Week 4-Week 8

Elements of Communication Letter

Heading- contains the return address such as the sender’s company name, address, phone number, and email address. It is followed by the date at least two lines below.
Inside address- contains the information to which the letter is addressed such as the recipient’s name, company, and address.
Salutation- contains a word or phrase such as “Gentlemen”, “Dear Sir”, “Dear Madam”, or “To whom it may concern” that is used to begin a letter. It normally includes Mrs, Dr, Rev, or other titles and it always ends with a colon.
Body- it contains the letter’s message. A line between paragraphs is usually observed; likewise, the line before it from the salutation and after it to the complimentary closing
Complimentary closing- contains a word or phrase such as “Sincerely”, “Respectfully”, or “Very Sincerely” that is used to close the letter. It begins with a capital letter and ends with a comma.
Signature over printed name- it contains the authentic signature over the sender’s printed full name

Types of Communication Letter

Communication or business letters place a great demand on your ability to formulate and organize a suitable message for your reader. In addition, it can be classified as positive, neutral, or negative depending on the message and anticipated reactions of your audience.

5 Most Common Business Letters

Cover letters
Inquiry letters
Special interests or request letters
Sales letters
Customer relation letters

\ Inquiry in special request letters are examples of neutral letters that carry neither good nor bad news they simply inform responding to routine correspondence.

Cover inquiries and special interest letters, introduce a document, request information about a product or service, place an order, or respond to some special action or question.

Sales letters promoting a product carry positive news according to the companies that spend millions of dollars a year preparing them.

Customer relation letters can be positive, responding favorably to a request or complaint, or negative refusing a request saying no critiquing poor performance, or announcing a product recall as some examples.

Cover letters accompany a document that you send to a reader. It identifies the type of document you are sending and prepares the audience to read it. Cover letters should do the following:

provide a written record that you've transmitted a document,
tell readers why you're sending them the document,
briefly summarize what the document contains,
explain why the document is of interest to the reader,
express a willingness to answer questions about the document,
thank readers for their time.

Inquiry letters ask for information about a product service or procedure. Businesses frequently exchange such letters. As a customer, you too, have the occasion to ask in a letter about a special line of products, the price size color, or delivery arrangements. The clearer your letter, the quicker and more helpful your answers are likely to be. Follow these five rules for effective inquiry letters.

State exactly what information the writer wants.
Indicate clearly why the writer must have the information
Keep questions shortened to the point
Specify when the writer must have the information
Thank the reader.

Special request letters make a special demand, not a routine inquiry because your busy reader is not obligated to respond to your letter the way you present yourself and your request is critical to your success. Why should I help, is a common question any reader might have.

Sales letters are written to persuade readers to buy a product, try service, support a cause or participate in some activity. A sales letter can also serve as a method of introducing yourself. Remember, sales letters aren't just about selling a product. A sales letter follows the same types of information that you would provide in a cover letter in the job application process. Much business correspondence deals explicitly with establishing and maintaining friendly working relations, such correspondence known as customer relation letters sends readers good news or bad news, acceptances or refusals.

Writing Communication Letters: Excuse

Excuse letters are less formal than other formal letters such as the application letter but they are politer and sincerer.

Technicalities in Making an Excuse Letter

An excuse letter can be written on any paper so long as it is decent-looking.
Spacing can also vary but 1.0 to no spacing is preferred.
It is a must to use about a 1" margin on all sides and must be aligned to the left.
It can be written in semi-block or full-block format.
It is also encouraged to use traditional font styles such as Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri. Other font styles can also be used so long as it looks formal and professional.
The font size should be between 10 and 12 points.

\ Steps in Making an Excuse Letter

Write the date (mm/dd/yyyy) or (dd/mm/yyyy)
Write the receiver’s Inside address
Write the salutation
Write the first paragraph of the body. State your name, course, section, and purpose of the letter
Write the second paragraph of the body. Write a detailed explanation of your excuse
Write the third paragraph of the body. Thank the teacher for reading the message and you may provide additional sentences such as asking for consideration, consequences, or favor
Write the complementary and signature block

Electronic Mail: Parts and Writing Protocols

Parts

Recipient’s Address * Internet mail address of the recipient or where the message will be actually sent. * Direct email recipient * Sending multiple recipients: * Cc (Carbon copy). All recipients can see the email addresses of everyone the message was sent to. * Bcc (blind carbon copy). The identities of the other recipients will not be shown.
Subject Line * Description of the topic of the message * First part of email that the recipient will see. * Should be as clear and as specific as possible
Body * Contains the actual text including the salutation * Remember: *  Salutation should be formal and not too familiar. * The body should only include important information, essential details but remain brief and to the point. * If possible, keep the email texts to one or two paragraphs and no paragraph should be more than three for four sentences long.
Closing * Similar to complimentary close in traditional mail/letter * Keep it formal and professional. * Formal: Respectfully, Sincererly, Regards/Best Regards * Formal: Lovingly, Faithfully yours
Signature * It contains the sender’s identity, contact information, and email disclaimer (optional)
Attachments * These are files that are attached to the message. * These are similar to enclosures in traditional mail.

\ The Do’s and Don’ts of Writing Professional Email

DOs

Do pay attention to the subject line. Write a clear, concise subject line that reflects the body of the email.
Do use a proper salutation. Use time-sensitive greetings like ‘Greetings!’
Do know the culture. Not all cultures communicate in the same way. Always consider the cultural identity, beliefs, and practices of your recipient.
Do double-check your attachments. Don’t forget to attach the correct file.
Do reply expediently. Replying within 24 hours is common courtesy. If you leave someone for hanging any longer, politely explain and express your apologies.
Do protect privacy. Before you click “send,” consider what may happen if a business colleague, your competitor, an employer or any unintended recipient reads your email.
Do proofread. Check and recheck for spelling and grammatical errors.

\ DON’Ts

Don’t include humor and sarcasm. Avoid both humor and sarcasm in emails as the recipient may be confused, or worse, offended.
Don’t hit “Reply All”. Avoid using “Reply All” unless everyone needs to know.
Don’t use Emojis. Emoticons may divert emails to a spam filter or junk mailbox, and it can look immature and unprofessional.
Don’t be negative. It’s inappropriate to email negative comments. An email in all uppercase letters connotes anger in an email.
Don’t use an unprofessional email address. Make sure you have an email address that is professional looking. Is it business appropriate?

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