Lesson 13: E-mail and Memo

Topic: 1. E-mail and Memo

Learning Outcomes: At the end of this module, you are expected to:

1. identify the benefits of email as an effective tool for technical communication;

2. share the advantages of knowing the do’s and don’ts in writing emails;
3. write an email message;
4. identify basic purposes of writing memorandum; and
5. recognize parts and basic format of memoranda used in inter-office communication.

LEARNING CONTENT
INTRODUCTION:
Email has been considered as one of the vital means of communication not only in the business environment
but also in other channels that require people to interact virtually. Although there are various of instant messaging
platforms, business still relies heavily on email for sending messages across long distances in a short time. Business
email etiquette encompasses a set of rules indicating effective, proper and polite ways to behave when using the
email as a communication channel.
Iliescu said that recent evolutions in mobile technology have given users an unprecedented degree of mobility
for accessing email, as they can now carry it in their pocket and check it from almost anywhere. The number of mobile
email users is also growing. He stressed that email is and will remain one of the most important communication
channels, particularly in the business environment, where most communication takes place through this channel.

WRITING EFFECTIVE EMAILS

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ENGL 1023 – Advanced Technical Communication | 1

 On the other hand, there are issues, concerns or information that need to be disseminated to a person, a
department or entire staff of a company to make them aware of these issues, concerns or information and motivate
them to take action. A memorandum does that function.
A memo, short for memorandum, is a written communication from one person to another within and
organization. It may be used to convey a request, solve a problem, or provide information. Although a memo is more
informal than an e-mail, much of what you learned about content and tone in e-mail writing can be applied to memos.
A good memo, like an effective business letter, gets its points across clearly and concisely. Let us now study
what a memorandum is.
LESSON PROPER

Lesson 15: Email

Electronic mail, usually called e-mail, is no longer unknown to most students and workers. According to
Guffey, e-mail has replaced print letters for external (outside the company) correspondence as well as has taken
place memos for internal (within the company) communications.
At present, many businesses and companies use automated e-mails to acknowledge communications from
the public or are used as platform to remind associates about periodic reports or payments. Allison Gross and her
co-authors explained that e-mails may be informal in personal contexts, but business communication requires
attention to detail and awareness for this reflects you and your company. They highlighted that e-mail serves as an
avenue for exchange of information.

TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE BUSINESS E-MAILS

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. (by Jacquelyn Smith, 2016)

Include a clear, direct subject line.

1 Examples of a good subject line include "Meeting date changed," "Quick
question about your presentation," or "Suggestions for the proposal."

The subject field is of crucial importance for how the email will be received. Most of the times, it makes the difference
between the recipient reading it or discarding it. The subject of an email has to be brief and clear.
• Always include a brief Subject. Leaving Subject blank can get your email flagged as spam.
• Make sure that the Subject field accurately reflects the content of your email.

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 • Never open an old email, hit reply, and send a message that has nothing to do with the previous one. Your
Subject line must match the message.

Use a professional email address.

2 Use your professional email for official business communication.

If you work for a company, you should use your company email address. But if you use a personal email account--
whether you are self-employed or just like using it occasionally for work-related correspondences--you should be
careful when choosing that address, Pachter says.
You should always have an email address that conveys your name so that the recipient knows exactly who is sending
the email. Never use email addresses (perhaps remnants of your grade-school days) that are not appropriate for use
in the workplace, such as "babygirl@..." or "beerlover@..." -- no matter how much you love a cold brew.

Think twice before hitting Reply All.

3 Refrain from hitting Reply All unless you really think everyone on the list needs
to receive the email.

No one wants to read emails from 20 people that have nothing to do with them. Ignoring the emails can be
difficult, with many people getting notifications of new messages on their smartphones or distracting pop-up messages
on their computer screens. Refrain from hitting Reply All unless you really think everyone on the list needs to receive
the email, Pachter says.
When you select Reply-All, you email back everyone who is either in the “To” or “CC” fields. The benefit of
Reply-All is letting those in the thread know that a certain issue has been addressed.
• Refrain from using the Reply-All feature to give your opinion to those who may not be interested. You need
to carefully think about whether “all” really need to know of your reply to conduct their work.
• In most cases replying to the sender alone is the best course of action.

Include a signature block.

4 Email signature will always be considered imperative for effective
communication.

Provide your reader with some information about you, Pachter suggests. "Generally, this would state your
full name, title, the company name, and your contact information, including a phone number. You also can add a little

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publicity for yourself, but don't go overboard with any sayings or artwork." Use the same font, type size, and color as
the rest of the email, she says. Email signatures are also useful in creating brand recognition of a specific team within
a company. Anytime a team is put together to perform a specific project; they can create a unique brand and use it
when sending emails internally or externally.

