2. HOW DO YOU
WRITE
SIMPLE
WORK
DOCUMENTS
A work document is a piece of
information that one can use for
communicating information.
In most cases it is a paper, that
contains information in the form
of a hard copy.
But nowadays documents can be
digital as well.
3. ARE LETTERS A
DYING ART?
There are times when writing a letter is the
appropriate thing to do and its good to know when
and how to write one.
4. EASY STEPS
WHEN
WRITING A
BUSINESS
DOCUMENT
Identify Your Audience – get as much information
on your subject.
Identify the Document's Purpose – what's the
document about why should I read it?
Re-Read Your Business Document Before Sending.
Make Sure your Business Document Appears
Professional.
5. PLANNING THE
LETTER
Choose right paper
Know the format.
Font such as Arial or Times New
Roman.
Block paragraphing.
(This means that you start a
new paragraph by hitting "return"
twice).
Use one-inch margins on all sides.
Company Logo and letterhead
7. COMPOSING THE
BODY
YOUR LETTER MUST BE:
Heading – must contain the subject
of the letter.
Brief and professional, getting
straight to the point,
in the first paragraph.
Start with "I am writing to you
regarding“.
Be persuasive in your letter.
Make your case.
8. WRITE CLEARLY
AND CONCISELY.
Let your reader know exactly what you
are trying to say.
Explain your position in as few words as
possible
Keep the tone businesslike, but be
friendly and helpful.
Use your judgement when determining
how much personality to reveal.
Stay away from slang such as "you
know,
" "I mean," or "wanna.“
9. BE COURTEOUS
Even if you are writing with a complaint
or concern, you can be courteous.
For example, a discourteous complaint
might read: “I think your sunglasses
suck and I am never buying them
again.”
A courteous complaint might read:
“I am disappointed with the construction
of your sunglasses, and I plan to take my
business elsewhere in the future.”
10. SECOND PAGES
One page in length only.
But if you have something lengthier, such as a
contract or legal findings, you may need
additional pages.
Or have a separate document as Enclosure.
Use page numbers on second page.
11. LAST
PARAGRAPH
– WRAP THE
LETTER UP
In the last paragraph, summarize your points and clearly
outline either your planned course of action or what you
expect from the recipient.
The closing:
Use "Yours sincerely" when you know the person you are
addressing, i.e. Mr. Smith.
Use "Yours faithfully" when you are starting your letter with
Dear Sir/Madam, or a similar construction.
Slightly less formal but still professional closings include
"All the best,” “Best wishes," "Warm regards," and "Thank
you." Use a comma after your closing.
12. ENDING THE
LETTER
Choose a salutation.
Consider the following options:
Use "To Whom It May Concern" only if you don't know
who, you are writing to.
"Dear Sir/Madam" if you do not know the person.
You may also use the recipient's title and last name,
e.g. "Dear Dr Smith."
If you know the person well you can address,
e.g. "Dear Susan."
If you are unsure of the persons gender,
just type the whole name, e.g. "Dear Chris Smith."
13. EDIT THE LETTER.
Run spell check, then read thorough before you send
it.
Ask yourself whether the letter is clear and
concise. Are any paragraphs more than three or
four sentences long? If so, determine whether
you can eliminate unnecessary statements.
If the letter is extremely important, get a
colleague
to check Sometimes a second pair of eyes can help
you catch errors or awkward wording you may not
have noticed.
14. SIGN THE LETTER.
Leave about four lines empty for your
signature.
Sign the letter after you've printed it, black
ink is preferred. or, if you're sending it via
email, scan an image of your signature.
If you are signing the letter on someone’s
behalf, write “pp:” before your signature.
This stands for “per procuration,” which
means “on behalf of.”
Include your typed name and position held at
work place.
15. ACTIVITY
(Due to
delivery on
blackboard
please email
me these
letters)
Instructions
Write a letter to a local Disability Centre complaining about the lack of reliable transport
to and from the social centre for your client and the disappointment when he/she misses
their weekly social outing. Explain their disappointment and ask them to please improve
their transport service and make sure that the missed transport days are not coming off
your clients funding. Address this letter to the Manager of the Disability Centre.
As the students are writing the letter, write the following words on the board:
HEADING
GREETING
BODY
CLOSING
SIGNATURE
POSTSCRIPT (an extra piece of information like P.S)
When all students have finished writing their letter, place them in pairs.
Have the pairs exchange the letters that they wrote to the factory.
Now have the students identify the parts of a letter in their partner's letter by underlining
the elements according to the colour designations written on the board.
Once the pairs have finished identifying the parts of a letter with the appropriate colours,
have students rework their letters to include any elements that were missing.
16. HOW TO FOLD A LETTER CORRECTLY
(class activity)
(Due to online delivery please all try
using and A4 piece of paper)
ACTIVITY EVERYONE FOLD THE PIECE OF A FOUR PAPER
PROVIDED
Clean and dry hands
To fold the letter correctly, you must take the bottom
1/3 of the letter and fold it upwards towards the
letterhead - it should be folded about halfway to the
top. Then crease the fold.
