5-2 Effective Business Communication: Main Forms of Business Messages: Business Memos & Letters

5-2 Effective Business
Communication
Main Forms of Business Messages:
Business Memos & Letters
Overview
– Check the email assignment

– Memorandums
– Letters
– Discussion:
Similarities and differences between memos and
emails
6 October 2016 ICMB231 2

Memorandum
• Internal documents sent to employees to

convey information within the company
• Memos can be long
• Gets to the point quickly
• Memos are often informal, with less attention
to structure, formatting, grammar and quality
of paper– no salutation/greetings, no
complimentary closing, no address, can keep
it personal
• Usually only covers ONE topic
Specific Information for Memorandum
• A memorandum is
considered “inside”
correspondence.
• It is written to
someone within your
company.

Advantages of Memos
Memos are:
• Quick
• Inexpensive
• Convenient
• Flexible

Role of Memos
Play an important role in management:

• Keeps employees informed
• Motivates employees – sense of belonging

Purposes of Memos
• To give information
• To issue an instruction
• To request for help
• To give suggestions
Investment Returns
Administrative Change
Salary increase
Change in Reimbursement Rates for Travel
Direct Deposit Policy
Cost Reduction and Efficiency Task Force

Memo Format
MEMORANDUM
To : Nick Smith, Child-Care Project Manager

(name, position/ department)
From : Pamela Brune, Manager,
Human Resources Department (name,
postion/department)
Date : November 8, 2016
Subject : Recommended Options for Child-Care Benefits
Skip a line and start your message.

No greetings.
State the purpose clearly at the beginning.
Keep it concise and to the point. Don’t be too informal. Call for actions.
No closing.
Putting initials are optional
Revise the Memo (1)
Memo
Date: September 5, 2012
To: Ryan Rhodes
From: Courtney James
Subject: comparison of Web Sites of Some of Our Competitors
This is just a short note to inform you that as you requested, I have made
an examination of several of our competitors’ web sites. Attached
hereto is a summary of my findings of my investigation. I was really
most interested in making a comparison of navigational graphics or
cues that were used to guide visitors through the sites. In view of the
fact that we will be building our own web site in the near future, I was
extremely intrigued by the organization, content, and navigation at
each and every site I visited.
In the event that you would like to discuss this information with me,
please feel free to call me.
Problems?
Memo
To: Ryan Rhodes, (position)
From: Courtney James , (position)
Date: September 5, 2012
Subject: Comparison of Web Sites of Some of Our Competitors (Comparing
Competitors’ Web Sites)
This is just a short note to inform you that as you requested, I have made an
examination of several of our competitors’ Web sites. Attached hereto is a
summary of my findings of my investigation. I was really most interested in
making a comparison of navigational graphics or cues that were used to guide
visitors through the sites. In view of the fact that we will be building our own
web site in the near future, I was extremely intrigued by the organization,
content, and navigation at each and every site I visited.
In the event that you would like to discuss this information with me, please feel
free to call me (number).
Revise the Memo (2)
Correct the following memo (grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, number form,
repetition, wordiness, format, etc. )
Date: March 2
TO: Department Heads, Managers, and Supervisors
FROM: James Robbins, Director, Human Resources
SUJECT: Submitting appraisals of performance by 15th April
Please be informed that performance appraisals for all you’re

employees’ are due, before April 15th. These appraisal are
especially important and essential this year. because of job
changes, new technologys and because of office re-
organization.
Continued
To complete your performance appraisals in the most effective e

way, you should follow the procedures described in our
employee handbook, let me briefly make a review of those
procedures;
1. Be sure each and every employee has a performance plan
with 3 or 4 main objective.
2. For each objective make an assessment of the employee on
a scale of 5 (consistently exceeds requirements) to 0 (does
not meet requirements at all.
3. You should identify 3 strengths that brings to the job.
Continued
4. Name 3 skills that he can improve. These should pertain to

skills such as Time Management rather then to behaviors
such as habitual lateness.
5. The employee should be met with to discuss his appraisal.
6. Finish the appraisal and send the completed appraisal to this
office.
We look upon appraisals like a tool for helping each worker
assess his performance. And enhance his output. If you
would like to discuss this father, please do not hesitate to
call me.
Revise the Memo
Memo
Date: March 2, 2018
TO: Department Heads, Managers, and Supervisors
FROM: James Robbins, Director, Human Resources
SUJECT: Submitting Appraisals of Performance by 15th April
Please be informed that performance appraisals for all of your employees’ are due before April
15th. These appraisal are especially important and essential this year because of job changes,
new technology and because of office re-organization.
Please refer to the procedures described in our employee handbook which consist of
1. Be sure each and every employee has a performance plan with three or four main
objective.
2. For each objective make an assessment of the employee on a scale of 5 (consistently
exceeds requirements) to 0 (does not meet requirements at all.
3. You should identify three strengths that brings to the job.
Revise the Memo
4. Name three skills that he or she can improve; these should pertain to skills such as Time
Management rather then to behaviors such as habitual lateness.
5. The employee should be met with to discuss his or her appraisal.
6. Finish the appraisal and send the completed appraisal to this office.
We look upon appraisals like a tool for helping each worker assess his or her performance and
enhance his or her output. If you would like to discuss this further, please do not hesitate
to call me (add a number).
“DON’Ts” in Memo Writing
• Never write memos or any

other communications
which are unnecessary.
• Never write complicated,
hard-to-understand memos.
Keep them simple and to
the point.

