc. 232 Rogaline Circle Missoula. MT 61347 ATTENTION: Director of Research and Development Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Letter Parts (5 of 7) Subject Line. Typically, subject lines are used with memos, but if the recipient is not expecting your letter, a subject line is a good way of catching a busy reader’s attention. Place the subject line below the inside address or attention line with one line space before and after: Subject: Placement of the Subject Line Typist’s Notation. If someone else types your letter for you, your initials (in CAPS), a slash, and your typist’s initials (in lower case) appear below the typed signature, flush with the left margin: JJ/pl Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Letter Parts (6 of 7) Enclosure Notation. If you enclose other documents in the same envelope, indicate this one line space below the typist’s notation flush against the left margin. State the number of enclosures: Enclosure Enclosure 2 Encl. 3 Copy (or distribution) Notation. If you distribute copies of your letter to other recipients, indicate by inserting the notation “Copy” or “cc,” followed by a colon, one line below the previous line: CC: Office file Melvin blount Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Letter Parts (7 of 7) Postscript. A postscript (typed or handwritten) draws attention to a point you wish to emphasize or adds a personal note. Place the postscript two line spaces below any other notation, and flush against the left margin: P. S. Because of its terminal position in your letter, a postscript can draw attention to a point that needs reemphasizing. Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Formal Letters The formal letter is written for business or professional purposes with a specific objective in mind. It uses simple language, that can be easy to read and interpret. It can be a – recommendation letter, – enquiry letter, – complaint letter, – cover letter and so on. Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Informal Letters Informal letters are written to friends and relative for personal communication and uses a casual or an emotional tone. This letter can be used for some reasons like conveying message, news, giving advice, congratulate recipient, request information, asking questions, etc. It is a personal letter, written to whom you are familiar with, like friends, siblings, parents or any other closed one. There is no specific format prescribed for writing this letter. Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Difference between Formal and Informal Letter Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Letter Formats for Formal Letters and their Design & Features (1 of 3) The following elements make workplace letters look inviting, accessible, and professional: Letter Format. The most popular format for workplace letters is block format. In the block format, every line begins at the left margin. Digital Templates. Most word-processing software allows you to select from templates, or predesigned letter formats. Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Letter Formats for Formal Letters and their Design & Features (1 of 3) Uniform Margins and Spacing. When using stationery without a letterhead, frame your letter with 1½ inch top margins, 1-inch side margins, and bottom margins of 1 to 1½ inches. Use single spacing within paragraphs and double-spacing between. Headers for Subsequent Pages. Head each additional page with a notation identifying the recipient, date, and page number. Align your header with the right-hand margin: Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Letter Formats for Formal Letters and their Design & Features (1 of 3) The Envelope. Place the recipient’s name and address at a fairly central point on the envelope. Place your own name and address in the upper-left corner. Single-space these elements. Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Letter Tone Consider these factors regarding letter tone: Establish and maintain a “you” perspective. A letter displaying a “you” perspective always puts the reader’s interest and feelings first. Be polite and tactful. If you must express criticism, do so in a way that conveys good will and trust in the recipient. Use plain English. Decide on a direct or indirect organizing pattern. Be direct when you expect the recipient to react with approval or when you want to convey immediately the point of your letter. Be indirect if you expect the reader to resist or to need persuading, or if this person is from a different culture. Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Common Types of Formal Letters Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Common Types of Formal Letters Among the many types of business letters you may write on the job, the four most common types are: Inquiry letters Claim letters Sales letters Adjustment letters Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Inquiry Letters Inquiry letters ask questions and request a reply. They may be solicited (in response to an advertisement or announcement) or unsolicited (written for your own reasons). Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Guidelines for Inquiry Letters Don’t wait until the last minute. Whenever possible, write to a specific person. Do your homework to ask the right questions. Explain who you are and how the information will be used. Write specific questions that are easy to understand and answer. Provide contact information. Include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Say thank you and offer to follow up. Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Claim Letters Claim letters request adjustments for defective goods or poor services, or they complain about unfair treatment or something similar. Such letters are either routine (not debatable) or arguable (debatable). Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Guidelines for Claim Letters Routine Claim Letters Use a direct approach. Be polite and reasonable. Provide enough detail to clarify the basis for your claim. Conclude by expressing goodwill and confidence in the company’s integrity. Arguable Claim Letters Use an indirect approach. Once you’ve established agreement, explain and support your claim. Conclude by requesting a specific action. Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Sales Letters Sales letters are written to persuade a current or potential customer to buy a company’s product or try its services. Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Guidelines for Sales Letters Begin with a question or other attention-grabbing statement. Get to the point. Spell out the benefits for the recipients. Persuade with facts and with appeals to the senses. Tell the truth. Close by asking readers to take action. Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved