GROUP
7
LETTERS /CORRESPONDENCE
Correspondence is a written
form of communication. It is
purposeful writing used to
convey information to
someone, groups,
organizations, staff, etc.
Correspondence encompasses the different means of passing
information to others in a written form. An example of this is a
letter, which is used to pass both personal and official
information. It could be internal (intra-personal) or external
(inter-personal).
INTERNAL EXTERNAL
CORRESPONDENCE CORRESPONDENCE
Occurs within an From observers, the
government
organization. agencies,establishment
s, customers, etc.
POLICE CORRESPONDENCE
A written communication for
purposes of conveying factual
information and building up
goodwill and maintaining
harmonious relationships
between the writer and the
reader.
Characteristics of Correspondence
1. Accuracy
-refers to correctness in both information and words use. It also
means using the exact words meant to express your intended meaning.
2. Clarity
-reports that are clear are easy to read and understand.
It means freedom from ambiguity.
Strategies to obtainclarity:
-Avoid elaborate and impressive words.
-Avoid double negatives and construct positive sentences.
Characteristics of Correspondence
3. Conciseness
- to express much in a few words as possible
-to be brief but substantial
SIX STRATEGIES IN WRITING CONCISE SENTENCE:
[Link] active voice instead of passive voice.
2. Reduce long clauses into phrases.
3. Cut unnecessary words and empty phrases.
4. Eliminate repetition and redundancy.
5. Avoid ‘nominalization' or using the noun forms of verbs
6. Avoid the use of “there/is/are/were” as sentence openers
Characteristics of Correspondence
4. Completeness
-means perfection, fullness or sufficiency of information which can
attain in answering the 5 Ws and 1H.
5. Courtesy
-expressions that manifests politeness, civility, affability, urbanity,
considerateness and respectfulness.
6. Visual appeal
-attractive, has a visual impact and generally looking good but not
multi-coloured.
7. Tonal appeal
- must be simple, straightforward
TYPE OF CORRESPONDENCE
Letters
A message which is written on paper and sent to someone.
Functions of a Letter
Information
Reference
Boosts other forms of communication
Guide for further actions
TYPES OF LETTERS
Informal Letters Formal Letters
known as a personal or private letter
known as an official letter or
written to someone to discuss
business letter. It is used to
personal affairs. It is the kind of letter
conduct official or business
exchanged with family or friends. It
transactions.
has a personal tone.
FORMAL LETTER
A formal or business letter is brief and concise but
contains essential details that one needs to achieve
desired results. It usually conveys messages like
agreements, appointments, promotions, business details,
inquiries, goodwill messages, proposals, etc.
Parts of Informal Letter Parts of Formal Letter
(I) Writer’s address
Address of the writer (ii) The Date
Date (iii) The receiver’s address
Salutation (iv) Salutation
The body of the Letter (v) Subject heading
Complementary closure (vi) The body
First name (vii) The Complementary Close
(viii) Cooperate signature
(ix) Writer’s name
(x) Writer’s designation or Job title
HOW TO WRITE A FORMAL LETTER?
To write an appropriate formal letter, you'll need to include certain elements
throughout. The more you follow the proper format for a formal letter, the
more effective it will be, the more your recipient will understand you and the
better reception you'll receive.
Follow these steps when writing a formal letter:
1. Write your name and contact information.
In the upper left-hand corner of the letter, include your name or your
company's name. Follow it with your address in the lines below.
. Include the date.
2
The date of the letter should be the date you're writing it. The date is very
important to include if your recipient needs to reply to your letter in a timely
manner.
3. Include the recipient's name and contact information.
After the date, you should also include the recipient's name with their official title,
such as Mr., Mrs., Miss or Ms. After this, include their job title, name of their
company and their address. If you don't have their contact information, refer to
their company website to assist you .
. Write a salutation.
4
You should greet the person you're addressing your formal letter to. Make sure
you're not too conversational or casual.
. Write the body of the letter
5
Next, write the body of your letter. This section is typically two or three
paragraphs in length. Introduce yourself and state the purpose of your letter in the
first paragraph. It's important to quickly engage them and be direct with your
language. Your second paragraph should be used to underline the message you're
sending. Use your last paragraph to summarize the purpose of your letter and how
you want to proceed. This can include a call to action.
[Link] a sign-off.
Include a closing like "Yours Sincerely," "Yours respectfully,"Leave a space
and then include your signature and printed name. Next, include your title,
phone number and email address.
Note: If you're using an AMS letter format, refrain from a salutation and
instead just include your name, signature and job title.
BE CLEAR AND CONCISE USE THE RIGHT TONE
TIPS FOR
PROOFREAD
WRITING A USE THE RIGHT FORMAT
FORMAL
LETTER
THANK
YOU VERY
MUCH!