Formatting Letters - Goodheart

9

“The more elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate.”

― Joseph Priestly, 18th-century

English theologian

Formatting Letters,

Memos, and E-Mails

After completing the chapter, you will be able to:

• Increase the readability of your writing by applying standard formatting.

• Format letters using standard elements and styles appropriate for business letters.

• Format memos using standard elements and styles appropriate for business memos.

• Use netiquette when creating and formatting e-mails.

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

Formatting

• Standard formatting— how to set up a document so its appearance follows a convention

• Visual cue— an element the reader sees and interprets to have a particular meaning

• White space— includes margins, space between paragraphs, and any other blank space on the page

• Readability— a measure of how easy it is for the reader to understand your writing and locate information within a document



Formatting

• Enhance readability

– Use headings, which are words and phrases that introduce sections of text.

– Use standard fonts and sizes—default Microsoft

Word 2007/2010 is 11-point Calibri.

– Vary heading font style.

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Formatting

• Enhance readability

– Use parallel structure, which means similar sections or elements contain similar patterns of words to show they are of equal level.

– Use formatting and organizational symbols, such as bulleted lists, numbered lists, asterisks, underlining, or boldface type.

– Use high-quality paper.



1. What is another term for layout?

Answer: format

2. What function do headings serve?

Answer: to introduce sections of text

3. What is another term for typeface?

Answer: font

( continued )



4. What is the maximum number of fonts that should be used in a document?

Answer: two or three

5. What is the purpose of a parallel structure?

Answer: to show that similar sections or elements are of equal level



Formatting Letters

• Block-style letter: all lines are flush with the left margin




• Modified-blockstyle letter: date, complimentary close, and signature to the right of the center point of the letter




• Standard letter elements

– date

– inside address

– salutation

– body

– complimentary close

– signature line




• Date line

– consists of the month, day, and year.

– month is spelled in full

– day is written in figures and followed by a comma.

December 18, 20--




• Inside address is the name, title, and address of the recipient.

Ms. Denise Rodriquez

President & CEO

Urban Development Council

150 Grosvenor Avenue

Washington, DC 30005




• Salutation

– greeting in a letter

– begins with Dear followed by the recipient’s first name or title and last name

• Mixed punctuation

– colon is placed after the salutation

– comma is placed after the complimentary close

• Open punctuation

– no punctuation after the salutation

– no punctuation after complimentary close




• Body of the letter is the message

• Complimentary close is the sign-off for the letter

– mixed punctuation

Sincerely,

– open punctuation

Sincerely




• Writer’s name and title are called the signature or signature block

• Enclosure notation alerts the reader to materials that are included with the letter

• Reference initials indicate who keyed the letter

• Copy notation indicates others are being sent a copy of the letter




• Additional letter elements

– Attention Line— part of inside address

Attention Marketing Manager

– Subject Line— appears after salutation

Dear Mr. Ramito:

SUBJECT: MINUTES OF MEETING

– Postscript means after writing and is information included after the signature

P.S. Remember, our sale ends this Thursday




• Envelopes

– Standard size-10 envelope, 4 1/8   9 1/2 

– Address in all capital letters with no punctuation



1. What style of letter formatting has all elements flush with the left margin?

Answer: block-style letter

2. Whose initials are the reference initials?

Answer: the person who keyed the letter

( continued )



3. If cc appears at the bottom of a letter, what does this mean?

Answer: copy (or courtesy copy) of the letter has been sent to the people listed

4. For what is a postscript generally used?

Answer: postscript is no longer used to represent an afterthought, but may be used to emphasize or personalize a point



Formatting Memos

• Memos are intra-office communication.

• generally printed on forms with the company name and logo

• usually use templates, which are predesigned forms with the guide words to, from, date, subject




• Parts of a memo

– guide words (TO:, FROM:, DATE:, SUBJECT:)

– body or message

– notations at the bottom of the memo indicate specific things such as c or cc for copies

– no complimentary close




• Parts of a memo



1. What guide words appear at the beginning of a memo?

Answer: to, from, date, and subject

2. List the five elements of a memo.

Answer: TO:, FROM:, DATE:, SUBJECT:, body

3. In addition to the standard elements, what else may appear on a memo?

Answer: notations of confidential, attachments, and enclosures



Formatting E-Mail

• E-mail is a message that is created, sent, and received digitally (electronically).

• Use netiquette

– guidelines for appropriate behavior on the Internet

– Standard English

– spell check

• Use the salutation “dear” as in a letter, depending on if you are writing a formal or informal e-mail.

• Format the e-mail message the same as you would a letter or memo.

• Include a complimentary close as in a printed letter.




• Parts of an e-mail:

– header (to and copy lines)

– salutation

– body

– complimentary close and signature




• If you address the person by first name face-to-face, it is generally okay to do so in e-mail.

• Be cautious when sending attachments to ensure the recipient can handle the size and type of file.

• Respond as quickly as possible to e-mails.

• Stay with the original topic in your e-mail reply.

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• E-mail features

– address book

– send options

– reply options

– forward

– folders

– views

– trash/recycle bin

– calendars and planning tools



1. What does the header of an e-mail contain?

Answer: recipients you want a response from or who have a primary interest in the topic, names of those who are receiving the information as secondary recipients, the subject of the e-mail

2. What is the general rule used to determine if you can address somebody by their first name in an e-mail?

Answer: If you address the recipient by first name in person, do the same in written communication

( continued )



3. Why should you alert a recipient that an e-mail you will be sending will contain an attachment?

Answer: to ensure the recipient can handle the size and type of file

4. In addition to following netiquette, what should you do in an e-mail?

Answer: use Standard English and the spelling check feature before sending



• Making a professional impression with your written correspondence is important in any business situation.

• Letters may be block style or modified-block style with either open or mixed punctuation.

• Memos are generally used for interoffice communication.

• E-mails are commonly used in business and are formatted similarly to a memo.



Formatting Letters - Goodheart

Formatting Letters,

Memos, and E-Mails

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Formatting Letters - Goodheart