CORRESPONDENCE
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GENERAL GUIDELINES
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As you advance further in your professional career, correspondence with others
becomes very important. How you communicate through writing is a direct reflection of
yourself, so make sure you are projecting a good image. As a student, knowing how to
write a good memo, letter, or email, can set you apart from others. This chapter will
provide some guidelines, as well as some sample templates, to follow when
communicating through written word with colleagues, peers, and superiors.
When corresponding with others through memo, letter, or email, there are a few key
things to remember.
o Do not ramble in the beginning. Get right to the point in the first few sentences.
Be direct.
o Use short, concise sentences. Just like writing a formal report, ideas should be
detailed just enough for the reader to understand the request.
o Think of memos, letters, and emails as a mechanism of official communication.
A formal format should be maintained and practiced. Writing to a colleague,
superior, or professor should not be the same as writing to your friends.
o Be aware of your tone throughout the correspondence. This is often difficult, but
can be controlled by using simple language and straightforward wording (Alley,
1999).
o Always remember who your audience is. Correspondence is a very common
way of sharing information amongst peers, with your professors, as well as
colleagues where the level of technological knowledge may vary.
o With all forms of correspondence, peoples who are mentioned or directly affected
by the correspondence should receive a copy (Alley, 1999). This is standard
and respectful.
o Edit the correspondence before it is sent out! The more formal the
correspondence, the more editing that should take place. When writing memos
and letters, have a peer look over the document for content as well as simple
grammatical or spelling errors. Emails should also get a once over to avoid
appearing impolite. There is nothing more distracting in a correspondence than
errors in grammar or spelling.
MEMOS
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The purpose of writing a memo is to inform and relay information with the reader. This
can vary from updates, giving feedback, reaction to a situation, etc.
o As a student, memos will be used to update your senior design advisor of project
progress or any other occasion required by your professors. Since this exchange
may take place many times and used as a tracking process, it is important to
maintain a standard format.
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LETTERS
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As a professional, memos will be exchanged regularly within the company,
whereas letters are intended for individuals outside of the company (Alley, 1999).
This type of correspondence is less formal than a letter but will be intended to
track responses and requests. Therefore, proper editing of content and format
should always be conducted.
A letter is a more formal way of communicating information required to inform, persuade,
or motivate the reader. This is a useful tool to practice since it will be used through
academia and into the professional world.
o Students use letters when applying for jobs (a good cover letter can make you
stand out), requesting letters of recommendation (some professors want your
skills and achievements outlined), writing letters of recommendation (other
professors prefer you to write your own letter boasting your qualities), formal
thank you letters, or any other formal request required of your situation.
o In the professional world, letters are primarily used to communicate with persons
outside of the company. However, formal requests, thank yous, etc. are
situations where a letter would be written to an individual within an organization.
EMAILS
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The writing of emails has become one of the most frequent and basic ways that
correspondence is conducted on a daily basis. This is why it is very important to be able
to write a email that is informative and clear. Not every email written needs to be formal,
but a basic format needs to be followed out of respect to the reader and to ensure clarity
of the message intended. This is a very important skill to develop since it will be used
throughout your life.
o Emails are used by students to communicate with professors, potential
employers, as well as anyone else whose information or services are needed. It
is very important, as a young adult, to show some structure and formality in your
email writing. This will show respect and maturity which is desirable when
corresponding with a person you hope to get help with a project on, get a job
with, receive their services, etc.
o As a professional, email will most likely be the primary way of communicating
within the company on a daily basis. For this reason, developing good email
communication skills is critical to interacting with your colleagues and superiors.
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Another important thing to note about emails is that they are electronic. This may seem
obvious, but what this means is that they could remain on a server for a long time. This
makes it even more important that an email follows the proper format and is edited
before being sent out.
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 For further reading or more information on the above information, please see:
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Memos: http://www.ehow.com/how_4669675_write-great-memo.html
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Letters: http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/business.html
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Emails: http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm
 The following 3 pages provide templates for writing memos, letters, and emails
(Alley, 1999). Note that this is just an outline and can be modified as needed. The
body of each correspondence explains the format in detail.
