LETTER & MEMO

Memo or Memorandum

Memo

The plural of Latin word memorandum is memoranda. Most people use the words “memo” or “memos”

A memo is a message written for communicating with others within organization.

Memorandums are used for many purposes; to convey information from one department to another, to report on various business transactions, to communicate between branches or for records and reference.

Memo format

The format or layout of a memo might vary a little from company to company.

There are 2 memo formats which are standard and simplified. Standard memo is usually keyed on a

form with printed template headings of TO, FROM, DATE, and SUBJECT

Simplified memo is omitted the headings (TO, FROM, DATE, and SUBJECT)

I. Standard Memo

TO: Jane Smith, Holly Marshall, Joe DiMaggio, Adrian Monk

FROM: Patrick Starr, Human Resources Director

RE: Company Holidays

DATE: July 12

The Acme Corporation will be closed on the following official holidays. Full time employees who have been with

the company for six months or more will receive a full day's pay on a holiday. Full time employees who have

worked less than six months, part time employees and interns are not eligible for paid holidays. Please make

sure you change your voice mail message to announce that the office is closed and make any arrangements for

emergency projects to be covered while you are enjoying your holiday.

Official Acme Company Holidays

January 1 New Year's Day

February 12 President's Day

May 30 Memorial Day

July 4 Independence Day

September 1 Labor Day

November 24 Thanksgiving Day

December 25 Christmas Day

Business Letter

Business Letter

Business letter are letters written to people in business organizations for various purposes; therefore, there are many types used in business communication. For example: Inquiry letter, order letter, complaint letter, etc.

Business Letter Parts

Letterhead Date Attention line* Inside address Subject line* Salutation Body of the letter Complimentary closing Signature Reference initials Enclosure notation* Copy notation*

Letterhead

It should include:1. Who – the name of the company. American firms usually use “Inc.” (Incorporated)

while British firms use “Ltd.” (Limited)1. Where – a complete address of the firm

including telephone, fax numbers, and e-mail address

2. What – words indicating the nature of business (if it’s not clear from the firm’s name)

It also can contain trademark, slogan, locations of branch offices, etc.

Letterhead

Example:

Acme Explosives, Inc. 100-B Dry Gulch Alley Lonesome Coyote AZ 85789 (602) 555-5555

Date

It is typed three or four lines below the last line of the letterhead where it balances the letterhead.

Always type out the full name of the month (do not use numerals to indicate a month) to avoid confusion in international correspondence

Recommend to use either of these commonly used styles: American style: September 4, 2008 Military style: 4 September 2008 British style: 4th September, 2008

Attention Line* (Optional)

If used, the notation “Personal” or “Confidential” is placed two or three lines below the dateline.

Inside address

It identifies the name(s) of the person(s), and the name and address of the company or organization to whom the letter is addressed.

But if you don’t know the name of the person, address your letter title of his/her position rather than to the company name alone

Place the courtesy title or professional title in front of the name, if you write to an individual Courtesy title: Mr., Mrs., Miss (Use Ms.

When you don’t know the woman’s marital status)

Professional title: Dr., Professor, etc.

Inside address

A person’s title of position in an organization (business or executive title) may be used after his/her name Example:

Mrs. Karen Maxwell, DirectorConsumer Services DivisionABC Company000 West 12th StreetToronto, Ont. 000 000

Subject or reference line* (Optional) It is often underlined and it is placed

below the inside address.

It is used when you want to include or refer to a file or reference number (e.g. of an order, the name of special project or a certain date) in a letter Examples:

Subject: Holiday Schedule for 2009Ref: Your order No.2338ARe: Insurance Policy No. 12134AbC

Salutation

Should use the person’s name (if possible) and always make sure that spelling is correct.

American style – it usually followed by a colon(:) while the comma(,) is commonly used for personal letters of condolence and sympathy.

British style – comma(,) is always used after the salutation

Lists of salutations (to a man and a woman):

ManSir:Dear Sir:Dear Mr. Brown: (last

name)Dear Bobby,

WomanMadam:Dear Madam:Dear Mrs. Brown:Dear Kathy,

For more than 1 man, American frequently uses “Gentlemen:” while British uses “Dear Sirs,”

For more than 1 woman, American frequently uses “Ladies:” while British uses “Mesdames,”

Most formal

Least formal

Body of the letter

It is the main part of business letter.

It is usually single-spaced and has double spacing between paragraphs and before complimentary closing.

Complimentary Closing

The complimentary closing ends the letter.

It is typed two lines below the last line of the body of the letter.

Only the first letter of the first word of the closing is capitalized.

A comma(,) follows the closing.

List of complimentary closing: Formal closing:

Yours truly, Respectfully yours, Yours faithfully,

Less formal closing:Sincerely, Sincerely yours, Yours sincerely, Cordially, Yours cordially, Cordially yours,

Personal closing:Regards, Personal regards, Kindest regards,

Signature line (signature bloc) The name of the person who signs the

letter is typed 3 or 4 lines below the complimentary closing.

Normally, you can include your 5 separate identifications in this part: Signature Type-written name Business title Department Company name

Signature line (signature bloc) Examples:

Sincerely,(Signature)Joseph L. CottonDirector, Marketing Services

Yours truly,(Signature)Marion Nicholson, ManagerCustomer Services DepartmentProcter & Gamble Manufacturing (Thailand)

Complimentary closing

Type-written name

Business title, Department

Complimentary closing

Type-written name, Business title

Department

Company name

Reference initials* (optional) Your initials as dictator(writer) of the message

(capital letter) and those of your typist (lowercase letter)

It usually appears at the left margin on the same line as signature bloc or 2 spaces below that.

However, you don’t need to type this part in the letter if you type the letter yourself.

Example: PY:scWriter’s name = Piyanuch Yindeesook

Typist’s name = Sunny Chawala

Enclosure notation* (optional) It is typed directly below the reference

initials.

It indicates that something has been enclosed with the letter (for examples, a resume, a brochure, a report, or a photograph)

The word “enclosure” or “enclosures” is often abbreviated as Enc. or Encls.Examples:

Enc.: 1 resumeEncls.: 3 brochures

Copy (Carbon-Copy) notation* (Optional) It is typed directly below the enclosure

notation or reference initials.

It indicates that a copy (abbreviated as cc:) of the letter has been sent to the person who has been named. Example:

cc: Marry Andersoncc: Kelly Clarkson

3 Business Letter Formats 1. Block-style format: All lines are typed

against the left hand margin

2. Modified block-style format: The dateline and the complimentary closing are typed slightly to the right page center

3. Semiblock-style format (Indented letter format): The paragraphs are indented five spaces from the left of the margin. The dateline and complimentary closing are slightly to the right of the page center

I. Block-style format

All line type against left hand margin

II. Modified block-style format

dateline and complimentary closing are typed slightly to the right page center

Other line type against left hand margin except dateline and complimentary closing

III. Semiblock-style format

Paragraphs are indented five spaces from the left of the margin

The dateline and complimentary closing are slightly to the right of the page center