Name: Cayabyab, Ian Keneth G.

Subject: English 8: Technical Writing

ID No. 2016832772
Professor: Bingculado, Roger

1. Memorandum

Define memo and give the parts of memo and give the types of memo

Memorandum or Memo

 Short for “memorandum,” a memo is a type of document used to communicate with others in
the same organization. Memos (or memoranda) are typically used for fairly short messages of
one page or less, but informal reports of several pages may also employ memo format.

 It is a short message or record used for internal communication in a business. Once the primary
form of internal written communication, memorandums have declined in use since the
introduction of email and other forms of electronic messaging; however, being able to write
clear memos certainly can serve you well in writing internal business emails, as they often
serve the same purpose.

Memos are distinguished by a header that includes DATE, TO, FROM, and SUBJECT
lines. Other lines, such as CC or BCC, may be added as needed. An RE (“Reference”) line may be
used instead of SUBJECT, but this use is becoming rarer as “RE” is often mistaken as “Reply”
because of its use in email.

 DATE: List the date on which the memo is distributed.

 TO: List the names of the recipients of the memo. If there are several recipients,
it’s acceptable to use a group name, such as “All Employees” or “Personnel Committee
Members.”
 FROM: List the name and job title of the writer.
 SUBJECT: Think of the SUBJECT line as the title for the memo. Make it specific so that
readers can immediately identify the topic.

These headings may be double- or single-spaced, and the SUBJECT line is often in all
capital letters. Furthermore, the order of the items can vary. Many organizations have their own
style preferences on these issues. If not, the order listed above, double-spaced, is the most
common.

The text of memos typically uses block format, with single-spaced lines, an extra space
between paragraphs, and no indentions for new paragraphs. However, if a report using memo
format stretches to a few pages in length, double spacing may be used to improve its readability.
EXAMPLE OF MEMORANDUM
TYPES OF MEMO:

1. Request Memo

The objective of a request memo is to gain a favorable response to a request. The memo must be
written in a convincing way.

This is a good example of request memo. The request should be clearly stated in the memo. The
reasons for the request should be presented. If any financial costs are involved, they should be explained.
All expenses should be justified. Recommendations for action should be presented. Throughout the memo
tact and diplomacy should be used. If the memo is persuasively written, it should be easy for the reader
to say “yes.”
 2. Confirmation Memo

A confirmation memo is designed to confirm in writing something that has been agreed to
verbally. Consider, for example, the sales manager who promises to provide sales coverage to six more
cities if the general manager provides him with three additional salespeople. When the general manager
and the sales manager agree on this plan of action, it is common to find the general manager confirming
this agreement with a memo.

Be specific regarding the major points that were discussed and verbally agreed upon. Enumerate
the major points to emphasize them and allow easy reference to them in future discussions. Encourage
feedback on any misunderstood or unclear points.

This message follows the three guidelines for confirmation memos. In this memo Krishna Murli
first raises the major points that were previously discussed and agreed upon. Then he outlines the five
major points he wants his sales manager to understand. By numbering them, Krishna ensures that all of
them are equally emphasized. Finally, he gives Narayan Murthy the opportunity to ask questions.
 3. Periodic Report Memo

Periodic report memos – monthly cost control reports, quarterly sales reports – are submitted at
regular intervals. Since these memos are written frequently, they are designed and preprinted so that the
writer can complete them quickly.

The memo should be designed as a fill-in form on which data can be entered quickly. The form
should be designed so that it can be duplicated and re-used. If narrative or descriptive commentary is
necessary, a place should be provided on the form.
 4. Ideas and Suggestions Memo
Sometimes memos are used to convey ideas or suggestions. Very often managers ask
subordinates for suggestions for tackling certain problems. In such instances, an ideas and suggestions
memo is required.

Write directly, the manager would not have asked for ideas unless he thought the writer had
something to offer. Begin with positive comments about the current situation (no one likes to be shot
down), and then tactfully present suggestions for change. Group ideas according to subject and use
headings to highlight them. Be specific and don’t stray off the point. The opening paragraphs define the
problem tactfully. The recommendations are grouped by headings, and each is carefully explained. The
conclusion is action oriented. The writer indicates how the recommendations can be implemented.
 5. Informal Study Results Memo
Organizational personnel are sometimes asked to write the results of an informal study in a
memo. The objective of the message is to present the information in an easy-to-read, understandable
form.

State the purpose at the beginning. Use headings and sub-headings to make the reading as easy
as possible. Present data in a “Findings” section and interpret it in another called “Conclusions”. Be
specific. Stay on the point and address different issues one by one, systematically. Unless there is good
reason to do otherwise, write the memo in informal language and use personal pronouns. This is an
example of an informal study results memo that was written in response to a request from a top manager.
The opening paragraph states the purpose of the memo; headings and sub-headings act as signposts for
the reader. Specific numbered points make the memo easy to read and understand.
 2. Email

What is an e – mail? What are the parts of email?

