CIS 313 - Week No. 8 - Topic No. 13 and 14

Technical Communication
Fourteenth Edition
Chapter 14
Email and Text
Messages
Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
Email
• Email is the primary way people communicate in
today’s workplace. Unlike paper, email offers both
rapid speed and wide reach.
• Email provides organizations with written
documentation—an electronic trail—that helps track a
project or conversation.
• Email is useful when people are in different time
zones or have different work schedules.
Email Parts and Format (1 of 2)
• Almost all email programs contain a standard heading
section, with fields for “To,” “From,” “Subject,” “cc”
( “courtesy copy”), and “bcc,” (“blind carbon copy”).
• Like many workplace documents, effective email
messages should have a brief introduction that gets
right to the point, a clear body section, and a brief
conclusion.
Email Parts and Format (2 of 2)
• Depending on the level of formality, the style of a
particular workplace, and the specific situation, it may
be appropriate for an email to start off with a
salutation (“Dear Dan”) and/or end with a closing
(“Best, Harvey”).
• Most workplace emails also end with a signature
block, containing the sender’s name and contact
information.
Considering Audience and Purpose
• When writing an email, always assume that the
message will travel far beyond its intended recipient.
• While the audience for an email might be vast, the
purpose of email should be specific.
• When using email at work, remember that people are
busy. Make the purpose clear and the message
brief. Be sure your purpose is strictly work related.
Email Style and Tone
• Workplace email should be professional in style and
tone, not only because it may reach unintended
recipients, but also out of respect for your colleagues
and coworkers.
• Use language that is respectful in tone and does
not blame. Be polite, professional, and thoughtful.
• Don’t use email for complex discussions. Keep it
simple.
Choose the Right Tool for the
Situation (1 of 2)
• If a workplace project or situation becomes too
complicated, sensitive, or emotionally charged,
consider other options such as a face-to-face meeting,
a phone call, or a video conference.
• Email also has technical limitations. Be sure to save
attachments and important email messages in a
separate location, and avoid overly large attachments.
Choose the Right Tool for the
Situation (2 of 2)
• Most email, especially everyday correspondence
between individuals, does not require fancy
formatting. Use the default font of your email
application for standard emails.
• For emails from the company or organization that are
designed more like a brief newsletter or
announcement, you can use visuals, fonts,
hyperlinks, and other page design features.
Ethical and Legal Issues when Using
Email
• Email messages at work are archived and can be
retrieved years later. Assume workplace emails are
permanent and potentially public.
• What you write at work is typically owned by the
company. No workplace email is private.
• Email messages can easily become the centerpiece
of legal battles, often revealing more information than
anyone could imagine and doing so in very public
ways.
Global Considerations when Using
Email
• Email travels quickly. In any setting, but especially in
companies that have international offices and clients,
email can be read by people across the globe.
• As a result, keep your emails simple, respectful,
and professional.
Guidelines for Writing and Using
Email (1 of 5)
Audience and Purpose
• Consider your audience.
• Consider your purpose.
• If your message is an official company communication,
announcing a new policy or procedure or the like, consider
writing a formal memo and sending as an attachment.
Email (2 of 5)
Formatting
• For very brief email, stick with just one paragraph.
• Don’t indent paragraphs.
• End with a signature block.
• Don’t send huge or specially formatted attachments
without first checking with the recipient.
• Use your email application’s default font for everyday
messages.
Email (3 of 5)
Style, Tone, and Interpersonal Issues
• Write a clear subject line.
• Keep it short.
• Use emoticons and abbreviations sparingly.
• Don’t write in ALL CAPS.
• Don’t use email when a more personal approach is called
for or for complicated issues.
Email Example
Text Messaging (1 of 2)
• A faster medium than email, text messages (texts)
allow you to communicate with individuals or groups
via cell phone.
• While texting has always been popular for personal
communication, it is becoming increasingly more and
more common for workplace communication.
• Texting can be an efficient way to get a quick answer
to a simple question Texts are also are less intrusive
than phone calls.
Text Messaging (2 of 2)
• Consider your audience before deciding to text your
colleagues for workplace conversation. Even people
who do use texting may prefer email instead, which
requires timely, but not instant, responses.
• Texting is a poor choice for communication that
requires careful planning, composing, and editing. It is
also not suitable for keeping a record of a
conversation.
Guidelines for Text Messaging
• Consider your audience and purpose.
• Keep text messages brief and to the point.
• Avoid too many abbreviations.
• Know when to end the conversation.
• Be professional in tone, style, and etiquette.
• Avoid discussing confidential topics.
• Use the organization’s in-house tool instead of texting
someone’s phone.
Technical Communication
Fourteenth Edition
Chapter 15
Workplace
Memos and
Letters
Memos
• Memos remind readers about important events, give
directives, provide instructions and information,
and make requests.
• Memos are important because unlike emails, they
signal a more official communication.
• Memos provide formal, written documentation about
an event or issue. Organizations rely on memos to
trace decisions and responsibilities, track
progress, and check agreements and
commitments made.
Considering Audience and
Purpose (1 of 2)
• To determine your approach to any particular memo,
identify the various audience members who will
receive it.
• The purpose of your memo should also be clear: Is it
to inform your audience? Is it to persuade people to
support a new plan? Is it to motivate them to take
action? Is it to announce bad news?
Memo Parts and Format (1 of 3)
• A standard memo has the word “Memo” or
“Memorandum” centered at the top of the page and
includes a heading (flush to the left margin) identifying
the recipient(s), sender (and sender’s initials), date,
and subject.
Memorandum
To: All Marketing Assistants, Cincinnati Office Web Marketing Group
From: Marilyn Zito, Purchasing <m.zito@adco.com> MZ
Date: October 25,20XX
Subject: Your Choices for New Multifunction Printer
• The text of a memo should be compact and focus on
one topic. It should start with a short introduction, a
paragraph or two to address the main issue, and a
conclusion suggesting follow-up or action.
Thank you for meeting today to discuss next steps to complete the
updated version of our animation software package.
As you noted, the original release date of October I is probably too
optimistic given the latest hiring freeze. Yet. as I mentioned, we can't
afford to go beyond a date of October 15 if we hope to make our fourth
quarter sales goals. So, let's agree on October 15 as the new due date.
Please communicate this information to the other members of your team.
• For memos sent as email messages, the “To,” “From,”
“Subject,” and “Date” fields in the email header take
the place of these lines on the PDF or print memo.
• But, if you want to emphasize that your email
message is a memo, you can repeat the word “Memo”
or “Memorandum” as well as these fields within the
body of the email.
Memo Tone
• Be especially careful about tone. Use your common
sense and put yourself in the shoes of your readers.
• If you are delivering bad news, decide if you want to
take a direct approach or an indirect approach. A
direct approach begins with the “bottom line” and then
supports the case; an indirect approach lays out the
details of the case over several sentences before
delivering the bottom line.
Common Types of Memos
Following are the basic types of workplace memos:
• Transmittal memo: Accompanies a package of materials,
such as a long report, a manuscript, or a proposal. It
simply states that material is being transmitted and/or
briefly introduces the material.
• Summary or follow-up memo: Provides a written record
of a meeting or conversation, or just a recap of a topic
discussed that was not resolved at the time.
• Routine miscellaneous memo: Can cover a virtually
infinite variety of everyday topics.
Memo Example

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