Memos, Faxes, and Emails

1. Memos, Faxes, and Emails

2. What Memos, Faxes, and E-Mails Have in Common • Each is streamlined for the busy world of work. • They are all less formal than letters. • They give busy readers information fast. • These documents should (typically) not exceed two pages in length. • Even though they are routine, they still demand a great deal of your thought and time.

3. Memo Format • The identifying information includes the following lines TO: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: If your memo is going to more than one reader, make sure you list them in the order of their status in your company. Write your job title if necessary for the reader. You may write your initials after your typed name to verify the memo comes from you. Give the full calendar date. This serves as the title line of your memo. Summarize your message precisely.

4. Memo Style and Tone • The style and tone of your memo will be controlled by the audience within your company or agency. • Casual, conversational tone • When writing to a co-worker whom you know well • Formal tone • When writing to a manager • Remember that your employer and co-workers deserve the same clear and concise writing that your customers do.

5. Memo Style and Tone • Example of the casual tone • How would you rewrite this memo using a more formal tone? I think we should go ahead with Marisol’s plan for reorganization. It seems like a safe option to me, and I don’t think we can lose. I think that we should adopt the organizational plan developed by Marisol Vega. Her recommendations are carefully researched and persuasively answer all the questions our office has about solving the problem.

6. Organizing a Memo 1. Introduction • Tell readers clearly about the problem, procedure, question, or policy that prompted you to write. • Link the first sentence of your memo to the subject line. • Explain briefly any background information the reader needs to know. • Be specific about what you are going to accomplish in your memo.

7. Organizing a Memo 2. Discussion • State why a problem or procedure is important, who will be affected by it, and what caused it and why. • Indicate why changes are necessary. • Give precise dates, times, locations, and costs.

8. Organizing a Memo 3. Conclusion • Ask readers to call you if they have any questions. • Request a reply—in writing, over the telephone, via e-mail, or in person—by a specific date. • Provide a list of recommendations that the readers are to accept, revise, or reject.

9. Faxes • Though fax machines are no longer cutting-edge technology, they are still widely used. • A fax machine can send copies of letters, memos, reports, graphs, blueprints, artwork, and signatures. • Be aware that your confidentiality is not easily protected when communicating by fax unless the recipient has her or his own secured fax machine.

10. Faxes • When you send a fax, be sure to include a cover sheet that indicates • The people sending and receiving the fax • Their addresses, phone, and fax numbers • The total number of pages being faxed • This is essential so that the recipient will know when the transmission is complete and can alert the sender of any interruption in transmission.

11. Fax Guidelines • As a courtesy, e-mail your reader ahead of time to let him or her know you are sending a fax. • Because type size of a document is reduced in transmission, print your message in a larger point size (12 or 14). • Avoid writing any comments in the margins or at the very top or bottom of a fax. Your notes might be cut off or blurred in transmission.

12. E-Mail • E-mail is easy and immediate, and it has become a key form of business communication. • A part of e-mail’s value lies in the ability to send attached files. • E-mail is especially valuable for collaborative writing and other projects with remote co-workers.

13. Business E-Mail versus Personal E-Mail • E-mail is the most informal, relaxed type of business correspondence. • However, it is NOT the same as personal e-mail. • Business e-mail requires that you • Are neat and organized • Proofread your message • Consider the impact your e-mail will have on your company and your career

14. Business E-Mail versus Personal E-Mail • Employers own their internal e-mail systems and thus have the right to monitor what you write and to whom. • Any e-mail at work can be saved, stored, forwarded, and most significantly, intercepted. • Always remember that your e-mail could be forwarded to people you did not intend to send it to.

15. Guidelines for Using E-Mail • Make sure your e-mail is confidential and ethical. • Observe all the legal (proprietary) requirements when using e-mail. • Do not forward messages or files without approval from the original author. • Follow all the rules of “Netiquette” when answering e-mail. • Respond promptly. • Identify your audience correctly so that your e-mail arrives in the right mailbox. • Be courteous to your reader.

16. Guidelines for Using E-Mail • Use an acceptable format. • Make your e-mail easy to read. • Make your e-mail easy to process. • Follow a professional style. • Keep your message concise. • Avoid abbreviations. • Do not use slang or jargon unless it is appropriate. • Be careful about including emoticons. • End your message politely. :-)