Use professional salutations.

5 Email has kept some elements from the structure of letters, including the
salutations and closings.

The most commonly used salutations of semiformal communication are “hello” or “hi”, which are more
common to face to face than it is to written communication. This emphasizes email’s “write as you speak”
characteristic.
Don't use laid-back, colloquial expressions like "Hey you guys," "Yo," or "Hi folks." "The relaxed nature of our
writings should not affect the salutation in an email," she says. "Hey is a very informal salutation and generally it
should not be used in the workplace. And Yo is not okay either. Use Hi or Hello instead." She also advises against
shortening anyone's name. Say "Hi Michael," unless you're certain he prefers to be called "Mike."

Use exclamation points sparingly.

6 Do not overuse exclamation points in your message.

If you choose to use an exclamation point, use only one to convey excitement, Pachter says.
"People sometimes get carried away and put a number of exclamation points at the end of their sentences.
The result can appear too emotional or immature," she writes. "Exclamation points should be used sparingly in
writing."

Be cautious with humor.

7 Something that you think is funny might not be funny to someone else.

Humor can easily get lost in translation without the right tone or facial expressions. In a professional
exchange, it's better to leave humor out of emails unless you know the recipient well. Also, something that you think
is funny might not be funny to someone else.
Pachter says: "Something perceived as funny when spoken may come across very differently when written.
When in doubt, leave it out."

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 People from different cultures speak and write differently.
8 Tailor your message to the receiver's cultural background or how well you know
them.

Miscommunication can easily occur because of cultural differences, especially in the writing form when we
can't see one another's body language. Tailor your message to the receiver's cultural background or how well you
know them.
A good rule to keep in mind, Pachter says, is that high-context cultures (Japanese, Arab, or Chinese) want
to get to know you before doing business with you. Therefore, it may be common for business associates from these
countries to be more personal in their writings. On the other hand, people from low-context cultures (German,
American, or Scandinavian) prefer to get to the point very quickly.

Reply to your emails.

9 A reply isn't necessary but serves as good email etiquette

It's difficult to reply to every email message ever sent to you, but you should try to, Pachter says. This includes
when the email was accidentally sent to you, especially if the sender is expecting a reply. A reply isn't necessary but
serves as good email etiquette, especially if this person works in the same company or industry as you.
Here's an example reply: "I know you're very busy, but I don't think you meant to send this email to me. And
I wanted to let you know so you can send it to the correct person."

Proofread every message.

10 This is not only important because improper spelling, grammar and punctuation
give a bad impression of yourself.

Your mistakes won't go unnoticed by the recipients of your email. "And, depending upon the recipient, you
may be judged for making them," Pachter says.
Don't rely on spell-checkers. Read and reread your email a few times, preferably aloud, before sending it off.
"One supervisor intended to write 'Sorry for the inconvenience,'" Pachter says. "But he relied on his spell-check and
ended up writing 'Sorry for the incontinence.'"

Add the email address last.

11 Add your email address at the end.
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 "You don't want to send an email accidentally before you have finished writing and proofing the message,"
Pachter says. "Even when you are replying to a message, it's a good precaution to delete the recipient's address and
insert it only when you are sure the message is ready to be sent."

Double-check that you’ve selected the correct recipient.

12 Always double check your recipients.

Pachter says to pay careful attention when typing a name from your address book on the email's "To" line. "It's easy
to select the wrong name, which can be embarrassing to you and to the person who receives the email by mistake."

Keep your fonts classic.

13 Business email etiquette advocates the use of a simple, sans serif font. The serif
is a small line attached to the end of a stroke in a letter.

Purple Comic Sans has a time and a place (maybe?), but for business correspondence, keep your fonts,
colors, and sizes classic.
The cardinal rule: Your emails should be easy for other people to read. "Generally, it is best to use 10- or 12-
point type and an easy-to-read font such as Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman," Pachter advises. As for color, black
is the safest choice.

Keep tabs on your phone.

14 Avoid using unequivocally negative words.

Just as jokes get lost in translation, tone is easy to misconstrue without the context you'd get from vocal cues
and facial expressions. Accordingly, it's easy to come off as more abrupt that you might have intended --you meant
"straightforward," they read "angry and curt."
To avoid misunderstandings, Pachter recommends you read your message out loud before hitting send. "If
it sounds harsh to you, it will sound harsh to the reader," she says. For best results, avoid using unequivocally negative
words ("failure," "wrong," "neglected"), and always say "please" and "thank you."

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“In the age of the Internet, you might find yourself clicking "reply," typing up a quick response, and hitting "send"
without giving so much as a thought about what you've just written. But experts agree that your e-mail behavior has
the potential to sabotage your reputation both personally and professionally. Inc.com got in touch with some of the
industry's most seasoned e-mail experts and had them weigh in on how to perfect your e-mail etiquette.”
Read more here: https://www.inc.com/guides/2010/06/email-etiquette.html

KEY POINTS
Most of us spend a significant portion of our day reading and composing
emails. But the messages we send can be confusing to others.

