1. Preparing to write an 2. Using the prefatory elements 3. Beginning the message 4. Organizing the contents 5. Closing the message 6.

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2 1. Preparing to write an 2. Using the prefatory elements 3. Beginning the message 4. Organizing the contents 5. Closing the message 6. Considering formality and netiquette 7. Revising and editing the message 8. Proofreading the message

3 1. Increased productivity 2. Strong business relationships 3. Enhanced professional image 4. Better financial results 5. Higher employee satisfaction

4 1. Learn your organization s policy. 2. Display the you attitude (Replace terms that refer to yourself and your company with terms that refer to your audience; empathize with your audience sincerely and genuinely). 3. Know the purpose of your message.

5 1. To line Verify recipient s address, for any error will result in failure to reach the recipient. 2. Cc line (= courtesy copy) and Bcc line (= blind courtesy copy) Use these lines thoughtfully and consider your organization s practice and protocol.

6 Subject line Provide a subject line that describes the topic and focus of your message. Be specific and accurate to aid filing and later retrieval. Keep it short (some programs only show first 28 characters of subject line). Capitalize all major words except articles, prepositions, and conjunctions.

7 Sample Subject lines: Vague: Seminar at 3 Specific: Will Attend 3 p.m. Seminar on Time-management Vague: Password Specific: Please Send Password for Customer Survey

8 The Salutation: 1. Formal messages: Ms. Jones, Mr. Adams, Dr. Clark, 2. Less formal s to individuals or small groups inside your organization: Dear Andy, Dear Project Colleagues, 3. Personal note to friend or close colleague: Hi Mike, Hello Jenny, Bill,

9 Short s: Use top-down order: 1. Present most important material first. 2. Arrange remaining material in descending order of importance.

10 Complex s: 1. Introductory paragraph: Attract audience s attention and state purpose. 2. Body paragraphs: Present information in logical order. Keep paragraphs short. Use visual markers (e.g. headings, bulleted lists, capital letters). 3. Concluding paragraph: Summarize main points, highlight action required.

11 Formal closings Best wishes, Sincerely, Cordially, Informal closings Best, Take care,

12 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Daniel J. Vasquez Human Resources Dept. TechCom Corporation P.O. Box 5001 Phoenix, Arizona Phone (x 341) Fax = = = = = = = = = = = = = Name and Title Department or Division Company Name Mailing Address City, State, ZIP Phone Number Fax Number Web Address (URL)

13 Casual: Short sentences Sentence fragments Contractions Slang Colloquialism Abbreviations (e.g. BTW for by the way, THX for thanks) Emoticons Quotations or aphorisms (e.g. *May the Force be with you.*) Hi Cindy, High-five me. Just came back from confab with pinheads. They re high on our marketing plans. But as you crystal balled it, they want a special for the jumbos. ASAP, they said. Let s meet, my cell, 10 a.m., Wed.? TTFN Brandon

14 Informal Well-structured sentences Commonly used words conversational Cindy: The management team has approved our marketing plan. They were most complimentary. But as you predicted, they want a special plan for the large accounts. As they want it as soon as possible, I suggest we get together on Wednesday at 10 a.m. in my office. Brandon

15 Too formal Informal Too Informal My appreciation for your industriousness is herewith extended. Thank you very much for your hard work. Dude, you rock!

16 Keep message brief and concise Do not write in ALL UPPERCASE nor all lower case letters Verify that your recipient s software will accept your attachments Do not forward messages without permission Do not send or forward SPAM

17 Stick to business Be courteous Do not flame (use abusive or offensive language)

18 Positive messages (e.g. inquiry) Negative messages (e.g. complaint) Concise Clearly structured Visually attractive Brief Courteous Tactful

19 Sample Inquiry

20 Sample Negative

21 Sample Negative

22 Weak Version

23 Revising and Editing s (cont.) Improved Version

24 Revising and editing s (cont.) Weak Version

25 Revising and editing s (cont.) Improved Version

26 Watch for Spelling Grammar Punctuation Try to find the 10 errors in the following message:

27 Mr. Goldberg, Your invitaition to adress the National Association of Small Business Owners is a most distinct honor to me personally. I am well aware of the high quality of NASBO and there members. Presenting a major paper to this quality group deserves a thorough effort and its obviously an effort that requires time. Since my time is fully committed to a writing project for the month s ahead may I suggest that you Ms. Paula Perkins of my staff for the speaking opportunity? Paula is an outstanding speaker and an expert on womens issues in small business, particularly issues in getting financing thru bank loans and venture capital. Paula can be reached at pperk@tbs.net. If I can help you further in your efforts, please me again. I wish you good luck with the program.

