Determine Objectives of Letter, Memo or E-mail

1
Determine Objectives of Letter, Memo or E-mail

• Chapter 18

2
Forms of Correspondence

• You write letters primarily to communicate with
  people outside your organization, or to handle
  confidential matters inside organizations
  (personnel , salary issues etc).
• You write memos to communicate with people within
  your organization.
• You use e-mail to correspond with people inside
  or outside your organization.
• E-mails are faster, more convenient, saves
  organization money and offers flexibility.

3
Determine Objective

• Determine the objective of your letter, memo or
  e-mail. Do you want readers to take an action,
  give information, get information etc.
• What action do you want readers to take after
  reading the correspondence. The writer assumes
  that readers will know what to do.

4
Find out about your Readers

• Effective letters, memos and e-mails are
• Reader Oriented
• Helpful
• Tactful
• Who will read the correspondence? Will more than
  one people read it?
• What are the readers position and
  responsibilities? How might their positions and
  responsibilities affect how they perceive your
  message?
• If the readers are external, what is their
  relationship to you and your organization? How
  will this relationship affect how they perceive
  your message?
• What do the readers know about the subject of the
  correspondence?

5
The Indirect Approach

• In this approach you delay or buffer the main
  message until you have graciously opened the
  letter and explained the message.
• In the 1st Paragraph Begin with a buffer
• ( a positive or neutral statement) This will
  help readers better receive the message if the
  message is negative.
• In the middle paragraph Explain and then state
  the message.
• In the final paragraph Close the correspondence.
• Page 570 and 571.

6
Use a Reader-Oriented Tone

• Create a tactful and positive tone for your
  readers.
• Dont be blunt or rude.
• Ask yourself how readers will respond to your
  message.
• Readers will want to know how a message will
  affect them and not how it will affect the
  reader.
• See Example of Positive / Negative Tone on Page
  568.

7
Determine the Most Effective Approach

• Direct Approach
• In the first paragraph Present the main message
• In the middle paragraph Explain the main message
• In the final paragraph Close the correspondence
  with a positive tone.
• Figure 18.7 on page 569.

8
Use an Appropriate Format

• The three basic formats for letters are BLOCK
  STYLE
• MODIFIED BLOCK STYLE
• AMS SIMPLIFIED STYLE
• Page 575-579