Part I
Questions:
a. What is the relation among these three videos?
The relation among those three videos is that they were about the letter-writing
b. Do you find important to learn how to write a formal letter? Why?
I personally think that writing formal letters is really important because now that we are in the university we have to start developing this skill. Writing letters lets us be more professionals and polite when sending and apologize, a request, a complaint, if we need to apply to something. It will probably open more doors to us.
Letters of complaint usually include the following stages:
1. Background: This section describes the situation; e.g.
§ I am writing to inform you that the gods we ordered from your company have not been supplied correctly.
§ I attended your exhibition Sound Systems 2009 at the Fortune Hotel (22-25 January) and found it informative and interesting. Unfortunately, my enjoyment of the event was spoiled by a number of organisational problems.
§ I am a shareholder of Sunshine Bank and I am very concerned regarding recent newspaper reports on the financial situation of the bank. Your company is listed as the auditor in the latest annual report of the bank, so I am writing to you to ask for an explanation of the following issues.
§ I am writing to inform you of my dissatisfaction with the food and drinks at the 'European Restaurant' on 18 January this year.
Cause:
§ On 11 May 2009 we placed an order with your firm for 12,000 ultra super long-life batteries. The consignment arrived yesterday but contained only 1,200 batteries.
§ Firstly, I had difficulty in registering to attend the event. You set up an on-line registration facility, but I found the facility totally unworkable.
§ You sent us an invoice for $10,532, but did not deduct our usual 10% discount.
§ We have found 16 spelling errors and 2 mis-labelled diagrams in the sample book.
Effect:
§ This error put our firm in a difficult position, as we had to make some emergency purchases to fulfil our commitments to all our customers. This caused us considerable inconvenience.
§ Even after spending several wasted hours trying to register in this way, the computer would not accept my application.
§ I am therefore returning the invoice to you for correction.
§ This large number of errors is unacceptable to our customers, and we are therefore unable to sell these books.
§ I am writing to ask you to please make up the shortfall immediately and to ensure that such errors do not happen again.
§ Could I please ask you to look into these matters.
§ Please send us a corrected invoice for $9,479
§ I enclose a copy of the book with the errors highlighted. Please re-print the book and send it to us by next Friday.
4. Warning (optional)
§ Otherwise, we may have to look elsewhere for our supplies.
§ I'm afraid that if these conditions are not met, we may be forced to take legal action.
§ If the outstanding fees are not paid by Wednesday, 27 May 2009, you will incur a 10% late payment fee.
§ I look forward to receiving your explanation of these matters.
§ I look forward to receiving your payment.
§ I look forward to hearing from you shortly.
Politeness
The tone of complaint letters should not be aggressive or insulting, as this would annoy the reader and not encourage them to solve the problem. In addition, questions such as 'Why can't you get this right?' should not be included.
Content
o The content should contain enough details so that the receiver does not have to write back requesting more.
o Legal action is not normally threatened in the first letter of complaint, unless the situation is very serious.
Example:
Fortune Goods
317 Orchard Road
Singapore
18 May 2009
Attn: Mr David Choi
Sales Manager
Everlong Batteries
171 Choi Hung Road
Hung Hom
Hong Kong
Dear Mr Choi
Re. Order No. 768197
I am writing to inform you that the goods we ordered from your company have not been supplied correctly.
On 11 May 2009 we placed an order with your firm for 12,000 ultra super long-life batteries. The consignment arrived yesterday but contained only 1,200 batteries.
This error put our firm in a difficult position, as we had to make some emergency purchases to fulfil our commitments to all our customers. This caused us considerable inconvenience.
I am writing to ask you to please make up the shortfall immediately and to ensure that such errors do not happen again. Otherwise, we may have to look elsewhere for our supplies.
I look forward to hearing from you by return.
Yours sincerely
J. Wong
J. Wong
Purchasing Officer
_________________________________________________________________
Letters of application usually include the following stages:
Cover Letter Outline
2520 Vista Avenue - 1
Olympia, Washington 98501
April 19, 2001
Mr. Bob Trimm, Personnel Manager - 2
Ideas Inc.
587 Lilly Road
Dear Mr. Trimm: - 3
Opening paragraph - Use one of the following to bring yourself to the attention of the reader and make clear what job you are applying for:
1. Summarize the opening
2. Name the opening
3. Request an opening
4. Question the availability of an opening
Middle paragraph(s)- Use one of the following in each of your middle paragraphs to provide the reader with plenty of reasons to invite you to an interview:
1. Education
2. Work experience
3. Ability to work with others and/or alone
4. Interest in your field
5. Interest in the company
6. Responsibilities in previous positions
Closing paragraph - Use the closing paragraph to ensure action on the part of the reader
The last paragraph needs to help ensure that action is taken. You can ask for an interview appointment time, stating that you will be happy to come to the employer's office when convenient. Make it easy for the reader to follow-up by providing your telephone number and email address.
Sincerely,
Kenneth Beare - 4
Enclosure
Important Salutation Notes
1 - Begin your cover letter by placing your address first, followed by the address of the company you are writing to.
2 - Use complete title and address; don't abbreviate.
3 - Always make an effort to write directly to the person in charge of hiring.
4 -Always sign letters.
____________________________________________________________________________
The following suggestions will help you to write an effectiveletter of request:
1. Keep it simple. In the first paragraph, tell the recipient why you are writing.
2. If appropriate, give the person you are writing to some information that will help them remember who you are. For example, if you are writing to a former professor, explain what class you were in and the year. In the case of writing to a former supervisor, remind the person when you worked with them. These details help readers to place where they know you from.
3. Briefly explain what it is that you want the reader to do. If there is a deadline involved, share that information as well.
4. Give the reader all the information they need to comply with your request.
5. Include any supporting documentation the recipient may need.
6. List your contact information, including your full name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address in the body of the letter. Ask the reader to contact you if they have any questions or concerns about your request.
7. Thank the person for their assistance.
8. When you write your letter of request, put yourself in the shoes of the person who will read it. Read your draft letter over a few times to make sure that it makes sense to you. Double check that the reader won't need any further information in order to decide whether they can say yes to your request. Make any changes as necessary before you send it out.
Sample:
Your Return Address
[Date]
Mr./Ms. J. Smith XYZ Company 123 Sesame Street Your Town, Your State Zip Code/Postal Code
Dear Mr./Ms. Smith:
Re: Request for an Interview
My name is [your name here] and I am writing to request an interview to discuss available positions in the [name of department] with your company. [If you were referred to the company by someone you know, be sure to include this information here. "James Ray, who is an employee in your Sales Department, suggested that I contact you."]
I am a graduate of [name of educational institution you attended] and I have [x] years of experience in the field of [name of industry or field of study]. I am currently looking for new employment opportunities and I would like to have the opportunity to discuss how my skills and abilities can be of benefit to your company.
I will contact you by phone next week to set up a convenient time when I can discuss my qualifications. I will bring my resume with me at that time. If you have questions or would like more information, please feel free to contact me by phone at [area code and number here]. I can also be reached by e-mail at [your e-mail address here].
Thank you for taking the time to consider my request, and I will be in touch with you soon.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
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