Guidelines for Writing Formal Letter/Memo/Emails

At the heart of communication is the outcome that of goodwill

Positive Emphasis: a style of writing that

emphasizes the positive news
Positive
Language

Use the least

negative
expression
when negative
news must be
given
Explain
negative news,
dont just give
it

Giving positive
emphasis
through
structure
Use
conversational
language

Wrong
Correct
Implied suggestion
Do not use not
Say something that he/I can do, NOT something
he/I cannot do
Employees may not
Employees may use the
use the First Street
Market Street entrance
entrance during
during remodeling.
remodeling.
We cannot fill your
order until we receive
an exact model
number
Because you failed to
pay your bill, your
account is delinquent.

We can fill your order

once we receive an exact
model number.

You cannot take

vacation days this
summer without prior
approval from your
supervisor.

To ensure that
everyones duties will be
covered, submit your first
and second choices of
vacation time to your
supervisor by May 30.

Your account is past

due.

To de-emphasize negative information, put it in

the middle of a paragraph
Start with positive news when possible, and if it is
ethical to do so
The undersigned takes Im happy to
pleasure in
It may be of some
concern to you to learn
that your check has
been received and your
account has been
credited for $250.

Weve credited your

account for $250.

Avoid implying
& hidden
messages

Use short,
simple, and
common words
whenever
possible

These words and phrases may convey a negative

and unpleasant tone

Negative Language
You overlooked
You state that
You failed to
You claim that
You are wrong
You do not understand
Your delay
You forgot to

Hidden Message
You are careless
But I dont believe you
You are careless
Its probably untrue
I am right
You are not very bright
You are at fault
You are inefficient and
careless

Less familiar words

encounter
extrapolate
obligatory
terminate

Simple alternatives
meet
project
required
end

Tone: An intonation, pitch, modulation of the voice that

expresses a particular meaning or feeling of the speaker. A
manner of speaking or writing that shows a certain attitude on
the part of the speaker or writer, consisting in choice of words
and phrasing (eg. The friendly tone of her letter)
Create a more
conversational
tone and to
state your idea
positively

The undersigned takes

great pleasure in
welcoming you to our
staff.

Im happy to welcome
you to our staff.

We cannot send your

order from our
warehouse until June 1.

Your order will be on its

way to you June 1.

Highlight
reader benefits

I have 15 different
financial plans to offer
my investors.

You have 15 different

financial plans from
which to choose.

Use simpler
language

You may encounter

difficulties in
terminating the
contract.

You may meet

difficulties in ending the
contract.

As stipulated, we
extrapolated the budget
figures for two years.

As required, we
projected the budget
figures for two years.

Will you utilize

Will you use workbooks

workbooks during the

obligatory training
period?

during the required

training period?

We anticipate that a
majority of the
alternatives will be
fundamental enough to
meet our
requirements.

We expect that most of

the choices will be basic
enough to meet our
needs.

You-attitude: Focuses on the readers needs,

concerns and expectations rather than yours and
respects the readers intelligence and protects their
egos (audience-centered)
Shape your
statements to
involve the
reader

We are promoting a
new hospitalization plan
that we believe has
many outstanding
benefits.

You will enjoy peace of

mind with our affordable
hospitalization plan that
meets all your needs.

Strive to
develop the
you attitude

We offer a 10%
discount for creditplus
cardholders.

You will receive a 10%

discount when you show
your creditplus card.

Keep your
feelings to
yourself

Imposing emotions on audience

Audience might not feel the same way
UNLESS it is universally shared
We are happy to tell
you.
You will be delighted to
learn

You attitude
without you

Exceptions:
Condolence messages
Congratulatory
messages
Sometimes, you can sound accusing or
confrontational, so avoid using you when it blames
the reader
You forgot to sign the
cheque.

The cheque arrived

without a signature.

You left rubbish in the

fire escape.

Rubbish has been left in

the fire escape.

You failed to inform us

of your change of
address.

We do not have a record

of your new address.

