Letters and Memos
Steve Wood
TCCC
Formal vs. Informal Reports
Professional reports are divided into two
categories.
Formal reports are reports with a specified
organization; they include items such as:
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


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Title page
Table of Contents
Executive Summary or Abstract
Distinct chapters or sections
Works Cited or Sources page
Formal vs. Informal Reports
Most professional reports, however, are
informal reports.
Informal reports take one of two forms:
letters and memos (including e-mail).
The vast majority of communication that goes
on internally (within an organization) or
externally (between organizations, or
between organizations and individuals) takes
the form of a letter, memo, or e-mail.
Effective Letters
Clear content – Since you won’t be
present when a letter is read to clarify
any potential misunderstanding AND
since business letters are written to
accomplish a specific purpose (often
involving money), the message
conveyed by the letter must be clear.
Effective Letters
A Tone of Goodwill – Effective
communication doesn’t just carry a
message; it also enhances or maintains
the relationship between the sender
and receiver. By analyzing the audience
and using the “you” view, a writer can
accomplish both.
Effective Letters
Correct Form – The world of business is
often conservative and traditional and,
as such, expects letters to follow the
traditional formats.
Most word-processing programs have
letter templates or letter wizards to
guide you through the formatting.
Effective Memos and E-mails
To, From, Date, Subject Headings – Since
they are usually internal documents, memos
condense the details of a letter down to the
four essential elements:
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To:
From:
Date:
Subject:
Effective Memos and E-mails
Single topic – Good memos only deal
with a single subject. The second or
third subjects discussed in a memo or
e-mail often get lost. If you have more
than one subject, send more than one
memo.
Effective Memos and E-mails
Conversational Tone – Because they are
internal, a more conversational tone can
be used in a memo or e-mail. Be
careful, though; e-mails are easily sent,
and difficult to take back. People will
often say things in a e-mail that they
would not say face-to-face.
Effective Memos and E-mails
Conciseness – Memos and e-mail do not
need a lot of filler, background, or
goodwill efforts; they should focus on
the message.
Effective Memos and E-mails
Graphic highlighting – Use techniques
like bulleted or numbered lists and
bolding to highlight information. Be
careful with e-mail; sometimes
formatting is lost in the transmission of
a message because the receiving
program will not recognize it.
Smart E-Mail Practices
Get the address right.
Avoid misleading subject lines.
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.
Guffey, Business Communication, 3rd ed.
Smart E-Mail Practices
Care about correctness.
Resist humor and tongue-in-cheek
comments.
Limit any tendency to send blanket
copies.
Use design to improve readability of
longer messages.
Guffey, Business Communication, 3rd ed.
Smart E-Mail Practices
Consider cultural differences.
Double-check before hitting the Send
button.
Protect against e-mail break ins.
Don’t CC someone a message just to
make the original recipient pay more
attention.
Guffey, Business Communication, 3rd ed.