28 Your invitaition to adress the National Association of Small Business Owners is a most distinct honor to me personally. I am well aware of the high quality of NASBO and there members. 1. invitation 2. address 3. NASBO and its members (U.S. usage treats company names as singular nouns.) Remember to distinguish between their (= possessive adjective) and there (adverb indicating location).

29 Presenting a major paper to this quality group deserves a thorough effort and its obviously an effort that requires time. 4. Presenting a major paper to this quality group deserves a thorough effort, and it s obviously an effort that requires time. (Use a comma after the first clause in a compound sentence if the clauses are long or if they have different subjects. The second clause is preceded by one of the coordinating conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. Do not use commas to join independent clauses without a conjunction. Doing so produces comma splices.) 5. it s (= it is) its (possessive adjective): e.g. a book and its cover (In more formal s, avoid contractions altogether.)

30 Since my time is fully committed to a writing project for the month s ahead may I suggest that you Ms. Paula Perkins of my staff for the speaking opportunity? 6. Since my time is fully committed to a writing project, may I. (Use a comma to separate the introductory clause from the main clause.) 7. months (Distinguish between the simple plural *months* and the possessive case indicated by the apostrophe: e.g. I will see you in a month s time.) 8. that you contact Ms. Paul Perkins (Reading the text aloud will alert you to missing words.)

31 Paula is an outstanding speaker and an expert on womens issues in small business, particularly issues in getting financing thru bank loans and venture capital. 9. women s issues (Note the possessive case: the issues of women) Use of apostrophe for possession: Singular noun: my neighbor s house; one woman s house Regular plural noun: my neighbors houses Irregular plural noun: the women s houses, the men s conference, the children s toys 10. *thru* is too casual. Use traditional spelling.

32 Proofreading your message (cont.) Dear Ms. Hinkley: On March 1, I purchased a pager and signed a contract with Paging South for service for Two years. My pager didn t actually begin working until March 23. The reason for this delay is because the pager had a technical defect. Paging South sent me a new pager three weeks later. Therefore, I was paying for service I didn t recieve for three weeks. The local manager Sally Weeks suggested that I contact you for assistance. I m sure you ll agree that I shouldn t have to pay for any service I did not receive. I d like to request that you either credit my account for one month s service or reimburse me for one month s service. Please let me know your decision before the next monthly bill arrives on April 10. Thanks for your assistance in resolving this matter. Sincerely, Morris Urdang

33 Proofreading your message (cont.) Dear Ms. Hinkley: On March 1, I purchased a pager and signed a contract with Paging South for service for two years. My pager didn t actually begin working until March 23. The reason for this delay is that the pager had a technical defect. Correct: The reason for this delay is that the pager had a technical defect. (The predicate of the sentence must fit grammatically and logically with the subject. Since reason is a noun, the complement after the linking verb is must be either a noun or a noun clause.)

34 Proofreading your message (cont.) Paging South sent me a new pager three weeks later. Therefore, I was paying for service I didn t recieve for three weeks. The local manager Sally Weeks suggested that I contact you for assistance. I m sure you ll agree that I shouldn t have to pay for any service I did not recieve. 2. Correct spelling: receive 3. Correct: The local manager, Sally Weeks, suggested Words or phrases that are inserted in a sentence to provide additional information need to be set off on either side with a comma.

35 Concise: condense information Coherent: structure information clearly Compelling: use persuasive evidence and word choices Civilized: use expected business etiquette Correct: follow conventions of high-quality writing, including those of grammar, spelling, etc.