WRITING.

Exercise 6. Work with a partner. Look at the notes from the follow-up meeting with Firat, Lena and Andrian and write up full minutes.

 

AGENDA

 

DATE 11 September

TIME 15.30

VENUE Main conference room

 

1. Matters arising

2. Lena to present report on hot-desking and make a proposal

3. Firat to present schedule for canteen building work

4. Andrian to make proposal for quarterly newsletter

Team to approve.

5. Lena to report on Christmas party.

 

 

Notes: 2. Hot-desking very unpopular. Staff demotivated.

Not necessary. Problem can be solved by smaller desks for everyone. Some extra cost involved.

3. Put up temporary tent for canteen 1 November.

Problem – small distance to walk in open. Clear out fittings of canteen 2 - 6 November. Building work 7-20 November. Open new canteen 25 November.

4. Quarterly newsletter – pros - less time-consuming. More news to report so more interesting, less cost. Cons – not so up-to-date. Proposal – quarterly newsletter. Team approved this.

5. New canteen opens on 25 November. Enough buffer time if problems occur. Christmas party in new canteen.

 

Unit 9

 

Part 5. A MEMORANDUM (MEMO)

 

Exercise 1. Read the text to find out:

1. What we mean by «memo»?

2. What is included in a memo?

3. If there are different techniques in memo writing

4. Basic rules to be used in memo writing

 

A memorandum (or memo) is a very common form of business communication which is exchanged between members of the same organization. The memo usually focuses on one message or piece of information, and often requests actions to be taken. It may be sent to a single person or a group of people.

There are many different techniques used in memo writing, but several basic rules should always be applied:

1. Since memos are a little less formal than business letters, it is best to use simple language and a neutral tone.

2. Keep your memo clear. Use short, simple sentences.

3. A memo should not be any longer than one page. Most people do not have time to read long memoes.

4. The opening and closing formula can be more direct and less formal than in a letter.

Memoes are usually for internal communication.

They should include the following headings: To/From/Subject/Date.

They should be short and include only relevant information.

Points should be arranged in logical order. In longer memoes, it is common to number points.

The tone of a memo may be formal, informal or neutral.

It is usual to end with your initials rather than a signature.

 

Exercise 2. Phamatec Pharmaceuticals is sending a delegation of executives to Japan for the first time to discuss an important contract, so the executives are going to attend a series of seminars given by Tomomi Moriwake, a Japanese consultant.

Read the memo from the Managing Director to Human Resources Manager and match the parts of the memo (1-6) with the descriptions (a-f).

 

PHARMATEC MEMORUNDUM

 

1. …… DATE 9^th June

2. …….. TO Vincent Mills, Human Resources Manager

FROM Philip Groves, Managing Director

3. …….. SUBJECT Seminars on Japanese culture and management

Unit 9

 

4. …….. The trip to Japan has been confirmed for the 15^th of next month. I’ve decided to go ahead with the seminars as we discussed.

5. …….. Could you contact the consultant you mentioned and get back to me about the following:

a) the topics she covers;

b) short description of each topic;

c) whether you think we should use her services or look for someone else.

6. ……. We haven’t much time, so could you do this a.s.a.p. and also check the availability of the executives who will be involved in this training.

PG

 

a) The «body» of the memo

b) A short heading which tells you what the memo is about

c) When the memo is sent

d) The conclusion of the memo, which often recommends a course of action.

e) Name of the person to whom the memo is sent

f) A brief introduction to the memo giving the most important information.

 

Exercise 3. Read the following memo and answer the questions:

1. Who does it concern?

2. Who is it written by?

3. When was it written?

4. What is the subject of the memo?

5. What is the style of the memo?

6. What is the memo ended with?

 

MEMO

 

DATE 18 April

TO All department heads

FROM Patricia Marchand, General Manager

SUBJECT Visit of German agent

 

Please note that Katya Schmidt, our German agent, will be visiting the company on Friday, 26 April.

There will be a meeting on that day at 11.30 am in the Boardroom, which you should all attend.

Ms Schmidt will be presenting her marketing plan for expanding sales in the German market.

If you wish to join for lunch at a local restaurant, please let me know as soon as possible.

 

Unit 9

 

Exercise 4. A memo is an internal communication.

Look quickly at the following memo. What do you notice about the layout of the memo (compare it with the one given above)

 

MEMO

 

TO All staff

FROM The pay office

SUBJECT Delay in payment of salaries

 

We are sorry to inform you that there will be some delay in paying salaries this month. This is because of difficulties with the new computer system.

We will make every effort to solve the problem within the next two or three days and expect to be able to pay all salaries by the end of the month.

 

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

 

Exercise 5. Now read the memo above and answer the questions:

1. Who sent it?

2. Who will read it?

3. What is the problem?

4. What is the background?

5. When will it be solved?

6. What do you think about the style of the memo? Is it more formal or informal?

 

Exercise 6. You work in the general administration office of a company.

Write a memo to all staff to explain a future problem. Use these notes and follow the model above for your memo.

 

Problem:

Canteen closed during August

Background:

Renovation work

Promise:

Work to finish by end of August

Thanks

 

Exercise 7. Lee Jones, the telecommunications manager at Allsop Trading, sent a memo making a recommendation.

The sections of the memo a-g) have been mixed.

Look at the framework below. Then order the sections of the memo appropriately by writing the letter for each section in the correct order.

 

Unit 9

 

a)	I have compared the cost of mobile phone calls from these countries using three different service providers: Orange, O2 and Vodafone. My findings are as follows: 1) Vodafone compares well with other providers on overall cost. 2) Vodafone is the cheapest for calls and text messages from Australia. 3) If we subscribe to Vodafone’s international traveller service, we can obtain further discounts on calls from Spain and the USA. The cost of this service is $3.50 per phone call month.
b)	These findings show that Vodafone offers the best deal overall.
c)	You asked me to look at international mobile phone costs and make a recommendation.
d)	I recommend that we choose Vodafone as our service provider.
e)	The reason is that we need to reduce the cost of international mobile phone calls from Australia, Spain and the USA.
f)	To: Tom Barnes From: Lee Jones Subject: Recommendation for mobile phone provider.
g)	I’m attaching the figures for you to study.

 

FRAMEWORK.

 

1. Headings	2. Start with a reference to the market	3. State your conclusion at the start: it saves the reader time
4. State your reasons	5. Give the details	6. Repeat the recommendations	7. Refer to any attachments