Writing That Works, 3e_ How to Communicate Effectively in Business - Kenneth Roman [21]
Voice mail is often abused, with messages that are too long and repetitive yet not complete. Names and phone numbers are either not given or not clear. The obligation to keep it short and sweet is even greater than with e-mail. You have a captive audience, unable to skip ahead, waiting impatiently for “the point.”
Before you pick up the phone, assume it’s likely the person you’re calling will be out of the office or in a meeting, and you’ll be into voice mail. Prepare yourself by thinking about what you want to say.
Make it concise and to the point. No pleasantries necessary.
Jot down a few bullet points that will make your message short and clear. (If it must be long, announce this — and the reason — at the start.)
State your name and number clearly and slowly, especially the number. (This is the most violated principle, and its violation the most irritating, especially from people who want something done.)
Then hang up.
5 Memos and Letters That Get Things Done
“We don’t write memos to each other!” is a declaration one often hears these days, as e-mail, phone calls, and meetings handle more and more business communication. On the other hand, we have yet to see an office without a printer or an executive without pencil and pad of paper.
The written word remains the best way to communicate in a variety of circumstances. Unlike a phone call, one can refer to a memo or a letter over and over. Unlike voice mail, you can scan a memo for the points important to you. You can study it, ponder it, pass it on to other people, or pull it up and print it out to refresh your memory days or years later. Unlike presentation decks, with their telegraphic and abbreviated points, memos and letters spell things out without relying on a spoken explanation.
As the writer, you can express your thoughts precisely, with every nuance just so. As the reader, you can consider a written matter when and where you choose and for as long a time as you wish. Good memos and letters can solve problems, clarify issues, straighten out misunderstandings, raise questions or answer them, spread the word, complain, mollify, cheer up, and praise.
Here are some ways to assure that your memos and letters succeed in their missions.
How to Write a Memo
Memos are letters to people within your organization, or to people outside it with whom you work closely. You are writing to colleagues; write in a conversational style. But an informal tone of voice is no excuse for sloppy thinking or careless expression. A confusing or ambiguous memo slows things down or messes them up.
Whether sent by e-mail or on paper, good memos follow similar formats.
1. Put a title on every memo
In e-mail memos your title is in your heading. On paper, it’s best to center your title in capital letters over your message. It’s easier for someone to spot there, thumbing through files or briefcase, than tucked off to the left as “Re: Something or Other,” along with the list of addressees.
Your title should never be tricky or obscure. It should identify — swiftly, and for all readers — what your memo is about. A memo proposing an overdue raise for Tony Andrino should not be titled LONG OVERDUE. Better would be RAISE FOR TONY ANDRINO.
If you are responding to somebody else’s memo, say so in your title:
FRANK OWEN’S MEMO ON HOG PRICES
GENDER-BLIND ADMISSIONS:
YOUR MAY 3 IDEAS
In memos on paper, don’t worry about the length of your title. Say enough to identify your subject clearly:
RATIONALE FOR
GLOBAL CORPORATE ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN
Clear, simple titles attract the attention of interested parties, and focus their thoughts on your subject from the instant they start to read.
2. Address memos only to the person who must take action
Send copies to the people you merely want to keep informed.
From: Bill Durwin
To: Margaret Baker
copies: Cindy Lee
Sam Nasikawa
Bob Nieman