Writing That Works, 3e_ How to Communicate Effectively in Business - Kenneth Roman [23]
5. Send handwritten notes
Brief memos written by hand save time and by their nature are more personal and direct. Praise and appreciation can be especially effective in handwriting:
George:
That’s sensational news about Acme. Get some rest now — you deserve it!
Susan:
YOUR REPORT IS SUPERB. I’LL REACT TO YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS AS SOON AS I GET BACK FROM FARGO.
Since handwriting is personal, make sure whatever you write sounds personal.
6. Be careful with humor — or anger
Don’t try to be funny in memos unless you are positive that all your readers will get the joke. That includes people who may not be on your list but might see a copy of your memo. Avoid irony or sarcasm. Somebody will take it straight and get upset. People can brood for days over an innocently intended witticism.
As for anger, when you get angry in person, you leave nothing behind other than the memory of your behavior. When you put it in writing, you leave a permanent record. You may be sorry about that, after you cool down. Angry memos do have their place. A good rule is to write it when you’re angry, but don’t send it until the next day, when you have cooled off enough to reflect on the consequences. This is particularly important with e-mail, which is all too ready to indulge your spur-of-the-moment fury.
Should it be a memo at all? Even Procter & Gamble, which set the pace for the modern business memo, is reported to be deemphasizing it to meet the pace of the Internet age. An Italian proverb says: “Think much, speak little, write less.” Sometimes the most efficient delivery of a message is still face-to-face. Just drop by the other person’s office.
How to Write a Business Letter
There are times when only a letter will serve your purpose. A formal letter on a company letterhead carries an aura of importance that e-mail can’t match and phone calls don’t approach. Legal and financial matters call for precision and detail in a form that can be easily referred to. There is no substitute for a handwritten note of thanks, congratulations, or sympathy. Receiving and opening a first-class letter still is a pleasing ritual for some people. Here are ways to make sure you never let down any reader thus prepared for your message.
1. Get the name and address right
A misspelled name gets you off on the wrong foot. It suggests to the reader that you don’t care, that you’re a sloppy person. Check all names, no matter how much trouble it takes — on the envelope and in the letter, the names of individuals and of firms and organizations.
Use Mr. or Ms. — many people appreciate a touch of formality and nobody resents it. But leave it out rather than get it wrong when you aren’t sure what gender you’re writing to and can’t find out. Mickey, Terry, Gerry, Sandy, and many other names come on both girls and boys.
Check every detail. Mail addressed incorrectly seems slipshod at best, and at worst doesn’t arrive. Always put a return address on the envelope. The stamp might fall off, or God knows what.
2. Think carefully about the salutation
“Dear —– “is a convention we’re stuck with, on paper if not in e-mail, in any sort of formal communication. Odd and antiquated though it may sound, efforts to avoid it seem artificial, self-conscious, and downright rude. We like the British custom of “tip and tail” — writing in the salutation as well as the signature by hand on a printed or typed letter. In less formal letters, a handwritten Peter or Hi Peter seems to work fine.
What comes after “Dear” is worth some thought. Use first names only when you’re already on a first-name basis. Don’t become anybody’s pen pal by unilateral action. Use titles — Dr., Judge, Professor, Senator — when they apply.
An excellent but little-used alternative is to include both first and last names: “Dear Joan Larson.” It is less formal than “Dear Ms. Larson,” but doesn’t presume personal acquaintance, as “Dear Joan” does. It’s an attractive way to address somebody