ENGL210F Lecture Notes - Courtesy Title, Internal Communications, Anti-Spam Techniques

• School: University of Waterloo
• Department: English
• Course: ENGL210F
• Professor: Judah Oudshoorn

Document Summary

Module 3: memorandums, e-mail, and routine messages (may 17, 2012) Business context: historically the genre of choice for internal communications, gradually being replaced by email, format still survives (very basic) Memos have three key functions: to provide a record: Email memos provide a written record that telephone conversations and meetings do not: to reach a wider audience: Email memos reach a wider audience for the lowest cost in time and money. Emails can be carbon copied to other parties: to communicate with sensitivity: Often a communication can be better transmitted via an email memo. More care and effort can go into an email that rejects a proposal than into a telephone conversation that rejects the same proposal. Conciseness and clarity (essential to memo writing) Keep sentences short and action oriented and write in the active voice. Use we when speaking for your organization and i when speaking for yourself. Use the fewest words needed to make your point effectively.