CHAPTER 5: ELECTRONIC MESSAGES & MEMORANDUMS
BS 150
COMMUNICATING AT WORK
People exchange information externally and internally In today’s workplace, you will be expected to collect,
evaluate and exchange information in clearly written messages
Written messages fall into 1 of two categories: paper-based and electronic
Paper based messages include business letters and memos
Electronic messages include email, instant messaging, text messaging, podcasts, blogs, and wikis
COMMUNICATING WITH PAPER BASED MESSAGES
Uses: business letters, interoffice memos
Employees use memos primarily to convey confidential info, emphasize ideas, deliver lengthy documents, or lend importance to a message
COMMUNICATING WITH ELECTRONIC MESSAGES
Email: involves the transmission of messges through computers and networks; users can send messages to a single recipient or broadcast them to multiple recipients
Email is most appropriate for short messgaes that deliver routine requests and responses
Instant messaging: More interactive than email, IM involves the exchange of text messages in real time between 2 or more people logged into an IM service
COMMUNICATING WITH ELECTRONIC MESSAGES
Text messaging Podcasts: a podcast is a digital media file that is
distributed over the Internet and downloaded on portable media players and personal computers; podcasts can be syndicated, subscribed to, or downloaded automatically when new content is added
Blog: a web site with journal entries usually written by one person with comments added by others
Wikis: a web site that enables multiple users to collaboratively create and edit pages
ORGANIZING EMAIL MESSAGES & MEMOS Perform critical tasks such as informing
employees, requesting data, supplying responses, confirming decisions, and giving directions
Email is not a substitute for face-to-face conversations, telephone calls, business letters, or memorandums
COMPONENTS OF EMAIL MESSAGES & MEMOS
4 parts: 1) an information subject line that summarizes the message, 2) an opening that reveals the main idea immediately, 3) a body that explains and justifies the main idea, and 4) an appropriate closing
In emails and memos an informative subject line is mandatory
It summarizes the central idea, thus providing quick identification for reading and for filing
Messages without subject lines may be automatically deleted
WRITING THE EMAIL
Subject lines summarize the purpose of the message in abbreviated form
Explains the purpose of the message and how it relates to the reader
Direct emails and memos open by revealing the main idea immediately
The body provides more info about the reason for writing; it explains and discusses the subject logically
WRITING THE EMAIL(CONT’D)
Generally close an email message or a memo with 1) action information, dates and deadlines; 2) a summary of the message; or 3) a closing thought
Email messages and hard copy memos are similar in content and development but their formats are slightly different
FORMATTING EMAILS
Email greeting- shows friendliness and indicates the beginning of the message
When keying the body of an email, use standard caps and lower case characters
Email messages are most helpful when they conclude with the writer’s full contact information
FORMATTING INTEROFFICE MEMOS
If you are preparing a memo on plain paper, set 1 inch top and bottom margins and left and right margins of 1.25 inches
Provide a heading that includes the name of the company plus “Memo” or “Memorandum”
Begin the guide words a triple space (2 lines) below the last line of the heading
Key in bold the guide words: Date:, To:, From:, and Subject:
PREPARING MEMOS AS EMAIL ATTACHMENTS
To deliver a long or formal document, send a cover email with an attachment
Be sure to include identifying info, including the date, sender, receiver and subject
USING THE WRITING PROCESS TO CREATE EFFECTIVE INTERNAL MESSAGES
Internal email and hard copy memos usually carry direct messages that are neither sensitive nor persuasive
They require careful writing to be clearly and quickly understood
Use the 3 phase writing process to analyze, anticipate and adapt (what am I writing and why am I writing it? How will the reader react?)
Research, organize and compose- gather background info; put it in an outline, compose your message, and revise for clarity, correctness and feedback
Revise, proofread, and evaluate
EMAIL BEST PRACTICES
Compose your message offline Get the email address right Avoid misleading subject lines Apply the top of screen test (When
readers open your message and look at the first screen, will they see what is most significant? Your subject line and first paragraph should convey your purpose)
CONTENT, TONE AND CORRECTNESS
Although email seems as casual as a telephone call, it’s not
It produces a permanent record Be concise Don’t’ send anything you wouldn’t want
published Don’t use email to avoid contact Care about correctness and tone Resist humor and tongue-in-cheek comments
NETIQUETTE
Send emails only to people who really need to see a message
Consider using identifying lables (Action, Re, REQ)
Use capital letters only for emphasis or for titles
Don’t forward without permission and beware of long threads
READING AND REPLYING TO EMAIL
Scan all messages in your inbox before replying to each individually
Print only when necessary Acknowledge receipt Don’t automatically return the sender’s
message Revise the subject line if the topic
changes Provide a clear, complete first sentence
PERSONAL USE
Don’t use company computers for personal matters unless your company specifically allows it
Assume that all email is monitored
OTHER SMART EMAIL PRACTICES
Design your messages to enhance readability, and double check before sending
USING INSTANT MESSAGING PROFESSIONALLY
People like instant messaging because of its immediacy
A user knows right away whether a message was delivered
It avoids playing phone tag and eliminates the downtime associated with personal telephone conversations
It saves money
BEST PRACTICES FOR INSTANT MESSAGING
Learn about your org’s IM policies Make yourself unavailable when you need to complete a project or
meet a deadline Organize your contact lists to separate business contacts from
family and friends Keep your messages simple and to the point; avoid unnecessary
chitchat Don’t’ use IM to send confidential or sensitive info Be aware that instant messages can be saved Show patience by not blasting multiple messages to coworkers if a
response is not immediate Keep your present status up-to-date so that people trying to reach
you don’t’ waste their time Beware of jargon, slang, and abbreviations which may be confusing
and unprofessional Use proper grammar
WRITING INFO & PROCEDURE EMAIL MESSAGES & MEMOS
Information and procedure messages distribute routine information, describe procedures and deliver instructions
They typically flow downward from mngt to employees and relate to the daily operations of an organization
You have one function in writing these: conveying your idea so clearly that no further explanation is necessary
Procedure and instructions are often written in numbered steps using command language (Do this, don’t do that)
Visit www.meguffey.com for more info on how to write instructions
WRITING REQUESTS AND REPLY EMAIL MESSAGES AND MEMOS
Use the direct approach in routine requests for info or action, opening with the most important question, a polite command, or a brief introductory statement
If you are seeking answers to questions, you have 3 options for opening the message: 1) ask the most important question first, followed by an explanation and then the other questions, b) use a polite command (Please answer…) or c) introduce the questions with a brief statement (“Your answers to the following questions will help us…”)
REPLYING TO EMAIL AND MEMO REQUESTS
Much business correspondence reacts or responds to previous messages
When replying to an email, memo, or other document, be sure to follow the three step process: Analyze your purpose and audience, collect whatever is necessary and organize your thoughts; make a brief outline of the points you plan to cover
NEXT TIME…
We’ll cover Chapters 6 and 7. Homework: Prepare for Oral Presentation 3- Group
Prepare for your oral presentation (group) on the following topic:
Health care reform. Is our country headed in the right
direction with healthcare? BE SURE you do enough research and discussion as a
team to develop a solid 10-12 minute team presentation. You are required to use visual aids for this presentation (Power Point, poster, or handouts).
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