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Document Types. Memorandum Electronic mail Letters Business letter Transmittal letter Reports Progress report Proposal. Memorandum. Memorandum - a brief, informal report Communicate technical and administrative information Request information Make announcements Outline policies
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Document Types • Memorandum • Electronic mail • Letters • Business letter • Transmittal letter • Reports • Progress report • Proposal
Memorandum • Memorandum - a brief, informal report • Communicate technical and administrative information • Request information • Make announcements • Outline policies • Transmit meeting minutes • Establish a record of decisions, requests, and concerns
Memorandum Headings • To: • From: • Subject: • Date:
Memorandum Body • Arrange topics in the order of their importance • Key statements first • Details later
Advantages of E-Mail vs. Hard Copy • Instant transmission of information • Easy distribution to a large number of recipients • Easy linking of one text to many others
Characteristics of E-Mail • Popular • Immediate • Informal - not incorrect • Precise • Public (not private)
Guidelines for Writing E-Mail Messages • Acknowledge recipient • Keep messages short • Make headings clear and exact • Use “urgent” only for urgent message • Use correct grammar, punctuation, and style • Proofread the message carefully
Guidelines for Writing E-Mail Messages (2) • Tone: Informal and correct • Use headings and lists • Use caution with humor and sarcasm • Use caution with automatic replies • Length: Brief • Message: 60 characters wide (maximum) • Paragraphs: 7 lines long (maximum) • Subject: Specific – 25 characters wide (maximum) • Order: Most important information first
E-Mail Etiquette • Do not forward an e-mail without permission • Keep e-mail addresses confidential • Avoid using all capital letters • Remember that electronic privacy does not exist • Include a short statement indicating to what you are responding
Business Letter • Business letter – frequently used form of technical communication • More formal and reliable than electronic mail • More precise and permanent than telephone or face-to-face conversations • Format of a business letter • Block • Modified block • Modified block with indented paragraphs
Elements of a Business Letter • Heading • Recipient’s/Inside Address • Salutation/Greeting • Body • Closing • Signature • Additional information
Transmittal Letter • Accompanies a larger document • Provides the recipient with a context in which to place the larger document • Provides the sender with a permanent record of having sent the material
Guidelines for Writing a Transmittal Letter • Describe what is being sent and explain the purpose for sending it • Summarize the key elements of the proposal (one or two sentences) • Provide other useful information • Conclude with a sentence that thanks or compliments the recipient
Report • Report - a stand-alone document that conveys information of professional interest and importance to various individuals in an organization • Types of reports • Internal report • External report • Informal report • Formal report
Progress Report • Progress report - objectives are project monitoring and accountability • Summary of project goal • Statement of progress toward goal • Discussion of costs and scheduling issues • List of future objectives
Front Matter (Title Page) of a Progress Report • Name, position, and location of the designer • Name, position, and location of the person or agency to whom the report is being submitted • Period of investigation • Current date
Body of a Progress Report • Abstract • Introduction • Technical progress • Technical issues • Future work
End Matter of a Progress Report • References/Bibliography • Appendices • Résumés
Proposal • Proposal – a document in which the writer identifies a specific problem and proposes a solution to this problem
Front Matter of a Proposal • Title page • Executive summary • Table of contents • List of figures • List of tables • List of terms (optional)
Body of a Proposal • Introduction • Technical approach • Management requirements • Work plan
End Matter of a Proposal • References/Bibliography • Appendices • Résumés