Reading

and
Writing
 Letters,
Memos and
Electronic
Mails
 Letters
Letters are direct or
personal written or printed
message addressed to a
person or organization.
-Merriam-Webster, 2018
Writing a Letter
O A letter is a written message that can
be handwritten or printed on paper.
O It is usually sent to the recipient via mail
or post in an envelope, although this is
not a requirement as such.
O Any such message that is transferred
via post is a letter, a written
conversation between two parties.
Types of Letters
 There are 2 main
types namely:
FORMAL LETTER
INFORMAL LETTER
 Formal Letter
O These letters follow a certain pattern
and formality.
O They are strictly kept professional in
nature, and directly address the
issues concerned.
O Any type of business letter or letter to
authorities falls within this given
category.
 Informal Letter
O These are personal letters.
O They need not follow any set pattern
or adhere to any formalities.
O They contain personal information or
are a written conversation.
O Informal letters are generally written
to friends, acquaintances, relatives
etc.
Other Types of
Letters
 Business Letter
O This letter is written among
business correspondents,
generally contains commercial
information such as quotations,
orders, complaints, claims, letters
for collections etc.
O Such letters are always strictly
formal and follow a structure and
pattern of formalities.
 Official Letter
O This type of letter is written to inform
offices, branches, subordinates of
official information.
O It usually relays official information
like rules, regulations, procedures,
events, or any other such
information.
O Official letters are also formal in
nature and follow certain structure
and decorum.
 Social Letter
O A personal letter written on the
occasion of a special event is
known as a social letter.
O Congratulatory letter,
condolence letter, invitation
letter, etc. are all social letters.
 Circular Letter
O A letter that announces information to
a large number of people is a circular
letter.
O The same letter is circulated to a large
group of people to correspond some
important information like a change of
address, change in management, the
retirement of a partner etc.
Employment Letter
O Any letters with respect to the
employment process, like joining
letter, promotion letter, application
letter etc.
Letter Writing
Tips
Letter Writing Tips
Step 1 • Identify the type of letter

Step 2 • Make sure you open and close

the letter correctly.

Step 3
• Establish the main intent of the
letter.

Step 4 • Be careful of the language.

Step 5 • Length of the letter.

 Memos
Memos are usually brief
written message from one
person or department in an
organization, company,
etc., to another.
-Merriam-Webster, 2018
 Types of Memos
1. Request Memo
2. Confirmation Memo
3. Periodic Report Memo
4. Ideas and Suggestions
Memo
5. Informal Study Results
Memo
 Request Memo
O The objective of a request
memo is to gain a favorable
response to a request.
O The memo must be written in a
convincing way.
Confirmative Memo
O A confirmation memo is
designed to confirm in writing
something that has been
agreed to verbally.
Periodic Report Memo
O Periodic report memos –
monthly cost control reports,
quarterly sales reports – are
submitted at regular intervals.
 Ideas and Suggestions
Memo
O Sometimes memos are used to
convey ideas or suggestions.
O Very often managers ask
subordinates for suggestions
for tackling certain problems.
 Informal Study Results
Memo
O Organizational personnel are
sometimes asked to write the
results of an informal study in a
memo.
O The objective of the message is to
present the information in an easy-
to-read, understandable form.
Parts of a Memo
 Heading Segment
O The heading segment follows this
general format:
TO: (readers' names and job titles)
FROM: (your name and job title)
DATE: (complete and current date)
SUBJECT: (what the memo is about,
highlighted in some way)
 Opening Segment
O The purpose of a memo is usually found
in the opening paragraph and includes:
the purpose of the memo, the context
and problem, and the specific
assignment or task.
O Before indulging the reader with details
and the context, give the reader a brief
overview of what the memo will be
about.
O Choosing how specific your
introduction will be depends on your
memo plan style.
O The more direct the memo plan, the
more explicit the introduction should
be.
O Including the purpose of the memo will
help clarify the reason the audience
should read this document.
O The introduction should be brief:
approximately the length of a short
paragraph.
 Context
O The context is the event,
circumstance, or background of the
problem you are solving. You may
use a paragraph or a few sentences
to establish the background and
state the problem. Oftentimes it is
sufficient to use the opening of a
sentence to completely explain the
context, such as,
"Through market research and
analysis..."
 Task Segment
O One essential portion of a memo is the
task statement where you should describe
what you are doing to help solve the
problem. If the action was requested, your
task may be indicated by a sentence
opening like,
"You asked that I look at...."
If you want to explain your intentions,
you might say,
"To determine the best method of
promoting the new fall line, I will...."
Summary Segment
O If your memo is longer than a page,
you may want to include a separate
summary segment. However, this
section is not necessary for short
memos and should not take up a
significant amount of space.
O This segment provides a brief
statement of the key recommendations
you have reached. These will help your
reader understand the key points of the
memo immediately.
O This segment may also include
references to methods and sources you
have used in your research.
Discussion Segments
O The discussion segments are the longest
portions of the memo, and are the parts in
which you include all the details that support
your ideas.
O Begin with the information that is most
important. This may mean that you will start
with key findings or recommendations.
O Start with your most general information and
move to your specific or supporting facts. (Be
sure to use the same format when including
details: strongest to weakest.)
 Closing Segment
O After the reader has absorbed all of your
information, you want to close with a
courteous ending that states what action
you want your reader to take.
O Make sure you consider how the reader
will benefit from the desired actions and
how you can make those actions easier.
For example, you might say,
O "I will be glad to discuss this
recommendation with you during our
Tuesday trip to the spa and follow through
on any decisions you make."
O The discussion segments include
the supporting ideas, facts, and
research that back up your
argument in the memo.
O Include strong points and evidence
to persuade the reader to follow
your recommended actions. If this
section is inadequate, the memo will
not be as effective as it could be.
Necessary Attachments
O Make sure you document your findings
or provide detailed information
whenever necessary.
O You can do this by attaching lists,
graphs, tables, etc. at the end of your
memo.
O Be sure to refer to your attachments
in your memo and add a notation
about what is attached below your
closing, like this:
Attached: Focus Group Results,
January- May 2007
 Electronic Mails
Electronic mails or E-mails
are messages that are sent
electronically from one
computer to another.
-Merriam-Webster, 2018
 Types of E-mails
1. Newsletters
2. Standalone Emails
3. Lead Nurturing
4. Transactional
5. Milestone Emails
6. Plain-text Emails
 Newsletters
O Newsletters are the most popular
type of email, with 83% of
companies sending them.
O These emails are typically sent on a
consistent schedule and will often
contain either content from the
company blog or website, links
curated from other sources, or both.
O A newsletter might also contain
upcoming events, or webinars,
news from your company, or other
updates.
O Should be relevant and valuable to
your audience.
 Standalone Emails
O These emails are dedicated to just
one topic and put the call to action
front and center.
 Lead Nurturing
O Lead-nurturing emails are typically a
series of related emails that are sent over
a period of several days or weeks.
O The idea is to move leads through your
funnel and convert them into customers,
all through an automated series of helpful
content.
 Transactional
O These types of messages have 8x the
opens and clicks than any other type of
email.
O Includes any kind of e-commerce to a
business.
 Milestone Emails
O Milestone emails are for
celebrations.
O Birthday emails are some of the
most effective emails you can send,
with a 481% higher transaction rate
than promotional emails.
 Plain-text Emails
O An email which has less HTML.
O HTML emails tend to have lower
open and click-through rates that
correlate directly to how many
HTML elements are included.