Taking Notes,Writing Letters and Memos

Presented By: Hijrat ullah (MBA-HRM)

HR-Assistant OHPM, Paktika

Theme of presentationTheme of presentation

• Taking Notes

• Writing Letters

• Writing Memos

• Examples

Taking NotesTaking Notes• Taking notes is needed for learning and effective

communications with others

• Most people forget almost half of what they hear within an hour

• Taking notes forces you to listen carefully

• It helps to record some information which may not be available anywhere else or may be lost sometime

Effective ListeningEffective Listening

• It is the success key for good note-taking

• To listen effectively, create an internal conversation between you and the lecturer

• This includes actively anticipating and questioning what the lecturer says and sorting the information being presented.

Taking Notes ProcessTaking Notes Process1. During Lecture:

- Follow a certain style- Do not miss the first minute- Sit close to the lecturer to avoid distractions- Write the name of the lecturer- Date and number each page - Notice the clues that tell how the lecture is organized and what points are important

Taking Notes ProcessTaking Notes Process (cont.) (cont.)

During Lecture (cont.):

- Pay attention to transitional words- Write in short phrases or words- Do not try to write everything said - Use abbreviations - Skip lines and write on one side- Box important notes- Ask questions to understand

Taking Notes ProcessTaking Notes Process (cont.)(cont.)

2. After Lecture:

- Read your notes as soon as possible and fill any gaps

- Highlight or underline main ideas, concepts, and information- Compare your notes with a friend’s (whenever possible)

Know the CluesKnow the CluesYour lecturer will drop hints to indicate important points. Look for these phrases and signals:

- Lists: “the five issues”, “the three most important dates”

- Summaries: “in conclusion”, “to sum up”

- Examples: “for example”, “for instance”

- Different points of view: “on one hand”, “however”

- Superlatives: “most”, “best”

- Repetition: “again”, “in other words”

- Writing: on the chalkboard

Styles for Styles for Taking NotesTaking Notes1. Outlining:

- Use roman numeral (I., II.) for main ideas- Subtopics using capital letters (A., B.)- Details using numerals (1., 2., 3., etc.)

2. Mapping: - Map is used to draw the material presented- Draw a small circle in the center of your paper to place the main idea- Draw lines from the center topic pointing to subtopics- Lines are drawn for more details or examples

Use ShorthandUse ShorthandDevelop your own system of shorthand like:

- Use symbols: & = and $ = money w/o = without

- Omit vowels: ppt = power point Gvt = Government

- Use letters enough to recognize words: Info = information Max = maximum

- Use first syllable of a word: Cap = Capital Lab = Laboratory

- Use first syllable and 1st letter of second syllable: Subj = subject Pres = presentation

LETTERS and MEMOSLETTERS and MEMOS

Throughout your career, you will write too many letters and memos

Many people (mistakenly) think that writing letters and memos is not “a big deal”.

Those people are probably writing ineffective letters without knowing it.

Writing letters and memos is a delicate/important task

The Reader The Reader • The more you know about your reader, the more closely

you can tune your writing

• How much does your reader know about the topic of the letter or memo?

• How does the topic affect the reader personally?

• What will make the reader want to read what you have to say?

• Is your reader likely to agree or disagree with your suggestions?

• A letter or memo can have many purposes such as (among others):– inform– persuade– sell– request– instruct– recommend– To complain.

• Knowing your purpose and your reader will help you decide what to say and how to organize and phrase it.

The PurposeThe Purpose

LettersLetters

• The most widely used business letter formats are:

– Full block

– Modified block

• The format of the letter helps to establish its tone

Full block formatFull block format• It has eight components (in order):– Heading– Address – Salutation – Text of the message. Do not indent the paragraphs,

but leave an empty line between paragraphs– The complimentary close – Your signature should be in blue or black ink – The identification line containing your typed name– Enclosures or distribution

An Example (Full Block)An Example (Full Block)Your Address February 16, 2003 Receiver’s name and address Dear Mr. ….: Text with no indentation but skip a line between paragraphs

Sincerely yours,

Signature goes here with pen

Your Name Encl: List of attachmentsDist: List people receiving a copy

Modified Block FormatModified Block Format• Differs from full block in the placement of the

heading, date, complimentary close, signature, and identification lines

• These components start about halfway across the page and aligned vertically

• Begin the paragraphs with a one-tab or three to five space indentation

• Do not leave an empty line between paragraphs

An Example (Modified Block)An Example (Modified Block) Your address

February 16, 2003 Receiver’s name and address Dear Mr. ...: Your text here indented but no empty line between paragraphs.

Sincerely yours,

Your signature goes here with ink

Your name Encl: List of attachmentsDist: List people receiving a copy

MemosMemos• The memo is short for memorandum

• Used for short reminders, quick announcements or concise pieces of information

• Memos should not be used for communications to people outside the company

• The vital information in a memo comprises the date, the recipient, the sender and the subject matter

• In memos, do not use the "Dear" salutation and the "Yours truly" complimentary closure

• Initial the memo to the right of your name with a pen

Memo FormatMemo Format< company logo>

MEMORANDUM (or MEMO)

DATE:TO: FROM: <add initials here with pen>SUBJECT: ______________________________________________

<include memo text here>

Memo Format (Continued)Memo Format (Continued)

• Block Format: no indentation but leave empty space between paragraphs

• Modified Block format: Indent each paragraph but do not leave empty space

• Do not mix both format. Choose one and stick to it

Sample Memo (Modified Block)Sample Memo (Modified Block)Memorandum

Date: March 13, 2003To: Dr. Abdullah Abdelrahman, Department Head From: Ayhem Salem Subject: A Low-Cost Way to Reduce Energy Use in Our Department __________________________________________________________________

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Reviewing Letters or MemosReviewing Letters or Memos• Check your letter or memo for tone, wording, and spelling

• Check the spelling of the receiver’s name and address

• Check the dates in the heading and any dates in the text. These are supposed to be records

• Check for subject-verb agreement

• Check for punctuation

• Be sure that you signed the letter below the complimentary close

• Be sure that you put your initials to the right of your name in the memo

This is how much letter and memo writing you will probably do.

Do it right!

QUESTIONS?QUESTIONS?