ENGL210: Technical Writing

2a. Characterize communication types according to their suitability for particular communication needs

• When is it most appropriate to send a memo?
• When is it most appropriate to send an email?

Employees send memos to communicate brief, internal messages to a large audience, such as to announce a meeting, organizational change, policy or procedural update, or other important information. Organizational leaders may send an official memo to quell a rumor or other wide-scale speculation before misunderstandings arise.

We send emails for internal and external communication. Emails can be brief or lengthy and are quite malleable for most purposes. Emails are useful tools for messages that are longer than a memo and to conduct business outside the organization. Many businesses send automated emails for regular communication, such as to disseminate monthly reports. Many companies have synchronous chat networks so colleagues can exchange information quickly and easily, especially among small groups and teams.

Ask the following questions to determine if an email is appropriate:

• Is your message long, emotionally-charged, or does it contain highly-confidential information? If so, it may be more appropriate to communicate via a letter, a phone call, or a face-to-face meeting.
• How many emails does the recipient receive each day and what will make them read (or delete) your message?
• Will your recipient deem your email message important, an annoyance, or a waste of time?
• Does the formality and style of your writing fit the expectations of your audience?
• How will your message appear when it reaches the receiver? Is it easy-to-read? Have you used correct grammar and punctuation?
• Did you divide your thoughts into discrete paragraphs and highlight important items, such as due dates, in the text?
• Did you provide enough context for your audience to easily understand and follow the thread of your message?
• Did you identify yourself and make it easy for the reader to respond appropriately?
• Will the receiver be able to open and read any attachments?

To review, see Memorandums and Letters, Text, E-mail, and Netiquette, and Questions to Ask Yourself Before Sending an Email Message.

 

2b. Compose and format emails and memos

• How are memos organized and formatted?
• How are emails organized and formatted?

Memos must be easy-to-read. Most are formatted using a standard block-style (paragraphs are not indented) with a fairly simple organizational structure.

• The title at the top is simply MEMO.
• The heading is justified on the left margin and includes separate lines for:
  • To:
  • From:
  • Date:
  • Subject:
• The subject line should succinctly reflect the content and purpose of the memo.
• The message should include an introduction, body, and closing.
• The introduction is a brief statement that explains why you are writing the memo and the main point of your message. It expands on the subject line.
• The body elaborates with details and an explanation of the problem and solution. It lists the recommendations for action that need to be followed or taken.
• The closing focuses on results, next steps, how to respond, and other future actions.

Once you decide to send an email and have considered your audience, you are ready to write your message. The format resembles a memo: you need to fill in the "To" and "Subject" lines, but the "From" and "Date" are entered automatically. Enter the email address of your reader in the "To" line, but remember to include a greeting in the body of the message, such as "Dear Professor", and a sign-off, such as "Sincerely". The subject line should convey the main point of your email in a few words so recipients can quickly grasp the topic of your message in their inbox. Avoid ambiguous one-worded subject lines, like "Hi".

Use the cc: (carbon copy) line to send the same message to several recipients. Note that every recipient will see the email address of every other recipient when they open your message.

This list can be long if you have many recipients (forcing them to scroll down to your message), and many recipients prefer to remain anonymous for privacy reasons. However, you may have valid reasons for wanting everyone to see this information. Perhaps, you want to alert the recipient to the others who are reading the message (such as a supervisor) or you may want all of the recipients to have the email addresses of the others on the list.

It is usually a common courtesy to put your email recipients in the bc: (blind copy) line when you are sending an email to a large group of people. Most recipients do not wish or need to see the email addresses of the other recipients.

Email organization is the same as for a memo, with an introduction, body, and closing.

• The introduction is a brief statement that explains why you are writing the memo and the main point of your message. It expands on the subject line.
• The body elaborates on the details, problem, and solution. It lists the recommendations for action that need to be followed or taken.
• The closing focuses on results, next steps, how to respond, or any other future action.

Review the block-style in Creating a Block-Style Business Memo, memo organization in Memo Tutorial and Sample Memos, emails in Effective E-mail Communication.

 

2c. Apply best practices for both emails and memos

• Name some best practices to follow when writing a memo.
• Name some best practices to follow when writing an email.

Memo best practices are:

• Keep your subject line clear, brief, and specific. 
• Surround your message with white space to make them easier to read.
• Use block paragraphs, keep them short, and include a line space between them.
• Use bulleted lists to convey information more succinctly.
• Avoid using emotional language.
• Avoid using vague words: be concise and specific in your word choice.
• Try to convey only one topic per memo.
• Pre-write, draft, proofread, and revise your memo before you send it.

Email best practices are:

• Keep the subject line clear, brief, and specific.
• Use proper salutations to avoid confusion among recipients.
• Be succinct.
• Divide your message into short paragraphs, separated by a line space.
• Avoid using all caps which are difficult to read and are received as shouting.
• Avoid using text message abbreviations, such as LOL or U.
• Pre-write, draft, proofread, and revise your email before you send it.
• Consider drafting and revising emails in a separate document to make sure you do not send an unfinished draft by mistake (especially those that include sensitive or controversial information).
• Test any links you include before you send them to make sure they work and ensure you are sending the proper version of any draft materials.
• Let your recipient know if you are sending a large file so they can notify you if it does not transfer.
• Reply to email messages promptly, usually within 24-hours.
• Never reply in anger. Wait to respond. Close the message and reread it again later: it is easy to make improper assumptions when reading emails out of context. 
• Use "Reply All" sparingly.
• Close with a signature.

To review, see Basic Memo, Effective E-mail Communication, and Text, Email, and Netiquette.

 

2d. Recognize some ethical dilemmas posed by electronic communication

• Define personal data and encryption.
• What steps should you take to protect privacy when communicating by email?
• Define confidentiality and explain why it is an ethical concern.
• Define electronic record-keeping and explain why it is important.

Since emails can contain a lot of personal data, you should take steps to protect your privacy and that of your email recipients. For example, you might use encryption software, or an email server that encrypts your email between your computer and the server, to prevent your personal data from being distributed to the general public. However, the server (and government agencies) can access your data without your knowledge via the server's encryption key. To combat this, Andy Yen recommends you create your own encryption keys, so you own the data and access to the content.

Your employer may require you to sign a confidentiality agreement, in addition to following their code of conduct or ethics. Confidentiality is a safeguard that protects you and your employer from betraying the trust of your readers, clients, colleagues, and supervisors. For example, confidential messages could include proprietary knowledge your organization owns, the financial data of a client, or your own medical or personnel records.

You are ethically and contractually obligated to protect this data when you create internal reports and external promotional materials. For ethical reasons, during written and oral presentations, you should relay all information (positive and negative) to present an accurate picture of the subject. You should never intentionally mislead your audience, even if the purpose is to persuade them to buy a product, or support a policy or procedure change.

Keeping accurate records will help protect you and your organization against questions about confidentiality and other ethical breaches. The rules and regulations vary by industry and individual company policies. For example, many private and public offices have certain legal requirements for electronic record keeping. This "paper trail" can protect your interests and document customer service issues.

To review, see Think Your Email's Private? Think Again, Ethics, Plagiarism, and Reliable Sources, and Electronic Record-keeping.

 

Unit 2 Vocabulary

• Block-style (memos)
• CC and BCC
• Confidentiality agreement
• Electronic record-keeping
• Email
• Encryption
• Memo
• Personal data
• Subject Line