To: Nancy Myers

From: Robert Andrew “Andy” Schlosser

Date: November 14, 2022
Subject: APLED 121-Chapter 9 Summary

CHAPTER 9
ROUTINE CORRESPONDENCE
The Importance of Routine Correspondence – Written communication is extremely common and
important in the workplace, regardless of profession.

Which Communication Channel Should You Use? – The ideal channel of communication depends on
whether the audience has access to offices and computers, as well as the sensitivity of the information.

The Differences Among Routine Correspondence Channels – Memos, letters, emails, and texts differ
widely in things like format, complexity, tone, and security.

Reasons for Writing Memos, Letters, and Email – Correspondences can document issues and events,
confirm decisions, describe procedures, recommend actions, express feasibility, assign tasks, provide
inquiries, and more.

Using an All-Purpose Template for Memos, Letters, and Email

 Introduction – Introductions should universally be concise and indicative of what the

correspondence is about.
 Discussion – Discussions give more detail about the topic, but it’s best to itemize the writing to
make it more reader-friendly.
 Conclusion – Conclusions should motivate the audience to do what you want them to do.

Essential Components of Memos – Memos need identification and subject lines in addition to the
standard correspondence formula.

Essential Components of Letters

 Writer’s Address – This can be either your home or workplace address. It needs the street
address, city, state or province, and ZIP code.
 Date – Follow either the MM/DD/YY or DD/MM/YY formula. Writing out the name of the month
helps alleviate potential confusion.
 Reader’s Address – Address the person (or job title if the individual’s name is unknown) and
follow the same template used for the writer’s address after that.
 Salutation – Traditionally, you would format this as Dear [name]:
 Letter Body – This is the part that follows the introduction/discussion/conclusion format.
 Complimentary Close – This is the technical phrase for the Sincerely, towards the bottom of the
letter.
 Signed Name – Sign your name below the complimentary close. You may need to leave a blank
space for it if it’s being sent by traditional mail.
  Typed Name – Type your name below the signature.
 Optional Components of Letters
o Subject Line – Subject Lines can help the reader understand what the letter is about so
they have an expectation going in.
o New Page Notations – This isn’t needed for short letters, but it may help to add the
page number, writer’s name, and date to each page.
o Writer’s and Typist’s Initials – If the writer and typist are different people, add the
writer’s initials in capitals, follow that with a colon, and put the typist’s initials in
lowercase.
o Enclosure Notation – If your letter has enclosures, indicate them by sharing how many
there are and what they are.
o Copy Notation – If your letter has multiple recipients with their own copies, put their
names in a line headed by cc:.

Letter Formats – The omission of the complimentary close and salutation make the difference between
the simplified letter and full block letter formats.

Essential Components of Email

 Identify Yourself – The first thing to do when writing an email is to give your name, affiliation,
and/or your title.
 Provide an Effective Subject Line – To alleviate the reader’s fear of malware, make your subject
line informative.
 Keep Your Email Messages Brief – Readers have better things to do than pore through a wall of
text in their inbox, so write accordingly.
 Organize Your Email Message – It’s advisable to follow the same general structure of traditional
correspondence while maintaining the brevity of an ideal email.
 Use Highlighting Techniques Sparingly – Not all email programs have the capability to read
things like varied font colors, so limit highlighting in emails to bullets, white space, and the like.
 Be Careful When Sending Attachments – When sending an email with an attachment, be sure
to let the reader know in the text what that attachment is.
 Practice Netiquette – Be professional and courteous, and don’t use all caps.

Criteria for Different Types of Routine Correspondence

 Inquiry
o Introduction – Always begin an inquiry letter with your intent for writing.
o Discussion – To get what you want from the audience (in this case an institution or
company), quantify exactly what you need, such as models and measurements.
o Conclusion – Clarify when you need your answers and why you need them by then.
 Response
o Introduction – To clarify why you’re writing a response, refer to when you heard from
your audience and state your topic.
o Discussion – Explain your responses to your audience in as organized a manner as
possible.
 o Conclusion – It’s a good idea to include contact information in the conclusion, and to
ensure that the response ends on a cordial note.
 Cover (Transmittal)
o Introduction – Even with extra documentation attached, it’s a good idea to start by
reminding your audience why you’re writing the letter.
o Discussion – Whether you’re telling the reader what’s enclosed or what is valuable
therein, you need to add an itemized list and page numbers.
o Conclusion – Conclude with an expectation of what should happen next and when, as
well as why this is important.
 Complaint Messages
o Introduction – Begin by stating the problem.
o Discussion – Explain anything you can about the product or service to give the audience
as clear a picture as you can.
o Conclusion – Be cooperative and courteous because you’re trying to fix a problem
rather than vent frustration.
 Adjustment Messages
o Buffers to Cushion the Blow – You can agree or disagree with a complaint letter or take
a medial approach, but it’s still good practice to buffer your adjustment with cordiality,
rationale, and a show of appreciation for the feedback.
 Order
o Introduction – Begin an order letter with your reason for ordering, whoever approved it,
the preferred delivery method, and where you learned about the thing(s) you’re
ordering.
o Discussion – Lead your audience into an itemized list followed by specific details about
the items in question.
o Conclusion – Conclude by letting your audience know your method of payment, contact
information, and your deadline for when you need the items.
 Confirmation
o Introduction – Begin with a reminder of what topic is being discussed and why.
o Discussion – Confirmation letters contain details of agreements and must be accessible,
clear, and detailed since they are considered legally binding.
o Conclusion – Conclude with an instruction of what to do next.
 Recommendation
o Introduction – Begin by stating who you are, who the subject person is, and your
relationship with them.
o Discussion – Clarify details about the applicant, such as honors earned, potential
benefits, and job performance.
o Conclusion – Sum up why this person is worthy of consideration for employment,
scholarship, or honor.
 Thank-You Letter – Courtesy and savvy business practice often overlap, so showing gratitude to
any party that does you a favor is smiled upon. This is best accomplished by following the
standard guidelines for letter structure, this time detailing the benefits enjoyed because of the
audience’s actions and decorated with positive language.
Instant Messages

 Benefits of Instant Messages – Instant messages are cheap, efficient, quick, and unintrusive.
 Challenges of Instant Messages – Instant messages are insecure, distracting, and prone to
abuse.
 Techniques for Successful Instant Messages – Instant messages shouldn’t be used for long
correspondence, confidential information, or personal issues.
 IM/TM Corporate Usage Policy – To ensure proper usage of instant messages, the company
needs to codify and enforce a set of rules, including security and appropriate usage measures.

Text Messages

 Reasons for Using TM – Texts are cheap, quick, unintimidating, and effective for multitasking.

The Writing Process at Work

 Prewriting – In order to write something coherent, you need to know what you are writing
about. An effective way to do this is to brainstorm ideas that are directly related to the main
topic and if you’re trying to convey an objective, list concrete steps towards it.
 Writing – Once you have your ideas, you will need to elaborate on them. This is where the
actual work of putting words on paper comes in.
 Rewriting – Once you have a finished draft, it’s necessary to proofread and edit it as necessary
to refine your work and make it presentable in a workplace setting.