Selecting an appropriate style

- short and long sentences visually
- use familiar/simple words
- use technical terms with caution
- include specific information to provide clarity
- prefer active to the passive but it is better to have a variety > too
much active can be too strong while too much passive can be too
weak
- prefer strong verb to verb camouflaged as nouns but it is still better
to have a variety
- short paragraphs is preferred over long paragraphs
- dont use cannot, no longer, never
- No use of exclamation marks
Method of Writing

Key Points for Writing Routine messages

Everything should flushed to the left
Routine messages uses the direct approach
Need for headline or subject header (8 words or less)
Headline must be straight to the point
Headlines are usually in a different font type and size
On top of the email, there should be a [letterhead]
Headline comes after the salutation

 Bullets/Numbered lists are very typical of a routine message

The First Word of the list MUST be consistent (grammatical
parallelism)
The sender/signature block which usually involves name, job title,
organization
It shouldnt involve the entire team writing all the time
A routine message is common but you have to entice the person to
read
Bottom line is the end desired state you want to achieve while the
action is the means to the end
Bottom line is usually in the first or second paragraph
Flow of message: GoodwillBottomlineDetails/Explanation
Readers benefitAddress readers concernsAction to be
takenForward looking tone

Communication Plan Template

Situation
Whats your
bottom-line?
What do you
want your
audience to
know or do?
What do you
hope to
accomplish as a
result of this
message?
Audience (Pathos)
Whos the
audience?
Whats their
attitude to the
sender?
Do multiple
audiences exist?
Whats the
audiences
relationship to
the sender?
Sender (Ethos)
Whats the
senders level of

credibility?
Whats the
senders
relationship to
the audience?
Message (Logos)
Whats the best
channel or
medium for this
message?
Whats the best
timing for this
message to go
out?
Who gets the
information,
when and in
what form?
Whats the best
organizational
strategy? (ADA
or AIDA?)

ADA
Or
AIDA

How to write a persuasive message

ADA: Main idea Explain
AIDA: Explain Main idea
Logos is Interest
Pathos is Desire
Ethos is everywhere in the message, in the first line where you want
to connect with the reader
Decide which is the most dominant appeal based on you and what
the audience would want and this would cause either paragraph to
be long
Subject line should ALWAYS be neutral
For example: DSA application vs Unsuccessful application
Many of us would agree is an attention getter
Understand the readers: determine what they are resistant to and
what might help them overcome their resistance
ATTENTION
Attention getter gives a summary of the context or begins on
common ground. This helps to build a rapport

INTEREST
Interest: explanation of the situation
For example, if the bottomline is that you need the money, the
interest section tells the audience WHY you need the money
Explanation of anything should always occur in the interest, NOT
the desire
BOTTOMLINE
Bottomline is in the middle
Bottomline can be weaved into either the interest or the desire
DESIRE
Desire appeals to the emotion while interest appeals to the logic
After stating the bottomline, the audience might not be convinced,
hence we need to draw from the emotions of the audience
Compromise convinces the audience further
If you cant think of reader benefit, look at the Maslow hierarchy
If you really cannot find any benefits, address the concerns and
appease the resistance
Go for the intangible, rather than the tangible, but always maintain
a balance
Try to list 3
Addressing readers concern: you may not need to stay for the
entire duration
Emphasize readers benefits: what is in for them??
Address readers concerns: reduce readers resistance by
anticipating possible objections
For example: We understand the concerns regarding the execution
of the Platinum Store concept but we believe with the additional
funding, the project can improve on the quality of execution by
working closer with the stakeholders such as logistics service
providers.
For example: I understand that there are resource constraints.
However, the success of this project would help you spearhead and
bring momentum for other upcoming new programmes in the
pipeline.
ACTION
Call to action is different from bottomline
For example, bottomline is wanting you to come while call to
action is asking you to come
Tell your reader what it is specifically that you would like them to do.
The action should be specific, clear and easy to accomplish (Make it
easy from their point of view)
Remember to ALWAYS ALWAYS END with goodwill statement
(for example: I look forward to working together in retaining
Thailand's identity while achieving Unilever's goals.)

Quick checklist for AIDA approach

Subject title must be indirect and neutral
Attention
Attention getter must be appropriate and not sound clich
Interest
Interest section should include both probative and non-probative
data
Bottomline
Bottomline must be written in a positive tone and clearly
Desire
Readers concern must be addressed
Readers benefit should be emphasized
Desire section should appeal to emotions and be written more
dramatically
Call to action
Call to action must be clear and simple
Last line MUST MUST be positive and forward looking statement!

Business letter format:

[letterhead]
19 September 2016
Mr Tan Yi Long
CEO
359, Yishun Ring Road
Singapore, 760359
Dear Ms Tan,
[Subject line]

Best regards,
Tan Yi Long
Encl: Proposal on___
Email format:
To: Cindy Ong
From: Tan Yi Long
Date: 19 September 2016
Subject: __________
Dear Ms Ong,
Best regards,
Tan Yi Long
Head of Business and Development, General Trade
Unilever, Thailand