Exam 9: Routine Correspondence

The first paragraph of an effective letter should tell your reader what you want to happen next, when you want this to happen, and why it is important.

Your textbook authors state that you should never use "Miss" or "Mrs." in the salutation of the letter. In the following questions, each of the characteristics applies to either letters or memos. If it applies to letters, mark "A"; if it applies to memos, mark "B."

Always include a subject line.

External correspondence

Format includes letterhead and address.

Instant messaging provides increased communication speed over e-mail.

In what ways could Instant Messaging cause problems in technical communication?

Informal tone

Identify and discuss two types of communication that begin with buffer statements and create the first paragraph of two such letters.

"Enclosure" notation at the bottom of the page.

One reason for using text messaging is

Usually include a salutation.

Always includes an address.

Companies today may want to control the use of Instant Messaging (IM)by their employees. What are three of the techniques they could use to accomplish this?

Your audience for a memo will probably be more "high-tech" than your audience for a letter.

Discuss why e-mail is such a valuable communication tool. Provide examples.

High-tech subject matter with acronyms and abbreviations often allowed.

E-mail systems are sometimes not secure.

There are generally no standard formats. It depends on how the company does it.

To write an effective e-mail, you should allow your reader to scroll through an unlimited number of screens.