DISCUSIÓN

Louis Robinson Senior Project Manager, Development LR/at

Simplified Format: Omit the salutation in this format. The subject line is three

lines below the inside address. The body begins three lines below the inside address or subject line. The complimentary close is omitted here. The com- pany signature is five lines below the body of the letter.

344 Liverman Avenue Worthington, OH 43085 October 14, 2007

Elsie Windyn

Windyn and Messer Consultants 3204 Portsmouth Avenue, Suite 54 Cincinnati, OH 45208

RE: Cincinnati interview report

Here is a report on the interviews we have been conducting in the greater Cincinnati metropolitan area. This week we’ve been able to put a lot of inter- viewers on this project, and still we are finding it very hard to reach people who send their children to private school.

Currently, we have interviewed 73 people who send their children to public school and 28 people who send their children to private school. Our hit rate right now is .33, so it is taking us three hours to complete one survey. Any ideas on how to proceed?

Additionally, we have nearly exhausted our second list. We’ve dialed through 12,000 numbers at least five times. We are definitely not going to make our dead- line of sending you the private/public school interview data by November 11. Let me know your thoughts.

Jackie Sellers

Project Manager, Results Research, Inc. JY/dt



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The arrangement of all the parts of your business letter is just as important as the format itself. Most businesspeople are accustomed to seeing information in certain areas of a typ- ical letter, so your letter will read much better if you use a common form.

There can be up to 16 key parts of a letter, including the letterhead. And, although you probably won’t use all of them in every letter you write, their correct placement is essential in making your document look professional:

Letterhead (See “Paper and Envelopes” for more information.): This is com-

pany or personal stationery.

Date: This is the date on which the letter was written, not when it was typed

or sent. The date is at the top of the page, at least two lines below the letter- head symbol or sender’s address.

Inside Address: Your reader’s name and address appear just as they do on the

envelope. This should be flush left, and at least two lines below the date. If you don’t know the reader’s name, use his or her professional title:

Director of Marketing K-2 Products Corporation 8518 North Peak Boulevard Kennebunkport, ME 04046

Dear Sir or Madam:

Attention Line: This is only used when your letter is addressed to a company

as a whole, but you want someone specific to handle it. It should be flush left in the inside address, and can be either above the inside address, or immediately following the company’s name. Job title is not included:

Attention Ben Dickinson Dover Institute

140 Northwind Avenue Seattle, WA 98101 Ladies and Gentlemen:

Salutation (See “Salutations and Closings” for further information.): This is

The salutation should be flush left and placed two lines below the inside address.

Subject Line: The subject line consists of a few words that briefly describe

the content of your letter. It is not absolutely necessary to include it; in fact, it is often omitted in current business writing. But, it does serve as a courtesy to the reader. And, it is also a useful reference for you if you need to find it quickly.

As an option, you can omit Re: and simply use capital letters:

Body: This is the actual message of your letter. It begins two lines below the

salutation or subject line. Place the paragraphs flush left, or indent them (depending on format), and use single-spacing.

Closing: This is where you sign off on your letter. It is sometimes referred to

as a complimentary close because is it designed to close the letter in a polite, professional manner. Typical closings include Sincerely, Very respectfully, and Best regards. The degree of formality you should use depends on the status of your reader (see “Salutations and Closings”).

Signature (Company and Signer) Line: This is the name and job title of the

person writing the letter. It should only be used when you are writing on behalf of the company.

Reference Initials: This references anyone involved in the preparation of the

letter. There can be up to three different sets of initials: those of the person signing the letter, followed by the dictator’s, if different, and then those of the typist. Reference initials are not as widely used as they once were; but, if you do use them, use all capital letters for the signer and/or dictator, and lowercase letters for the typist:

Enclosure: This indicates that you have included additional paperwork in your

correspondence. You can use the word enclosure. It is placed two lines beneath the reference initials. By adding an enclosure line, you are not only providing a courtesy to your reader, but you are ensuring that the extra infor- mation you are sending does not get overlooked:

HLK:DAK/co

AUTOMATED PROCESSING PROJECT Re: Automated Processing Project Dear Dr. Ammerman:

File Name Notation: This references a file name, and is placed two lines

beneath the last notation. You do not need to include the word Reference in this information:

Delivery Notation: This is used when your document requires special han-

dling. It is placed two lines below the last notation:

Carbon Copy (cc) Line: This line tells your reader who else is being sent a

copy of your letter. You can preface the information with either cc or with the word distribution, if the letter is being sent to more than three or four readers. It is placed flush left and is two lines below the last notation:

Postscript: Written as P.S. at the very bottom (flush left) of your letter. It is

placed two lines below the last notation. The postscript is simply extra infor- mation that is unrelated to the main information in your letter. It should be only one brief sentence and should be followed by the sender’s initials:

Continuation Page: This is any page after the first page of a document. What-

ever you do, do not put the word continued on the first page—your reader will deduce that fact when they turn to page two. Information included in this portion is as follows: the addressee’s name, the date, and the page number. You should put this information at the top left corner of each page, flush left:

Cade Benjamin December 12, 2007 Page 2

P.S. Let’s get together early next week to discuss the JD Enterprises merger—I’ve enclosed a list of great restaurants here in San Francisco for your perusal! DWT

cc: Dave Gravrock, Electronic Data Systems Barry Brown, Dataport Corporation Bruce Crile, Owens Illinois Glass Company By United Parcel Service

whittlesey.doc Enclosure



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Blessed is the man, who having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact.

— GE O R G E EL I O T

A memorandum (or memo) is just the place to abstain from wordiness! Its sole purpose is to serve as a short, informal, written business communication—to briefly outline a partic- ular situation, transaction, or agreement. It also helps you keep track of your business deal- ings by providing a paper trail. And, although paper memos (hard copies) have become practically obsolete in the age of advanced technology, electronic memos are widely used. They still serve the same purpose: They are used for policy statements, informal reports, company announcements, or directives.

Memos have long been referred to as in-house correspondence because they are usually informal documents sent between employees who work within the same company. But, memos today are now also sent between associates, both in and out of your company. Just remember this: Wherever your memo is sent, or however informal it is, you still need to follow standard business writing guidelines.

Just as with any other form of correspondence, you should think about what you want to write before writing it—and always remember your audience. You should also watch your spelling and grammar (use those spell-check and grammar check options in your computer system if you have them, but also remember to proofread it yourself because they don’t always catch everything), and be mindful of your tone. And, never forget that you are at work— always maintain professionalism.

A memo can be sent to just one person, or it can be distributed to a very large number of people, depending on who needs to read it. So, measure your level of familiarity in your writing by the relationship between you and your reader. Be personable, yet not presump- tuous—and, as always, be careful with your words. Above all else, be clear!