Next you fold the top down and crease that fold also.
Place your fingers on the flap side and slip into the
envelope.
This is done so that when the recipient of the letter
removes the letter from the envelope the first flap to be
opened will show the letterhead.
17. POST THE
LETTER.
Posting a letter - Use a business
envelope with company logo.
Neatly print your return address
and the recipient's address. (If your hand
writing is shocking type the envelope)
Make sure you affix sufficient postage, and
place stamp on right hand side of
envelope.
If the letter is extremely important and/or
time-sensitive, consider having it
delivered by courier.
18. HOW DO YOU WRITE
AN E MAIL
(show on board)
Use separate business and personal email addresses
Many jobs automatically give you an email address that you
have to use. If that’s the case, then the problem is solved.
Use the business email address for work makes
it more professional and your personal
email address for personal emails.
Also, if you have separate accounts, it can
help you balance your personal and
professional life.
BCC – means blind copy – means that the people
you put in this section the other
recipients will not see who you have sent it too.
19. NEVER WRITE EMAILS WHEN YOU’RE ANGRY
(In fact anything when you angry)
If you’re angry, wait until you’ve calmed down before writing
your email.
Avoid forwarding emails and replying to all- if you need to
forward an email, check carefully what information you’re
forwarding and who you have included in the letter.
Use a spell checker - Most email programs have this option, so
make sure you use it before sending the email.
Read your e mails once you have composed it.
Put spaces between paragraphs - If you don’t do
this, you’ll end up with a giant block of text. Just
hit the “Return/Enter” key twice between
paragraphs. It’s much easier to read and less
overwhelming.
20. GENERAL
RULES FOR
EMAILS
Be Polite: You don’t need to use formal language, but you
do want to appear polite and friendly. Because, if you are
asking for something or complaining about something you
are more likely to get a prompt reply. E.G. “Please write
back when you have a chance.”
Greetings: Use “Dear [First Name].”
Closings: Use something like “Thanks,” “See you soon!”
or even a brief sentence like “I’m really looking forward
to meeting you in person.” Be sure to write/type your
name, even if it will be included in your signature.
21. GENERAL RULES FOR SEMI-FORMAL EMAILS:
General rules for semi-formal emails:
Length: keep it short and clear.
Respect: be respectful and not demanding.
Greetings: Use formal or semi-formal greetings.
Closings: use a semi-formal goodbye, such as “Thanks,” “Hope to hear from
you soon” or “Thanks in advance.”
Clarity: If you’re requesting a specific day, that day/date and time should be
very clear.
22. GENERAL
RULES FOR
FORMAL
EMAILS:
Politeness: be very polite show respect.
Formality: Avoid making jokes, using slang words.
Clarity: Be clear by including any relevant details.
Requests: So state exactly what you are requesting.
Greetings: “To Whom It May Concern,” if you do know
the name, you can use “Dear [Title] [Last Name],”.
Closings: A simple “Sincerely” is best.
23. MEMORANDUMS
Memos have a twofold purpose:
They bring attention to problems and
they solve problems.
They accomplish their goals by
informing the reader about new
information like:
policy changes,
price increases, or by persuading the
reader to take an action, such as attend
a meeting, or change a current production
procedure.
24. BUSINESS MEMO
TEMPLATE
(demonstrate on
white board)
MEMORANDUM
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
I'm writing to inform you that [reason for
writing memo].
As our company continues to grow - [evidence
or reason to support your opening paragraph].
Please let me know if you have any questions.
In the meantime, I'd appreciate your
cooperation as [official business information]
takes place.
This information could be about a social evening for the office workers, it could be a letter of complaint, report on policies and procedures in the work place it’s a form of legal documentation too so that you have a record of what has gone on been said or instructions on things to get done in and around the work place. It could also let the employees know that there is a meeting everything around the workplace is about documentation. As my sons say CYA – and the best way is through keeping documentation in the workplace. People can always back out of a verbal communication – always back up with a document to follow up and make sure things tick over.
Facebook, Twitter and instant messaging mean that we can stay in touch all the time. But, letter writing is still used and kept as a record and often people wont’ be so mean in a letter when they have to really sit down and think about what they have to say
Most likely the purpose of your letter is to persuade your reader to do something: change their mind, correct a problem, send money or take action.
The passive voice can make your writing ambiguous or impersonal. In addition, the active voice is more streamlined and straight to the point. For example: Passive: The sunglasses are not designed or manufactured with attention to their durability.
Note that the recipient may contact you with questions or concerns, and say thank you for his or her attention to the letter/matter at hand.
Fold bottom half first 1/3 then top half second 1/3 then the last fold goes in first – hold with the thumb put into envelope. So when they take the letter out on the other side it is the right way up and is more friendly.