An email is a text, typically brief and informal, that is sent or received over a computer network.
While email messages are usually simple text messages, attachments (such as image files and
spreadsheets) can be included. An email message can be sent to multiple recipients at the same time.

As with all writing, professional communications require attention to the specific writing context,
and it may surprise you that even elements of form can indicate a writer’s strong understanding of
audience and purpose. The principles explained here apply to the educational context as well; use them
when communicating with your instructors and classroom peers.

 Open with a proper salutation. Proper salutations demonstrate respect and avoid mix-ups in case
a message is accidentally sent to the wrong recipient. For example, use a salutation like “Dear Ms.
X” (external) or “Hi Barry” (internal). Never use the title Mrs. as you cannot assume a woman is
married. If the gender of a person is not evident, use their entire name, like this: “Dear Sam Jones”

 Include a clear, brief, and specific subject line. This helps the recipient understand the essence
of the message. For example, “Proposal attached” or “Your question of 10/25.”

 Close with a signature. Identify yourself by creating a signature block that automatically contains
your name and business contact information.

 Avoid abbreviations. An e-mail is not a text message, and the audience may not find your wit
cause to ROTFLOL (roll on the floor laughing out loud).

 Be brief. Omit unnecessary words.

 Use a good format. Divide your message into brief paragraphs for ease of reading. A good e-mail
should get to the point and conclude in three small paragraphs or less.

 Reread, revise, and review. Catch and correct spelling and grammar mistakes before you press
“send.” It will take more time and effort to undo the problems caused by a hasty, poorly written
e-mail than to get it right the first time.

 Reply promptly. Watch out for an emotional response—never reply in anger—but make a habit
of replying to all e-mails within twenty-four hours, even if only to say that you will provide the
requested information in forty-eight or seventy-two hours.

 Use “Reply All” sparingly. Do not send your reply to everyone who received the initial e-mail
unless your message absolutely needs to be read by the entire group.
  Avoid using all caps. Capital letters are used on the Internet to communicate emphatic emotion
or yelling and are considered rude.
 Test links. If you include a link, test it to make sure it is working.

 E-mail ahead of time if you are going to attach large files (audio and visual files are often quite
large) to prevent exceeding the recipient’s mailbox limit or triggering the spam filter.

 Give feedback or follow up. If you don’t get a response in twenty-four hours, e-mail or call. Spam
filters may have intercepted your message, so your recipient may never have received it.

Parts of an E – mail

An email message consists of the following general components:

Headers
The message headers contain information concerning the sender and recipients. The exact content
of mail headers can vary depending on the email system that generated the message. Generally,
headers contain the following information:
 Subject. Subject is a description of the topic of the message and displays in most email systems
that list email messages individually. A subject line could be something like "2010 company
mission statement" or, if your spam filtering application is too lenient, "Lose weight fast!!! Ask
me how."
 Sender (From). This is the sender's Internet email address. It is usually presumed to be the same
as the Reply-to address, unless a different one is provided.
 Date and time received (On). The date and time the message was received.
 Reply-to. This is the Internet email address that will become the recipient of your reply if you
click the Reply button.
 Recipient (To:). First/last name of email recipient, as configured by the sender.
 Recipient email address. The Internet mail address of the recipient, or where the message was
actually sent.
 Attachments. Files that are attached to the message.

Body
The body of a message contains text that is the actual content, such as "Employees who are eligible for
the new health care program should contact their supervisors by next Friday if they want to
switch." The message body also may include signatures or automatically generated text that is inserted
by the sender's email system.
 3. What are the new media in business writing?

A medium is the way in which a piece of writing is delivered (email versus a mailed paper copy,
for example). Genre and medium are both determined by audience and purpose. For example, if you need
to let people in your office know that there will be a test of the alarm system in a few days, a brief email
might be the easiest and most efficient way to get that information across. If you need to send an
acceptance letter to a job candidate, a formal letter sent by mail or attached to an email might be most
appropriate. Expectations of formality will affect what genre you choose. The more formal the purpose,
then the more formal the genre.

Along with understanding the genre features of what you are writing, you must also consider the
medium in which your writing will be delivered. Although many of these genres will be sent via email,
there are still considerations to make about what to include and how to include it. Official letters or
correspondence should probably be attached as separate documents to emails. A short memo or note is
suitable for just the body of an email. Depending on length and audience expectations, meeting minutes
can be sent in the body of an email or attached as a separate document.

Common Business Writing Genres

Genres you may encounter regularly in the workplace include memos, business letters or official
correspondence, meeting minutes, and social media posts. Some of these genres already have separate
OWL pages built for them (links included), but others are described in some detail below.

A. Memos
Memos have increasingly been replaced by more generalized emails. However, the
guidelines for memos are incredibly important, no matter the medium in which a memo is
circulated. Memos should be to-the-point, offer a clear summary, and prioritize the most
important information first. Memos should also have a positive tone appropriate for the intended
audience. See the our memo resources for more information.

