The Correspondence Project This project will be a collection of three letters, one memo and two e-mail messages. The information for creating most of these comes from Chapters 14 and 17 in the text and from the handouts. The seven pieces of the project should be saved as completely separate pages inside one electronic file, in the order listed. Please do not use any wizards or templates in Word or any other program to create these because your file will be too large if you do. Use MS Word and keep the document formats simple, and keep them all in one file. Before beginning this project, read over the text’s advice about: 1) when to use a letter versus when to use a memo; 2) how to control tone and the strategies for organizing good news and bad news, 3) how to structure a letter of inquiry, and 4) what to plan for when writing a justification (or persuasive) argument in a letter or memorandum. Letters are still the primary means of delivering authoritative communication to the outside world for any business or organization. Letters can be used to do any task: to ask, to inform, to analyze, to recommend, to dispute, and the list goes on. Read the Correspondence Help handout in the E-handouts organizer pages for important information you will need in order to complete this project successfully. The text’s advice on some aspects of dealing with correspondence is not in accord with the practices of the larger companies in this area (and across the country), and no text can account for all of the variables for different regions or the arbitrary preferences of some companies. Letter number 1: Letter of Complaint Read entry number 1 on page 383. Create the “reasonable” details as directed (including the organization’s name and address) and ask for compensation for the lost samples, lost time and lost chemicals. Letter number 2: Response to a Complaint Using the information in entry number 3 on page 383, write as if you are the manager of the pool that received the complaint, and politely deny the club member’s request for satisfaction. Create names and addresses and reasonable information as needed. Letter number 3: Letter of Inquiry The scenario for the letter of inquiry will be the following. You are researching how the military has put drones to use for surveillance purposes for a class assignment. Your research has uncovered the small spy plane called the "Nano-Hummingbird" (pictured here), which flies. Write a letter to AeroVironment, the manufacturer, and ask for a technical piece of information that they would not be likely to want to release. Assure them that you are writing for information solely for use in a paper you are doing for and a class that you are not trying to usurp their design or violate their patents. The hotlink will take you to an informative page that is not hosted by the company itself (http://boingboing.net/2011/02/18/robotic-hummingbird.html), if you would like to find out more about th ...

1. The Correspondence Project
This project will be a collection of three letters, one memo and
two e-mail messages. The information for creating most of
these comes from Chapters 14 and 17 in the text and from the
handouts.
The seven pieces of the project should be saved as completely
separate pages inside one electronic file, in the order listed.
Please do not use any wizards or templates in Word or any other
program to create these because your file will be too large if
you do. Use MS Word and keep the document formats simple,
and keep them all in one file.
Before beginning this project, read over the text’s advice about:
1) when to use a letter versus when to use a memo; 2) how to
control tone and the strategies for organizing good news and
bad news, 3) how to structure a letter of inquiry, and 4) what to
plan for when writing a justification (or persuasive) argument in
a letter or memorandum. Letters are still the primary means of
delivering authoritative communication to the outside world for
any business or organization. Letters can be used to do any
task: to ask, to inform, to analyze, to recommend, to dispute,
and the list goes on.
Read the Correspondence Help handout in the E-handouts
organizer pages for important information you will need in
order to complete this project successfully. The text’s advice
on some aspects of dealing with correspondence is not in accord
with the practices of the larger companies in this area (and
across the country), and no text can account for all of the
variables for different regions or the arbitrary preferences of
some companies.
Letter number 1: Letter of Complaint

2. Read entry number 1 on page 383. Create the “reasonable”
details as directed (including the organization’s name and
address) and ask for compensation for the lost samples, lost
time and lost chemicals.
Letter number 2: Response to a Complaint
Using the information in entry number 3 on page 383, write as
if you are the manager of the pool that received the complaint,
and politely deny the club member’s request for satisfaction.
Create names and addresses and reasonable information as
needed.
Letter number 3: Letter of Inquiry
The scenario for the letter of inquiry will be the following. You
are researching how the military has put drones to use for
surveillance purposes for a class assignment. Your research
has uncovered the small spy plane called the "Nano-
Hummingbird" (pictured here), which flies.
Write a letter to AeroVironment, the manufacturer, and ask for
a technical piece of information that they would not be likely to
want to release. Assure them that you are writing for
information solely for use in a paper you are doing for and a
class that you are not trying to usurp their design or violate
their patents.
The hotlink will take you to an informative page that is not
hosted by the company itself
(http://boingboing.net/2011/02/18/robotic-hummingbird.html),
if you would like to find out more about this spy plane and see
it actually fly. Contact information: AeroVironment Corporate
Headquarters; 181 W. Huntington Drive., Suite 202; Monrovia,
CA 91016. [This is a real company, but we will not actually
send these to the company.]

3. You might also want to check out some information about the
real habitat ranges of hummingbirds and where these spy drones
could be used because of that habitat range. One useful link is:
http://www.defenders.org/hummingbirds/basic-facts.
Memo number 1: Tattoos in the workplace
Using the scenario in entry 1 on page 466, write the memo to
the inked (and non-inked at this time) employees.
E-mail number 1: special request
Scenario: Your company is sending you to a conference that is
being held in Sydney, Australia which will take you out of
classes for the entire week just prior to exam week. Your other
instructors are allowing you to take their final exams early, and
now you have to get permission from the instructor for your
most difficult course to change the date on which you take the
course’s final exam. Inform that instructor that you will be
missing the last week of classes prior to exam week. The exam
is scheduled for the day after you return.
Having been to Hawaii before, you know that those 9 to 10
hours of your return flight caused you to suffer from jet lag; and
you can predict you are going to feel pretty bad for a day or two
after the even longer return flight from Australia.
Consequently, you want your instructor to allow you to take the
final exam on another day, and you know that this particular
instructor is not one who is easy to convince that he/she should
change rules for one particular student because she/he feels it is
unfair to other students.
Tactfully make it clear that this is a working trip, not a
vacation. Suggest a tactful and reasonable solution.
Remember that you are asking the instructor to do additional
work in creating a second version of the exam and delivering it
to the Test Center. Out of respect for the instructor’s time,
offer to meet to discuss your options at his/her convenience
(such as during office hours) rather than ask her/him to get back

4. to you with an answer.
E-mail number 2: Progress Completion Report
For the e-mail for this project, write the body as a progress
completion report for THIS project. Basically, let the e-mail
receiver (Prof. VanNess) know that the project is done and
briefly identify the content of each of the other pieces that
would be attached to this e-mail. It is always a courtesy in e-
mail to inform the reader what programs any attachments have
been saved in.
Due date for this project: June 18
Maximum points possible: 100
Criteria for evaluation of this project are:
· how effectively and insightfully the content and analysis meet
the needs of the designated target audiences
· how well the report defines and addresses the problems,
challenges, or needs of the situation for the target audiences
· how ethically and accurately the information is presented
· how well the pieces reflect the intent and content of the
scenarios
· how accurately and subtly the format demands are met
· how well the hallmarks of technical writing are met by the
assignment
· how appropriate the organization and development are to the
assignment’s purposes
· how suitable the language level and usage are to the target
audiences
· how clear and concise the language is
· how effective sentence structure and desired level of usage are
· how well examples and reasons support ideas and claims of
the report
· how appropriately visual aspects used in the project are
controlled such as space breaks

5. Help with Correspondence
GENERAL COMMENTS ABOUT LETTER REPORTS
Letters are still the primary means of delivering communication
to the outside world for any business or organization. Letters
can be used to do any task: to ask, to inform, to analyze, to
argue, to recommend, and so much more.
Letter formats follow two basic styles: modified block (or
semi-block) and full block. Modified block tends to be the
preferred style for letters that come from the home (in other
words, letters that do not have a letterhead). This does not mean
that companies do not use this format. Many companies use this
format to try to achieve a more personal tone or to try to make
the page more visually appropriate to the arrangement of the
company letterhead. What is altered is the placement of the
date, the complimentary closing line and the typed name below
the closing. These elements are placed to begin from the center
mark, and to flow toward the right. They are not centered nor
are they right-hand justified.
Full block in which everything is aligned on the left-hand
margin was once reserved solely for use with “letterheaded”
stationery but now there is a great variety. (See the models in
the text.)
Follow the advice in the text regarding control of tone and word
choice.
Note: the simplified letter format omits salutation and
complimentary closing. This third form is useful, but less
commonplace in the types of letters we are writing. This form
has advantages and disadvantages as do the modified and full

6. block. Often it is used in placing orders and in other letters that
do not require speaking to a specific audience.
GENERAL COMMENTS ABOUT MEMORANDA REPORTS
The format for a memorandum is quite simple. An informative
memo is very straightforward and direct, but a justification
memo has a few “tricks” in its content. The justification memo
requires tact and persuasion to convince the receiving audience
that what you are asking for is “justified” and reasonable.
Memoranda are used for communication INSIDE an
organization. Memos never go outside to clients, etc., but they
can be used to convey any type of information inside your
organization. Justification memos are the most difficult type to
write because they must persuade.
Special Considerations in a Justification Memorandum
The justification memo is more than an ordinary informational
memo. These are akin to proposals, but usually require less
persuasion than proposals. Typically the memo is unsolicited
(unasked for). It contains information about a solution to a
problem or a suggestion that will increase productivity,
decrease costs, improve profit margin, enhance public image or
improve morale, and so forth -- in short, it offers a suggestion
that will benefit the company.
According to John Lannon (author of Technical
Communication), a typical arrangement for a justification memo
is:
1. Statement of purpose or problem: In one or two sentences,
make your recommendation
and state the possible benefits

7. 2. Cost and savings (or advantages): Point out the savings or
advantages here, but save
your explanation for the discussion section.
3. Methods or procedures: Briefly explain how your suggestion
can be implemented.
4. Conclusions: List the logical conclusions (outcome) of
implementing the suggestion, but
save the details for the discussion.
5. Discussion: Provide details and explanations, and describe
how you arrived at your
conclusions.
While many authors would agree that these content suggestions
are good, this rigid format is not the only one that will work.
And these five categories are not meant to be topic headings
within the body of the memo. It is always advisable to begin
with a statement of purpose, but arrange your memo report’s
body according to the needs of your audience, content and
intent. The topic and scenario will dictate the subject matter for
this memo. A justification memorandum tends to be much
longer than other types because it must persuade the reader(s) to
do something or to change something.

8. GENERAL COMMENTS ABOUT E-MAIL
E-mail is an increasingly more important part of workplace
communication but the rules of “netiquette” appropriate to
professional e-mail have not yet been finalized. As these
continue to evolve, it is your obligation to watch the practices
you see developing in the work world and to adapt accordingly.
One thing is certain, IM or text-messaging language will not be
used in professional correspondence because that language is
not as clear and accurate, especially for international audiences.
E-mail was originally designed as a vehicle for sharing
information between scientists working on the same project, and
that is why it looks more like a memo than a letter format. It is
being used today for everything from confirmations of
appointments to transmittal pieces for detailed formal reports.
Rules for using e-mail have not been universalized; however,
there are guidelines for best practices.
E-mail should look and sound professional. Do not use slang or
abbreviations. Do not add smiley faces or other emoticons.
Identify what program your attachments are in. Be brief but be
careful not to “clip” the tone by being too terse. Note that it is
possible to draft a message in Word and then paste it into an e-
mail if you do not have a spelling or grammar check feature on
your e-mail system. [Use Control + C to copy and Control + V
to paste.]
E-mail is a hybrid from of correspondence. E-mails most
closely parallel memoranda in physical format, but the content
and tone should lean toward letter style. This is not a place for
Text-messenging or IM language. E-mail has been ruled a
legally binding “document” by the Supreme Court. Give it as
much careful attention as you would any other report in the
workplace.
As a courtesy to your reader, you should specify what type of
word or data processing system (such as MS Word 2007 or
Excel 2013) was used to create any attachments to the e-mail.

9. To keep e-mail short, do not embed (copy and paste) documents
into the e-mail; instead, clip it on as an attachment.