Technical Writing – communication IMPORTANCE OF TECHNICAL
WRITING
- Set readers to
understand 1. Completion of task
2. Facility of work
“Good writing is good business” –
3. Improvement of interpersonal
Desmond A. Gilling
relationship
“Language is the dress of thought” – 4. Increase of income
Samuel Johnson 5. Means of job promotion
6. Improvement of personality traits
Michel Faucault – conveyer 7. Security of records
TECHNIKOS – GREEK QUALITIES OF A TECHNICAL
TECHNE – FRENCH, meant art, craft and WRITER
skill 1. Superior technical skills
TEKS – INDO-EUROPEAN 2. HOTS (Higher Order Thinking
Skills)
CHARACTERISTICS 3. Persuasive skills
1. Accurate METHODS OF PERSUASION
2. Clear 3.1 ETHOS – ethical
3. Formal 3.2 PATHOS – appeals to one's
4. Graphical emotions/feelings
5. Objective 3.3 LOGOS – appeals logical
6. Practical 4. Integrity – manage business
7. Procedural 5. Zest
8. Special BUSINESS LETTER – to transact
9. Divisionary business
10. Straightforward
11. Authoritative SOCIAL LETTER – send messages to
12. Presentable friends, etc. example friendship letter
In many different SIX ELEMENTS CONSIDERED
ESSENTIAL FOR STANDARD
1. Progress report – to inform about a BUSINESS LETTER
project or activity
2. Recommendation – written to 1. Heading
propose 2. Inside address
3. Memo/ Memorandum – a way to 3. Salutation
inform people within the 4. Body
organization 5. Complimentary closing
4. Inquiry Letters – to ask questions 6. Signature
- They facilitate people
- They are necessary for a
successful career
FORMAT It has two regular parts: the outside
address and the return address.
1. Indention
2. Margins (1.5 inch on left side, 1 inch The inside address contains the mailing
on right side, top and bottom) information belonging to the recipient and
3. Spacing should be justified to the left margin of the
4. Type face/ font style letter and placed two spaces below the date
5. Headings (conventional and modern) (for very short letters four spaces are
6. Page number acceptable).
7. Division of letter section
The outside address and return address
4 KNOWN FORMATS FOR BUSINESS both contain, the name, position, agency,
LETTER WRITING and address of the addressee (receiver) or
the sender.
1. Full block style
2. Modified block style FOLDING A STANDARD LETTER
3. Semi block style
A business letter is folded twice into
4. Simplified letter style
horizontal thirds and placed into an
WRITING MATERIALS TO BE USED envelope.
Business letters are always written This makes the letter easy to unfold after
on 8.5 x 11 bond paper. opening the envelope.
The paper must be white, clean,
PUNCTUATION STYLES - Refers to the
uncrumpled, unfolded, and of
absence and presence of punctuation marks
sufficient weight and thickness.
at the end of the lines of the conventional
Note: must not be glossy to avoid
heading, inside address, salutation, and
running or blurring ink.
complimentary closing.
The writing material should not
show cheapness or extravagance. Salutation- colon- Dear sir:
Complimentary closing- comma-
FONT STYLE
Sincerely yours,
For encoded letters, the widely The most widely accepted style is the
accepted font is TIMES NEW mixed or standard style.
ROMAN, SIZE 12. 1. OPEN PUNCTUATION STYLE -
However, other fonts such as Arial This style requires that no
and sizes 13 or 14 may be used punctuation be used after any part of
depending upon the kind of readers the letter except the message.
you have. 2. STANDARD PUNCTUATION
STYLE - This style is commonly
ENVELOPES used. The salutation is followed by a
The standard size of the envelope to colon, and the complimentary close
match the short bond paper is is followed by a comma.
approximately 4”x 9 ½”. Ex. Dear Sir: and Sincerely yours,
3. CLOSED PUNCTUATION Miss - This is used to designate unmarried
STYLE - This style is perhaps the ladies and popular personalities.
least used and is not recommended
Ms. - This title is used when the sender does
for use in modern letters.
not know or is not sure of the marital status.