B. Business Letters
Business letters are still an important genre in business writing. Formal letters that give
news or ask for information rely on set guidelines in order to help the reader get the necessary
information efficiently and with respect to the reader’s attention. Business letters can be sent by
mail or via email attachment, but no matter the medium in which a business letter is circulated,
the formal guidelines given for business letters are incredibly important to the genre. See the
OWL's business letter resource for more information.

C. Social Media
As social media becomes more prevalent in business communication, you may be asked
to help develop or run your office or department’s social media accounts. The most popular social
 media platforms are Facebook and Twitter. Facebook allows you to post information without a
word limit, and you can easily include external links, photos, videos, and other media in your
posts. Twitter has a 140-character limit, so information needs to be concise and external media
or links must be considered carefully before including. Social media writing tends to be more
informal than other forms of business writing, but it does require a strong understanding of your
audience. Are you giving information to fellow staff members? To current students? To
prospective students or donors? How you convey the information and which social media
platform you use will be determined by the audience, so it is important to understand what it is
your audience needs to know and why they need to know it.

It is also helpful to look at examples of other social media accounts to understand the
ways in which social media is used to reach out to specific audiences. The search functions in
Twitter, Facebook, and most other platforms allow you to look up similar types of departments
or offices or other departments or offices at your own institution easily. Each account should have
its own voice, but you can use other accounts as a way to help figure out an appropriate tone for
your own social media writings.

4. What are the 3 general classifications of email?

Three types of emails:

1. Direct emails
These are the personal emails that are sent from one person to another, with content that is
designed to do a specific thing: thank for a meeting, book lunch, introduce the organization, or
convey an attachment. They are customized, specific to the sender and recipient, and sent directly
from a person’s email program.
 Pros: Personal and relevant.
 Cons: Very time-consuming – doesn’t scale.

2. Broadcast emails
These are the “eblasts”: the newsletters, alerts, advertisements, and other flotsam and jetsam
that are blasted to a list; think Constant Contact, aWeber, MailChimp, and others. Broadcasts can
also be sent mechanically to a distribution list from within Outlook or Gmail. The key driver behind
this type of email is the one-to-many nature of it. The Make It Happen Tipsheet, which I have been
distributing via email for the last decade, is an example of this. Today, the effectiveness of Broadcast
emails is constrained by spam filters (that incorrectly categorize many broadcasts as spam) and
legislation – CASL as an example – that requires onerous tracking and permissions to be able to send
an email. It is possible to customize Broadcasts, but it is usually limited to inserting a first name into
the body of the email.
 Pros: Fast and (mostly) pain free.
 Cons: Bulk mail content is not customized, and may be irrelevant. No one wants to be on a
“list”.
3. Sequence emails
Sometimes called nurture emails or drip marketing emails, these are a series of emails that are
sent to a specific person after a specific stimulus. For example, if your organization does a repeated
event – say a seminar for prospective clients – then the attendees likely have an interest already. Yet
only a certain percentage – perhaps 5% – will likely commit to the next steps immediately; the
remainder are in the negative. Unpacking this, what are the reasons for those who are not
interested? It is very likely that this other 95% – are not not interested, but are not interested right
now. If they received something of value from your organization from time to time (perhaps every
2-3 months), this would serve the dual purpose of filling in data points/reducing risk, but also
reminding them that you provide the service. The last thing that you want is for them to have the
desire to purchase perhaps 6-9-12+ months later – and for them to choose someone else only
because they forgot about you.

A nurture email series is written as a Direct email – eg one-to-one – but it is only sent out after
the stimulus event. Unlike Direct emails, however, the sending of a nurture email can be
automated.
 Pros: Maintains a connection, and when well-written, highly relevant.
 Cons: Tougher to write, as they must be written to be relevant to all potential
recipients. Investment in technology.

5. What is letter of attachment?

An attachment is a document that is part of the business letter. It adds or further describes
the information within the letter. Some examples include a spreadsheet that provides a visual
explanation of financial billing or forecasts, a chart that gives a graphic view of the busines s trends or
a budget. When sending an attachment, include the word, “Attachment” on the bottom left side of
the letter with a semi-colon and the number of the attachment. You should also mention in the body
of the letter that an item is attached (or multiple items are attached) that enhance or further explain
information in the letter.

Attachments in Email

In some situations, there is no method available to differentiate between an attachment and

an enclosure. One of these situations occurs when you are sending a business letter by email. Because
there is no enclosure option given, and email is a form of electronic transmission, all documents sent
by email become an attachment. The attachment is added to the email as a downloadable item that is
sent with the body of the email.
 Sending a professional letter requires certain etiquette, including proper formatting and careful
elimination of grammar and spelling errors. When sending letters, it's often necessary to attach related
documents. For example, with applying for a job, you likely want to include a resume and several letters
of reference. Within the contents of the letter, notify the recipient that there are attachments. Here is
the example of attachment letter: