LESSON 3

MAKING
INQUIRIES
LET’S ACHIEVE THIS!
Write effective letters of inquiry
Create incident report template
Provide information accurately
DO THESE STATEMENTS APPLY TO YOU?

1. I have effective techniques in seeking for information online.

2. I can easily ask for information from anyone.
3. I can easily start a conversation with other people.
4. I feel that people easily comprehend what I say.
5. I am confident I can write a formal inquiry letter.
6. I avoid writing letters as much as I can.
7. I would rather call people than write them.
DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE?

1. YOU NEED NOT OBSERVE THE

WRITING CONVENTIONS IN
WRITING E-MAILS.
2. ENGLISH IS THE BEST
LANGUAGE FOR INTERVIEWS,
DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE?

3. EMAILS ARE INFORMAL.

4. ABBREVIATIONS ARE
ENCOURAGED IN EMAILS.
YOU PROBABLY TEXTED OR CALLED
PEOPLE TO OBTAIN INFORMATION YOU
NEEDED SEVERAL TIMES…
Find someone who
can provide or who
can help you find
information about
the following:
1. the most popular brand of cellular
phone in class.
2. the most visited site in the city.
3. the number of children born last year.
4. the number of visitors of Baguio city
or your city last year.
5. the place that recorded the coldest
temperature in the Philippines.
 6. the most in demand work abroad.
7. the most expensive course in the university.
8. the ten highest paying jobs in the world.
9. the most popular cuisine in the world
10. five jobs that you can apply for after
finishing your course.

Verify your answers by finding reliable

internet sources or individuals.
INQUIRY
LETTER
An inquiry letter is written when a person needs
more information about products, services,
internships, scholarships, or job vacancies offered
by companies, associations, or individuals. Often,
inquiry letters are sent when a person has specific
questions that are not addressed by the general
information available provided by brochures,
websites, advertisements, classified ads, etc.
An inquiry may also be in the form of telephone
or personal interview.
Depending on the immediacy and specificity
of the need, one of these modes may prove more
responsive to your need.
Both interview and letter require correct and
appropriate language use. Both require
correctness, conciseness, clarity of language,
and courtesy. While letters require correctness
of spelling, punctuations, capitalizations,
indentions, margins, etc., interviews require
clarity of words, correct pronunciation,
intonation and pauses, spontaneity, pleasing
personality, and confidence.
Content and Just like any business letter, letter of inquiry
has the following basic parts:
Organization A. Heading or Letterhead
of Letter of B. Inside address
C. Salutation
Inquiry D. Body of the letter
First Paragraph: It provides a background of your inquiry
such as how, where and when you first learned of the
information. State your purpose in one or two sentences.
Middle Paragraph: This section should specify the
information you are seeking.
Final Paragraph: Express your expectation from your
addressee and thank him in advance for his favorable action.

E.Complimentary close
F.Signature
Format
________________________
________________________
________________________

________________________
The format of an inquiry letter ________________________
follows any of the following ________________________
most commonly used format: ________________________

pure block, semi-block or ________________________:

modified block.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________.

The format block ___________________________________________________________________________

illustrates the ___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________.
basic business
___________________________________________________________________________
letter content _____________________________________________________________________.
using the pure
block format. ________________________,
________________________
Emails More frequently used now inquiry are emails. Emails
gained popularity because of speed and convenience.