To write effective emails, first ask yourself if you should be using email at
all. Sometimes, it might be better to pick up the phone.

Make your emails concise and to the point. Only send them to the people
who really need to see them, and be clear about what you would like the
recipient to do next.

Remember that your emails are a reflection of your professionalism, values,

and attention to detail. Try to imagine how others might interpret the tone of
your message. Be polite, and always proofread what you have written
before you click "send."

Lesson 16: Memo

Memorandum comes from the Latin word “memorare”, meaning “to remember, to call to mind, to mention, to recount.”
It is a short written communication prepared for one person, a group of people or the entire company, that focuses
on a single topic containing a report or information about a particular issue or concern and recommends or requests
the reader to take action. Therefore, technically, people are to use memorandums to remind others of something.
However, e-mail messages are more often used nowadays for short reminder messages.
Instead, people write memos for any kind of day-to-day exchange of information within an organization. The key,
here, is “within”; memos are intra-organizational.
A memorandum is an interoffice communication. The recipients are either one person, a group or the entire personnel
in a company.

• If a document will circulate only inside an

organization, write a memo.
If a document will (or even may) circulate outside an
organization, write a letter.

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Memos are a lean kind of media. As with every written document, feedback is delayed and only visual cues are used.
In addition, memos may lack personal focus and are rarely confidential. Therefore, memos are best used for routine
information. Routine information is usually neutral information; Senders expect the receivers’ reactions to be neutral.
Everyone receiving the information will react neutrally to that information.
Memorandums are internal documents used to exchange routine information within and organization.

Purpose of a Memo
The purpose of memorandum is to:
• inquire for or give information
• issue instruction or directive
• give suggestion
• request for help
• remind of dates, meetings, events, and tasks.

Types of Memoranda
• Directive memorandum – states a policy or procedure to be followed by employees
• Persuasive memorandum – influences or induces somebody to carry out an action as intended by the
sender.
• Field report memorandum- reports on the inspection, observation or procedure done outside of the office
premises or in the field.
Parts of a Memo
1. The Heading Segment
The heading consists of the following:
• To: the name of the recipient(s) with their job title(s)
• From: the name of the sender and his/her job title
• Date*: current complete date when the memo is sent
• Subject or Re: the topic, matter, or situation that is going to be discussed and acted upon.
* In some memos the date is located in the first line of the heading.
2. The Opening Segment
- States the purpose of the memo
- Identifies the exact reason for writing the memo to make it clear to the reader.

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 3. The Summary Segment
- Provides more details about the topic if necessary.
- Contains important suggestions on the possible ways to act regarding the topic.
4. The Discussion Segment
-Includes all the details needed to support the idea or suggestions presented in the summary segment
-Lists recommendations in dealing with the topic or concern
-Suggests imminent glitches or drawbacks that are forthcoming
-Proposes ways on how to make sure these glitches / drawbacks will not take place
5. The Closing Segment
- Makes a courteous closing statement. No complimentary close nor signature of the sender is necessary.
- States the action the sender wants the recipient(s) to take.
- Indicates the advantages that the recipient(s) can derive from the information obtained from the memo.
6. Necessary Attachment(s)
Some memo may need attachments to provide more detailed information. These attachments can be in form of tables,
charts, lists, or receipts.
Indicates what attachment is included in the memo in the closing segment.

Do’s and Don’ts of Memo Writing

Keep these rules in your head as you’re writing the memo, to be on the safe side.
• Don’t use informal/emotional language: Keep it strictly formal. No slang words or colloquial language.
Even if you’re writing about an employee’s inadequate performance, don’t berate or use sharp words. Be detached
but polite in your criticism.
• Douse bullet points: If you have several issues to cover in the body, break it up using bullet points. This
will keep your memo easy to read and understand quickly.
• Dobe succinct: Don’t include unnecessary details or use tons of adjectives. Ask yourself, “Can I write this
sentence in a clear or direct way?”
• Don’t forget to review: Even if you’re in a hurry, make sure you carefully review and proofread your memo
before sending it. We’ll provide more in-depth guidance for proofreading later in this post.

*** END of LESSON 15-16***

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REFERENCE/S
Online Reference
Writing Effective Emails
https://www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/EmailCommunication.htm

E-mail
https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/technicalwriting/chapter/1-2-e-mail/

15 Email Etiquette Rules Every Professional Should Follow

https://www.inc.com/business-insider/email-etiquette-rules.html

Learning Materials
1. Activity Sheets (teacher-made)

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