Chapter 5: Media
of Communication
LETTERS, MEMOS
AND REPORTS
Communication
1.Verbal – through words
2.Non Verbal – body language
Communication …
– Communication through words can be in written or oral forms.
– Written communication entails transmission of message in black
and white.
– It mainly consists of diagrams, pictures, graphs, etc. Reports,
policies, rules, orders, instructions, agreements, etc have to be
conveyed in written form for proper functioning of an organization.
Witten comm …
– Written communication guarantees that everyone concerned has
the same information.
– It provides a long-lasting record of communication for future.
– Written instructions are essential when the action called for is
crucial and complex.
– To be effective, written communication should be
understandable, brief, truthful and comprehensive.
common written communication methods-
– letters, memos, and reports.
– Most letters and memos are relatively brief documents, generally one
or more pages.
– Memos, the ''workhorses'' of business communication are used for the
routine, day-to-day exchange of information within an organization.
– Letters, which go to outsiders, perform important public relations
functions in addition to conveying a particular message.
Business letter
– One of the most important verbal communication
method.
– Serves as an ambassador for the organization in
any correspondence with its stakeholders.
– Therefore, it should be written with great care
taking in to account several factors.
– A business letter is a formal way of communication
between two or more parties in writing.
– It can be informational, persuasive, motivational, or
promotional.
– Most important consideration before writing a
business letter is to identify a specific audience to
whom it is written and defining the objective clearly
and in a concise manner.
A good business letter
– should be communicative
– Use positive opening statements
– should be accurate, thorough, concise, clear, and
prompt
– should have a standard part and supplemental
parts
The Letter Format
– You will use the following nine elements of letters in almost all letter
styles.
– 1 .Heading/Return address/Sender’s address
– Important because envelopes are often separated from letters.
– The return address on the letter serves as a necessary reference for the
recipient.
– It doesn't include the name of the sender because it appears at the end of
the letter.
2. Date
– The date line is used to indicate the date the letter was written.
– It serves as an important tracking device for a letter.
– Both senders and recipients use the date to identify a particular piece of
correspondence.
– It indicates the date, the month and year in which the letter is written; for
example, March 9, 2020.
–
3. inside Address
– This part carries the postal telephone, fax etc addresses of the
receiver of the business letter.
– It serves as a future reference.
– The sender should also include his or her title in the inside
address.
4. Salutation
– Simple expression of greeting and appears beneath the inside address.
– Example, Dear sir, Dear Alemu, and Dear Manager etc are the common
salutation.
– Traditionally, the salutation includes the word Dear with the receiver’s
name following.
5. Subject line
– Title for the message of the letter.
– It has two major advantages.
– First, it readily identifies to someone the nature of the correspondence. People
may not have to waste time reading the document, because the subject line
identifies who should receive the letter.
– Second, it provides key words that will help the recipient get to the core of the
message quickly.
– 6. Body of the letter
– The body of the letter begins one space below the
message heading. It carries the actual message
you are sending.
7. Complimentary Close
– This serves as polite, "Complimentary" transition from the end of the message to your
personal signature. Common phrases used as complimentary closes include the following:
Sincerely, Yours truly,
Sincerely yours, Yours very truly,
Cordially, With best wishes,
Cordially yours, With best regards.
–
8. Signature, Name and official Title
– When presenting a name at the end of the letter,
you generally do not include the sender's title
(such as Mr., Mrs., Dr...).
– However, the person sending the letter includes
his or her official job title.
– Supplementary Parts of Business letters
– Several pieces of reference information may appear at
the bottom of a letter.
– They begin a double space below the official title of the
sender.
– For all letter styles, they appear at the left margin. This
includes:
1. Reference initials
– If you compose and dictate a letter and someone
else prepares the printed copy, both individuals'
initials should appear at the bottom of the letter.
– The initials of the person who composed the letter
appear all in capital letters followed by a colon or
slash and then the repairer's initials in small letters.