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Sample Memo Format
Company Name
Company Address
Date of Memo
To:
Recipient of Memo
From:
Writer of Memo Writer's Initials*
Subject:
Title of Memo in Initial Capitals
Engineers
Engineers and scientists use memos to make requests, to give announcements, and sometimes to
communicate reports. Memos that make requests or announcements are read quickly. For such
memos, get to the point in the first paragraph--the first sentence, if possible. In other words, state
what you want up front. In the format suggested here, you should single space your memos and use
a serif typeface. Skip a line between paragraphs.
In memos that make requests or announcements, keep the sentence lengths and paragraph lengths
relatively short. Sentences should average fewer than twenty words, and paragraphs should average
fewer than seven lines. Also, keep the total memo length to under one page, if possible.
Sometimes companies use memos to communicate short reports (two pages or more). For instance,
you often include illustrations, attach appendices, and break the memo's text into sections. If
references arise in the memo, you include a list at the end. In memos that act as reports, the style
changes as well. For instance, the sentences and paragraphs are typically longer than in memos
that simply provide announcements or make requests.
For all types of memos, space your memo on the page so that it does not crowd the top. Also, send
copies to anyone whose name you mention in the memo or who would be directly affected by the
memo. Finally, remember that final paragraphs of memos that make requests or announcements
should tell readers what you want them to do or what you will do for them.
Attachments.
Copy to:
Name to Receive Copy
Name to Receive Copy
*Initials should be written in ink
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Sample Letter Format
Company Name
Company Address
Date of Letter
Recipient's name
Recipient's title
Recipient's company
Recipient's company address
Recipient's Name:
People read business letters quickly. Therefore, get to the point in the first paragraph--the first
sentence, if possible. In other words, state what you want up front.
Single space your letters and use a serif typeface. Skip a line between paragraphs. Because
people read business letters quickly, use shorter sentences and paragraphs than you would in a
longer document. Sentences should average fewer than twenty words, and paragraphs should
average fewer than seven lines.
Space your letter on the page so that it does not crowd the top. However, if possible, keep your
letter to one page. Second pages often are not read. Send copies to anyone whose name you
mention in the letter or who would be directly affected by the letter.
Final paragraphs should tell readers what you want them to do or what you will do for them.
Sincerely,
Signature*
Name
Enclosure.
cc: Name to receive copy
*Signature should be written in ink.
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Sample Email Format
Subject: Title of E-mail in Initial Capitals
Formal Title and Name of Recipient,
Engineers and scientists use e-mails to make requests, to answer questions, and to give
announcements. E-mails are read quickly. For that reason, get to the point in the first paragraph--the
first sentence, if possible. In other words, state what you want up front. Be careful about e-mails that
make complaints, which are usually better handled in person.
In e-mails, keep the sentence lengths and paragraph lengths relatively short. Sentences should
average fewer than twenty words, and paragraphs should average fewer than seven lines. In the
format suggested here, you should single space your e-mails, skip a line between paragraphs, and
use a typeface that is easily read on a computer. If possible, keep the total e-mail length to a length
that can be viewed entirely on the screen.
Because the reader sees only the title of your e-mail in the Inbox or in the folder where it has been
filed, give some thought to that title. Choose a title that orients the reader to the subject of the e-mail
and, if possible, distinguishes your e-mail from other e-mails about that subject. For example, choose
"Proposal Draft for Our IME 440 Design Project" as opposed to "Design Project" or "IME 440."
With e-mails, send copies to anyone whose name you mention in the e-mail or who would be directly
affected by the e-mail. Also, be sure to mention explicitly any attachments. Finally, remember that
final paragraphs of e-mails generally tell readers what you want them to do or what you will do for
them.
A short salutation, such as, “Thanks again,” “Talk to you soon,” “See you Wednesday,” formality can
vary here,
Your Name
Your Contact Information
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