| Good/Neutral News Correspondence
Good/neutral news letters and memos are typically
written in three parts: a statement of context and purpose (why),
a description of the issues (what), and a request that some action
be taken (action).
{WHY} In the first paragraph, you must
set up your context and purpose. You will present any good news in
this paragraph.
Examples:
Context: "Thank you for your interest in
graduate study at Colorado State University."
Good news/Purpose: "You have been admitted
to our Cognitive Psychology Program beginning with the
fall semester
of 2000."
{WHAT} To understand the good news/neutral news letter or memo format,
you need to know your objective. Are you trying to persuade, to
inform, to advise, and/or to get your reader to act? In this section,
you
describe the situation. You also provide reader benefits, showing
how the reader will benefit from the news. Be specific and address
all questions you think the reader may have. Depending on the scenario,
you may have one body paragraph or several. Typically, persuasive
memos require several body paragraphs.
Examples:
Reader benefits: "The Psychology Department
will provide full financial support, including 20 hours
a week as
a teaching assistant.
This assistantship carries a stipend of $1045 per month, as
well as a non-resident tuition waiver."
Description: "The enclosed brochure provides
a detailed description of the Cognitive Psychology Program,
including
the program
of study,
degree requirements, mentorship program, faculty research
interests and laboratory facilities."
{ACTION} Your final paragraph should
establish goodwill, include a call to action, and provide a way
for the recipient to get back
to you. In other words, you want your readers to feel good about
you and your message, to know what you need them to do, if anything,
and
to be able to contact you via phone or email.
Examples:
Goodwill: "We hope you will join us this
Fall. Your undergraduate record, interests and experience
indicate
that you
will gain much
exciting knowledge at CSU and will enjoy success as a graduate
student."
Call to action: "Please notify me in writing
of your decision to accept or reject our offer, by April
15."
Contact information: "If you have any questions,
feel free to contact me at 555.555.5555."
You can also view an example
letter with discussion (Example 1) and
a revised version
of the letter with discussion (Example 2).
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Business Correspondence
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