It places a period after the date and a
comma after each line on the inside Professor - This is used to refer to
address except the last line. instructors who have already reached the
rank of professor and above. Ex: Prof. Carl
THE MAIN PARTS OF A BUSINESS
John B. Sangoan and Professor Sangoan
LETTER
Honorable - This is used to refer to
HEADING - The heading of the letter tells
politicians who hold or who held key
the source of the letter and date it was
positions in the government. Ex: Hon. Angel
written. It also furnishes the Refugio
addressee of the contact information
The Honorable Angel Refugio
of the letter-sender especially if the
letter merits a response. Dr. - This can be used to refer to persons
TWO KINDS OF HEADING who finished doctorate degrees in any
1. Conventional Heading - When branch of studies. Ex: Dr. Benedicta H.
letter-senders are not connected with Cumagun
any agency or their letters have
nothing to do with their agency, they Mrs. Benedicta H. Cumagun, Ph.D.
should make use of this kind of
heading. This heading contains the
residential address of the writer. It Reverend - This title is used to refer to a
makes use of two, three or four lines, minister, a priest or a rector. Ex: Rev.
usually three lines. Nathaniel Denlaoso and The Reverend
2. Modern Heading - Composed of Nathaniel Denlaoso
the letterhead and the dateline, this SALUTATION - This part is traditionally
kind of heading is used when letters known to be the greeting of the letter.
have bearing with agencies
concerned. BODY - This is the most important part of
the letter for it carries the message or the
INSIDE ADDRESS - This part contains main text of the sender to the addressee.
pertinent information regarding the
addressee. COMPLIMENTARY CLOSE - Other
books refer to this as complimentary
Traditional Courtesy Titles closing, complimentary ending or plain
Mr. - This is used to refer to either married, closure. This is similar to saying goodbye.
widower or unmarried man with no other Since its partner is the salutation,
titles SIGNATURE - This refers to the
Mrs. - it is used now to refer to widows and handwritten as well as the typewritten
married ladies. signatures of the sender. Hence, in most
cases, it occupies two lines.
safeguard the accompanying sheets
of the letter.
6. Reference Notation - This part
OPTIONAL PARTS OF BUSINESS facilitates the handling of the
LETTER correspondence fo encoder r it
indicates the previous letters, orders,
1. Attention Line - This line is used invoices, policy numbers and
when you want your letter to be document contact numbers, serial or
taken care of by a particular person model numbers, and credit card or
in an agency or you want the account numbers that have direct
organization to respond even if the bearing with the present letter.
person you write to is unavailable. 7. Carbon or Photocopy Notation -
Ex. Attn: Miss Grace Ayonayon Written below the identification
College Instructor initials or enclosures, this line also
or called courtesy copies (cc) shows the
Attention: Miss Grace Ayonayon, other recipients of the letter other
College Instructor than the addressee.
2. Subject Line - This line contains the The abbreviations "cc" (carbon
main topic of the letter. It can be a copy), "ccf" (carbon copy furnished)
keyword or a brief phrase. The word or "con" (carbon copy notation) are
"Subject" or the "Re" can be used to used when carbon paper is used for
signal its. the other duplicates.
3. Continuation Line - This line is 8. Postscript - This part is written
used when there is a need for other below the last written line of the
sheets for the continuation of the letter. It begins with its abbreviation
letter. "P.S." and it usually consists of only
4. Identification Initials - This part one short statement.
identifies the dictator of the letter This is used in the following
and the typist or the. It can be written instances:
in many ways. This part written 1. When the writer forgot an
below the signature and flushed on important item in the body.
the left margin regardless of the 2. When the writer wants to
letter style used is utilized for emphasize a point in the body.
administrative or reference purposes 9. Mailing Notation - This refers to the
in case there is a need to know who mode of delivery of the letter either
typed or encoded the letter and the registered mail, via air mail or
source of the body. others; hence, it refers to special
5. Enclosures - Also called mailing instructions. It also indicates
attachments, this line indicates the the nature of the letter or on arrival
enclosed or attached documents to notations whether confidential,
the letter. Written below the personal or otherwise.
identification initials, it is used to
STAGES IN BUSINESS WRITING
1. PREWRITING – 3. REVISING - In this step you
a. PURPOSE/AIM - have a clear organized your letter check for errors
idea of why you are writing the and see to it that your format and
letter because this will serve as other aspects of business letter
the nucleus of your letter. writing are followed. These include
b. READERS - Consider the punctuation, capitalize and usage
language of your reader. Write as margins and spacing it is at this stage
if you were in the position of the that you have proofread again and
reader and from his/her point of again. Check figures dates and other
view. data. Remember one wrong number
c. Action or response anticipated can destroy everything. Names
from the readers - What do you should be double checked if they are
expect your reader to do? To spelled properly.
accept an invitation to?
To make a recommendation?
Your purpose should be
complementary with what you
expect reader to do.
d. Facts and details needed to be
written in an outline form - what
are the things you need to include
in your letter to us the reader
understand quality? In this steps,
you record your thoughts
quickly, You list down all
possible relevant accurate facts
that are related to the purpose in
others words you brainstorm for
the content.
2. WRITING - In this step you initially
organized your ideas following your
outline. An outline breaks down a
large topic into manageable bits and
helps ensured that your writing flow
logically from one part to another.
In writing the first draft which is also
called rough drafting shows the
relationship between parts and in
some details how ideas work
together, the more specific the
information the first draft is the
better.