• Never write rude,

blunt, or thoughtless
memos.
• Never send memos
that have typos,
misspelled words, or
grammatical errors.
– They are a poor
reflection on you!

• Never waste space

with unnecessary
introductory material.
– Plunge in!
• Never leave out
necessary details
causing people to
have to follow up with
questions.

• Never use a signature

in a memo.
• Do not put more than
one topic in a memo.

Email or Memo?
Email:
• Send to a large group
• Requires rapid response
• More than one topic
Memo:
• Message that has to be read
• If your message is too long as an email
• Stick to one topic
Letters
• The oldest form of business messages

• Formal – commonly used for corresponding
with people outside your organization
• Gives professional, polished image
• Gesture of respect
Letter Format
• Printed letterhead
• Inside address
• Date
• Receiver’s address
• Salutation
• Body
• Complimentary close
• Signature
• Enclosure
Salutation
• If you don’t know the name:

-Dear Sir,
-Dear Madam,
-Dear Sir/Madam,
-Dear Project Manager,
Salutation
• If you know the name:

-Dear Mr. (Thomas) Smith,
-Dear Mr. and Mrs. Smith,
-Dear Ms. (Abby) Smith,
-Dear John Scott,
-Dear Anne,
Closure
• If you don’t know the person well:

-Yours faithfully, (UK)
-Sincerely yours, / Yours sincerely, (US & UK)
-Yours truly, (US)
-Sincerely, (US)
Closure
• If you know the person well:

-Best regards,
-Regards,
-Best wishes,
What’s missing?
Mr. Rodney Giles
Manager, Customer Support
Inter-Office Solutions Inc.
1289 Luxor Station Rd.
Cedar Springs, IL, 34985
Dear Rodney:
This is further to our meeting of last week at which we agreed to hold a series of meetings over the next two months to review your
experiences with the pilot implementation of the 1to1 Customer Relationship Management Program.
As discussed at that meeting, the objectives of our review sessions will be to:
• Identify and document strengths weaknesses of the program;

• Propose customer-focused solutions to address areas of weakness;
• Develop an approach and action plan for Phase 2 of the project;
• Determine the staff members who will make up the Phase 2 Team.
As agreed, meetings will be held every second Tuesday from 9:00 a.m. until noon, and the location will alternate between our two offices, the
first one to be convened here at Inter-Office on August 14, 2017. Fred Johnson of your CRM group is to act as the meeting co-ordinator and
recording secretary throughout the process.
I trust I have covered all of the points that we discussed. If you have any questions or would like to add anything please give me a call at 745-
9878. We look forward to seeing you at the August 14 meeting.
Marilyn French
Senior Consultant
Encl.
Exercise: Revise the Business Letter
Fine Foods Ltd.
10 Bridge Street
London
Hello Mr. Roger Jones:

I got the letter you sent on 1st September, and the stuff about the stock
control system you make. It sounds great for us, but I want to check some
things before we buy it. You said the system is bang up-to-date, but what
happens if you update it again soon? Do we get money off the new one? You
said it takes 3 weeks to install the system – that’s too long! Can’t you do it any
quicker? Hope you can reply soon, we’re in a bit of a hurry.
Thanks,
Janet Brown
Revise the Letter
Fine Foods Ltd.

10 Bridge Street London
December 12, 2008
Roger Jones
Sales Manager
Thames Software Systems
River Buildings
London
Dear Me. Jones,

Thank you for your letter of September 1 and the information you sent regarding the stock control system offered
by your company. I certainly feel the system will meet our
Business writing is different
• Writing for a business audience is usually quite different than writing in

the humanities, social sciences, or other academic disciplines. Business
writing strives to be crisp and succinct rather than evocative or creative; it
stresses specificity and accuracy. When you write a business document,
you must assume that your audience has limited time in which to read it
and is likely to skim.
• Business writing varies from the conversational style often found in email
messages to the more formal, legalistic style found in contracts. A style
between these two extremes is appropriate for the majority of memos,
emails, and letters. In business writing, as in all writing, you must know
your audience.

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5-2 Effective Business

– Check the email assignment

6 October 2016 ICMB231 2

• Internal documents sent to employees to

6 October 2016 ICMB231 4

6 October 2016 ICMB231 5

Play an important role in management:

6 October 2016 ICMB231 6

Change in Reimbursement Rates for Travel

Direct Deposit Policy

Cost Reduction and Efficiency Task Force

To : Nick Smith, Child-Care Project Manager

Skip a line and start your message.

Please be informed that performance appraisals for all you’re

To complete your performance appraisals in the most effective e

4. Name 3 skills that he can improve. These should pertain to

• Never write memos or any

6 October 2016 ICMB231 16

• Never write rude,

6 October 2016 ICMB231 17

• Never waste space

6 October 2016 ICMB231 18

• Never use a signature

6 October 2016 ICMB231 19

• The oldest form of business messages

• If you don’t know the name:

• If you know the name:

• If you don’t know the person well:

• If you know the person well:

• Identify and document strengths weaknesses of the program;

Hello Mr. Roger Jones:

Fine Foods Ltd.

December 12, 2008

Dear Me. Jones,

• Writing for a business audience is usually quite different than writing in

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