Generally, email messages are less formal than letters, although there
are still expectations for appropriate and effective email communication.
The formality is determined by the sender’s familiarity and relationship
to the receiver, the classification and objective of the message to be
sent, and other factors that shape the context of communication. In
academic emails, for example, it is more appropriate to sound formal
and professional. The use of ‘wanna, gonna’, and abbreviations such as
“tnx” and gbu, and emoticons is inappropriate. In other informal
contexts, however, abbreviations and emoticons may be effective. In
academic and other more formal emails, correctness and other qualities
that apply to business letters should be observed.
 1. Be courteous. Courtesy does not
For more effective only mean greeting, thanking, or
email communications using polite expressions. It also
means considering the feelings of the
(and also letters), receiver, thus, the writer needs to
use the appropriate or positive tone.
remember that 2. Keep messages as concise and clear
as possible.
following: 3. Proofread and spellcheck before
sending.
4. Provide a short but descriptive
subject line. The subject line will help
the receiver readily identify the
content type and the urgency of the
message.
5. Although some parts of the email
are optional, it is enabling to know all
the other parts
Below is the list of all the parts of an email. The
style may vary depending on the system you use.
From: Jaylou J. Jose
Sent: 26 May, 9:10AM
To: Aaron C. Jacinto
CC: Maggy J. Jaime
Bcc: Luz D. Cruz
Subject: Scholarship availability inquiry
Attachment: Form 137
Salutation: Dear Mr. Jose
Body of the letter
Closing: Sincerely yours,
Name (email signature)
From: Name of the person sending the email The parts of
Sent: Date and time the emails are
To: Name of person receiving the email explained below:
CC: Other person receiving the email

Bcc: Another person receiving the mail without the other recipient knowing

Subject: Content (title) of the email

Attachment: Document sent separately, not included in the email (but attached)
Salutation: Greeting or opening
The parts of
the emails are
Body of the email: message
explained below:
Closing: ending

Name/signature of the sender: name and title

(Below the name of the sender, the following information

may be included: company address, telephone number, URL
or website address and social media link)
INTERVIEW
is a special type of purposive conversation.
Interviews are classified into different types
according to purpose, but basic to all types of
interviews is to obtain desired information.

Interviews require real time for both the

interviewee and the interviewer.

Whatever your specific purpose is, it is always

advantageous to consider the following tips in
conducting an interview.
BEFORE THE
INTERVIEW
1. Remember that if you are seeking
information from people (e.g. interview
for research), you are asking them a
favor; thus make appointments with
your interviewee at their most
convenient time.

2. Prepare the list of questions.

 DURING THE
INTERVIEW
1. Be punctual.
2. Wear appropriate attire.
3. Observe good manners.
4. Speak clearly and be attentive.
5. If you have follow-up questions,
ask politely. Ask the interviewee
to validate your notes.
6. Allow the interviewee sufficient
time to answer.
 DURING THE
INTERVIEW

7. Rephrase questions to clarify

vague points.
8. Acknowledge answers of the
interviewee to assure him of your
attention.
9. Graciously thank in the
interviewee for his time
Parts of the Interview
The opening includes the initial
contact of the interviewer and
the interviewee. Report should
be established by creating
positive impression. Although
introduction might have been
done during the appointment,
introduce yourself briefly.
Parts of the Interview
The body includes several
questions to achieve your
specific objectives.

The conclusion includes

expressing gratitude and hope
of meeting the interviewee
again in the future.
Achieve the appropriate tone
by revising the message below.

Boss, I missed work yesterday and I

am worried about what I have to
do when I get back. I was too sick
to report for work. Email me the
soft copy of the transactions
yesterday so I could prepare a
report of it. Let me know if there
are other things I missed due to my
absence.
Achieve the appropriate tone
by revising the message below.

Hi Ma’am
How are you doing? Here is my
assignment for yesterday’s class.
I am sending it via email because
I am not certain if I can attend
our class. I’m terribly coughing. If
you don’t see me tomorrow, I am
certainly very sick.
 SECURITY INCIDENT REPORT

Reported by: _________________ Date of Report: ______________

Designation: _________________ Incident No.: ______________
Signature: __________________

INCIDENT INFORMATION
Incident Type: _______________ Date of Incident: _______________
Specific Location: _____________ Time of Incident: ______________
Person/s Involved: ____________________
____________________
____________________

Description of the Incident or Narration of the Incident

________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
____________________
Witness/es (if available) ____________________
____________________
____________________

Police report filed? Yes No

Police Precinct: ____________________

Receiving Police Officer: ___________________
Telephone Number: ____________________