2. Enclosure Notations
– If you have enclosed any document along with the letter, such as a resume,
you should indicate it simply by typing Enclosures one line below the closing.
– As an option, you may list the name of each document you are including in
the envelope.
– For instance, if you have included many documents and need to ensure that
the recipient is aware of each document, it may be a good idea to list the
names.
– These are standard notations which refer to the
attachment of important materials that are
needed by the receiver with the original letter.
– We use one of the following notations:
– Encl: single page/material to be enclosed
– Encls: more than one page materials to be enclosed
3. Copy Notations
– If you send a copy of the letter to others, note that the person or group of
individuals should be indicated in the reference information section of the
letter.
– CC-carbon copy, PC photographic copy and BCC-blind carbon copy are
standard abbreviations which refer to copies of the letter which make the
referents become aware of what the letter communicates.
4. Postscript
– It is an additional message, sometimes an entire paragraph,
which writers add at the bottom of the page.
– we can use this tool to send along another message to your
reader and emphasize the main message in some way.
Styles of Business letters
1. Block Format
– When writing business letters, you must pay special attention to the
format and font used.
– The most common layout of a business letter is known as block
format.
– In this format, the entire letter is left justified and single spaced
except for a double space between paragraphs.
Style …
2. Modified Block
– Another widely utilized format
– The body of the letter is left justified and single-spaced.
– However, for the date and closing, tab to the center point
and begin to type.
Style …
3. Semi-Block
– Least used style is semi-block.
– It is much like the modified block style except that each paragraph is
indented instead of left justified.
– Keep in mind that different organizations have different format
requirements for their professional communication.
Style ….
Font
– Another important factor in the readability of a letter is the font.
– The generally accepted font is Times New Roman, size 12, although other fonts
such as Arial may be used.
– When choosing a font, always consider your audience.
– If you are writing to a conservative company, you shall use Times New Roman.
– However, if you are writing to a more liberal company, you have a little more
freedom when choosing fonts.
Style ….
Punctuation
– Punctuation after the salutation and closing - use a colon (:) after the
salutation (never a comma) and a comma (,) after the closing. In
some circumstances, you may also use a less common format, known
as open punctuation.
– For this style, punctuation is excluded after the salutation and the
closing.
Memos
– Are documents most often exchanged
among people within organizations.
– However, sometimes you may send memos
to individuals in other branches of your
company.
Memos …
– People within organizations primarily and
regularly communicate by writing memos.
– Memos let others in the company know what is
going on to keep business running smoothly.
– As with letters, people use memos for three
communication purposes:
Memos …
– To inform others: You will use memos to inform people about meetings, to report
the status of various projects in which you and others are involved, to inform about
company policies and procedures as well as personal matters.
– To deliver bad news: For example, you may need to notify an employee of a transfer
to another department, deny an employee a promotion, or dismiss an employee.
– To persuade other: You may write memos to persuade some one;
Formats of memos
Memos have different layouts, and different companies have their own styles and sometimes-
specific forms.
– Most memos include the following elements:
1. Title:
The word memorandum or memo is usually centered at the top
of the page or placed at the left margin.
2. ''To'' and ''From'' lines : Memo always includes line using the words
to and from to quickly show who the addressee and sender are.
Titled are not used, as the parties usually know one another and
because this in-house communication is not formal,
3. Date:- Dates are important for filing and tracking chronology.
4. Subject line :- This concisely summarizes the contents of the memo
– Style and tone of letters / memos are governed by the relationship
between the writer & the reader.
– The options range from forceful to passive, from personal to impersonal,
and from colorful to blak.
– A memo's format is different from that of a letter.
– The body of a memo, especially a longer one, often includes headings
and lists to call attention to important points and make the information
convenient to readers.
– Introduction and transitions may be given less attention in a memo than
in a letter, because the writer and reader share a common frame of
Report Writing
Assignment: Reading Assignment for presentation
1. Define what a business Report is
2. Identify and discuss parts of formal Report
