Table 3.2 Email best practices or netiquette

38 WRITING FOR THE WORKPLACE
Inside Address
The inside address contains the name and address of the person receiving the letter. The name should be preceded by a title (Mr, Ms, etc. In today’s workplace, it is common to refer to a woman as Ms� unless she has shown a preference to be labeled Miss or Mrs. Use professional titles Dr. Professor, Senator) over generic titles. If sending a letter to someone in an organization, include the person’s title under the name, followed by the name of the organization and its address:
Ms. Jeanine Bauer
Compliance Manager
Tri County Area Governments South El Sueño Road
Santa Teresa, CA 93115
Salutation
Letters call fora formal salutation followed by a colon. If addressing a letter to an individual, write:
Dear Ms. Bauer:
If addressing two people, use:
Dear Ms. Bauer and Mr. Gresham:
When addressing a group, use a collective name such as Committee,
Members, Customers:
Dear Hiring Committee:
Dear Valued Members:
Dear Loyal Customers:
Only include first and last name in a salutation if sending a letter to someone you do not know and the name is of ambiguous gender, such as
Pat Saunders or Chris Terlikian.

ROUTINE ANd POSITIVE mESSAGES Subject Line
Although not essential, some people add an informative subject line that foretells the letter’s purpose and key facts,
9
such as this:
Subject: Student Tour of Daily News Facilities on July 17
Body
The message of the letter is considered the body. It should conform to the rules of effective professional communication that we’ve previously discussed use of short paragraphs, bullets, headings (if appropriate, and white space to make a letter attractive and easy to read.
Complimentary Closing
The most traditional way to sign off a letter is with a complimentary closing such as Sincerely or Cordially followed by a comma. Use of Thank
you, or Best wishes, also followed by a comma, maybe used for less formal letters.
Signature Block
The sender’s signature block follows the complimentary close. Allow three to four spaces for the handwritten signature, and type the sender’s full name and title. Sign the full name (first and last) for formal letters, and the first name only for less formal letters. Do not include the address of the organization doing soon letterhead would be redundant.
End Notes
Sometimes a business letter requires a notation, the last element on the page that comes two lines after the signature block. These include reference initials, enclosures, or copy notices. Reference initials are the

40 WRITING FOR THE WORKPLACE
typist’s initials after the senders. For example, say Jorge M. Marquez is sending the letter but his assistant, Leslie Adler, typed it. The reference initials would be JMM:la or JMM/la
Whenever a letter contains something besides the letter, notify the reader with the notation Enclosure or Enc. If more than one enclosure is contained, the notation should indicate so Enclosure (If anyone else is receiving a copy of a letter, indicate that with the notation c: John Doe.
Letter document design
Some organizations have their own guidelines for letter design, which you must follow. Otherwise, the most common style for letters is the block
style. Block style conforms to the following parameters. Left align, ragged right. No paragraph tabs. Single spacing. Double spacing between paragraphs do not indent
Other letter designs are modified block, in which the date, complimentary closing, and signature block are aligned about midway across the page. Whichever design you are using, always check the appearance of your letter in the preview mode of your word processing program. A letter should not be crammed into the top of the page it should look balanced. If your letter is short, increase your margins and use a slightly larger font size. To help balance on the page, add white space above and below the date.
Your letter will have to go inside an envelope. Most word processing applications have an envelope function that allows you to type the return address (unnecessary if using a company envelope with preprinted return address. Never send a typed letter in a handwritten or printed envelope. If your letter is handwritten, however, a nearly handwritten envelope is acceptable. See Appendix B for an example of a letter.

ROUTINE ANd POSITIVE mESSAGES 41
Memos
Memos (or memoranda) are documents written within organizations, although they are sometimes used as a format for short reports sent to a recipient outside of the organization. They can be as short as one page or much longer and are used in situations that require a permanent or formal record. Types of memos include short reports, proposals, or other informational correspondence. Sometimes memos are printed other times, they are sent as an attachment to an e-mail.
The writing strategy for routine memos is the same as that used in routine emails and letters. Begin with the purpose of the memo use the body paragraphs to provide any details or explanations to support the main point end with a forward looking closing that either summarizes the message (We
are certain that these new procedures will make our workplace safer and more
comfortable), asks for an action with an end date (Please turn in your expense
reports on the first working day of each month beginning in February), or offers a polite, concluding thought (I am looking forward to completing the project
and for your feedback on our work to date).
memo document design
Memos are generally written on stationery with the organization’s name on top. Full letterhead is unnecessary when the memo is going to an internal audience. Under the company name, the word Memo or Memorandum is centered. On the left margin, use the guidewords Date:, To:, From:,

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